Open GIS Leader Provides Educators and Students Across the Nation Free Access to Open Source Software and Support
NEW YORK – Dec. 13, 2016 – Boundless, the leader in open GIS, today announced that it has extended the Boundless Education Program to provide open source GIS software and support for free to educators and students across the globe.
“We believe open source software offers the best tools to help students and educators learn about geography,” said Anthony Calamito, Chief Evangelist at Boundless. “With the expanded program, educators can now create their curriculum around open source GIS, providing students unfettered access to the next generation of geospatial knowledge and resources.”
Boundless is the leader in commercially supported open source GIS software. Since 2002, the experts at Boundless have been maintaining popular open source geospatial software with contributions to over 160 GitHub repos. The Boundless Education Program builds upon the successes of existing open source geospatial education initiatives such as Geo For All and GeoAcademy. Boundless provides free access to the open GIS ecosystem Boundless Connect, a collection of tutorials, style files, plugins and premium datasets, and a global user community for exchanging information.
Enrollment benefits include:
- Free access to Boundless software, including the new Boundless Desktop
- Workshops, tutorials, and sample datasets to use in the classroom or at home
- How-to guides for using open source software such as Boundless Suite, Boundless Desktop, and Boundless Connect
- Basic, intermediate, and advanced level training videos to get up and running quickly
- Access to all Boundless supported plugins
- A connection to a global user community to share ideas, answer questions, and post topics for discussion.
- Access to the largest open GIS ecosystem of best-in-class technology, products and experts
Boundless Proves Its Commitment to Geography Education
As part of its commitment to geography education and geo-literacy, Boundless recently sponsored more than 50 AP Human Geography teachers to participate in the Geography 2050 Symposium on November 17-18, 2016, in New York City. This enabled teachers to participate in discussions centered around envisioning a sustainable planet, and evangelizing geography education at all levels.
“I walked away from the symposium feeling more connected to the larger geographical community. Not only did I leave the event a more well-rounded geography educator, but I now truly feel like a member of the broader geographical world — I understand where I belong in shaping the future through geography,” said Lydia Soileau-Kirk, AP Human Geography Teacher at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, Mississippi. “It is very motivating to be able to create friendships with other educators. We all have different experiences with our students and being able share ideas face-to-face is priceless. Also, the open-source mapping training blew my mind! The simplicity of mapping blended with the flexibility to use the data has opened up so many doors for interactive technology-based lessons!”
Boundless also encourages its employees to participate in the program by engaging in geography events throughout the year. Most recently, several Boundless employees participated in GIS Day events during Geography Awareness Week. As part of the Education Program, Boundless staff are happy to speak to university students, faculty, and staff about the latest trends in open source GIS and the state of the Boundless ecosystem. Whether in-person, virtually through a webcast or teleconference, we want to ensure students, faculty, and staff are up-to-date on technology and trends in the open source GIS community.
The Boundless Education Program is open to all students and educators who are actively enrolled in one of the following: accredited public or private primary or secondary school; accredited higher education institution that grants degrees requiring not less than the equivalent of two years of study; or homeschool, as defined by state homeschooling regulations. Students and educators will be required to register with their institution’s email address (.edu or similar) as proof of enrollment.
To learn more about the program or to enroll, visit https://boundlessgeo.com/education/.
Boundless offers an open GIS ecosystem through a unique combination of technology, products and experts that gives enterprises deeper intelligence and insights using location-based data. The Boundless platform is built upon open source technology and open APIs that generate actionable location intelligence across third-party apps, content services and plugins for enterprise applications.
Last month, Boundless announced that it has extended its proven GIS platform with Boundless Connect, a subscription service to the most comprehensive repository of GIS data, and Boundless Desktop, a full-featured, professional desktop GIS, bringing a powerful ecosystem of geospatial knowledge, tools and resources to the enterprise.
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About Boundless
Boundless is the leader in open GIS (geographic information systems). Unlike proprietary, licensed solutions, Boundless opens the world of geospatial data to any user. The experts at Boundless reduce the cost and time of deploying and managing geospatial software with a scalable, open GIS platform – including Exchange, Suite, Desktop and Connect – and a powerful ecosystem of geospatial knowledge, tools and resources. Learn more at boundlessgeo.com. Join the GIS community at https://connect.boundlessgeo.com/. Follow Boundless @boundlessgeo.