Welcomes Largest Monthly Cohort Ever Park Ridge, IL – With the April 2007 cohort of Certified GIS Professionals (GISPs) the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) surpassed the 1,500 GIS professional milestone. The first group of GISPs was certified in October of 2003 as a result of the pilot program used to test the rigor of the process. The Institute formally opened its doors on January 1, 2004. There are now 1,540 GISPs as of April 25, 2007.
"Increasing numbers of GIS professionals are realizing the value of professional certification in dealing with other professionals," said GISCI President Bruce Joffe, GISP. "Increasing numbers of non-GIS managers, and human resources professionals, are relying on ‘GISP’ to indicate a GIS professional’s experience and education."
April was additionally historic as GISCI welcomed its largest cohort of GISPs on record. 61 GISPs were certified in April putting it slightly ahead of the largest previous cohort of 58 GISPs certified in March 2004.
GISCI expected the growth of applications to remain steady in 2007 but numbers appear to be swelling. Already the number of GISPs has surpassed initial estimates for the first quarter. GISCI attributes the growth to better recognition of the credential by the industry, GISP-to-colleague networking, and the importance of properly defining GIS as a profession.
Applications are processed individually and then verified as part of a monthly group. This makes it impossible to determine the identity of the 1,500th GISP. All members of the April 2007 cohort can take pride in knowing it was their application that helped GISCI attain this important achievement. Credit also goes to the 1,479 GISPs who preceded them.
The full manifest of Certified GIS Professionals is on the website. To download application materials or for more information regarding the GISCI Certification Program visit www.gisci.org or call (847) 824-7768.