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Missouri University Training the Future of Geospatial Talent in St. Louis

  • June 15, 2020

St. Louis, Missouri-based Maryville University’s Simon School of Business recently announced plans to add geospatial technology to its curriculum as it focuses on cultivating talent for St. Louis’ budding geotech sector. The new undergraduate course will be offered through Simon’s management information systems program.

Assistant Dean Stacy Hollins said the new course’s creation came together after she became a member of the GeoFutures committee, which formed in 2019 to boost St. Louis’ geospatial industry. As part of that effort, Hollins worked to ensure Maryville could provide graduates for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which is building a new $1.7 billion Western headquarters in St. Louis, and other geospatial firms that will need talent as the industry expands locally.

“We want to make sure we prepare students to be able to work there, intern there and also expose other students who might not necessarily know about the field,” said Hollins

Maryville’s geospatial program is designed to provide students the opportunity to see how geospatial analysis and technology can be used in a variety of industries. Hollins said the curriculum fits at Simon since business is focused on “how can we do better because of the data that we gather and make better decisions.”.

Geospatial analysis and cybersecurity are emerging sectors in Missouri, with solid foundations due to the presence of NGA and their thousands of employees. Additionally, the new Geospatial Resource and Innovation Center has launched at T-REX in downtown St. Louis, just two miles from NGA, and NGA has engaged with St. Louis’ LaunchCode to establish coding apprenticeships for talented individuals who lack the traditional IT credentials.

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