Moving towards greater visibility for GIS professionals in Canada – part 2
Learn how to gain recognition for GIS roles in Canada. This article explores the work being done by Esri Canada's peer groups to strengthen visibility for the profession and for our industry.
Development Program for the GIS Professional Community: Part 2
A little over a year ago, I assumed responsibility for the GIS Professional Community Development Program, a new initiative launched by Esri Canada. I would like to share with you is the program's mission: to support the GIS professional community to promote their expertise across Canada. We believe that by gaining greater recognition for GIS, Canadian organizations will be better equipped to meet the challenges they are and will be facing.
The first part of this two-part blog series provided more information about the GIS Leadership Forums. In this second article, I will outline the work that will be carried out by the peer groups we have established as a result of these forums.
Establishing recognition for the profession through collaboration with peers
As part of my presentations at GIS Leadership Forums, the focus was on the challenges faced by the industry and its professionals. The main challenges include the differences in standards applied nationwide—and sometimes even within the same industry—the varying skill sets of GIS professionals, and the lack of knowledge about GIS expertise within the organizations themselves.
To meet these challenges, the idea of getting involved in GIS associations and user groups was brought up. I suggested forming a peer group of about ten GIS managers who would meet regularly to explore solutions. Two initial meetings were held, first with GIS managers from Ontario and then from the Prairies region. During our initial talks, we discussed recognizing different titles and roles for GIS professionals in Canada. As Jonathan Murphy from GoGeomatics pointed out in a recent article, this industry remains invisible when it comes to employment and economic data. In fact, the titles and roles recognized in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) related to the geospatial industry and GIS have not been updated in many years. Technological advances in the industry are therefore not considered.
This has consequences for employers and workers particularly in terms of skills recognition and employment assistance programs, for students and teachers in terms of career path development, and for legislators in terms of implementing innovative policies.
As a result, the peer group initiated a discussion on the roles and titles that should be included in official directories like the NOC. The timing is ideal, as NOC officials are now accepting new submissions on an ongoing basis. Some members of the group have volunteered to collaborate on a white paper that could be submitted to the NOC to align the national directory with market trends. With the information provided and the contribution of GIS professionals participating in peer groups, it will be possible to submit new job titles and roles for inclusion in the NOC. In other words, professionals are contributing directly to the recognition of the profession.
This is just the beginning!
The group will also continue the discussions initiated during the GIS Leadership Forums (see my previous post) on building an effective GIS team. Finally, discussions will focus on communicating the value of GIS projects to various stakeholders within an organization. We will also take the opportunity to discuss career paths for professionals as well as professional certifications for them. I will continue to keep you informed of the progress made by the peer group, as the meetings continue in 2026.
Until then, please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to join!
This post was written in French by Frédéric Blouin-Michaud and can be viewed here.