Is Sexism a Problem in GIS?

BY CAITLIN DEMPSEY MORAIS




I am currently working on looking at the issue of sexism within the field of GIS. Specifically, I am looking to answer the question, “is sexism in the workplace an issue for women (and men) working in GIS?”

What is considered sexism? Sexism can be any action or language that discriminates or stereotypes a person based on their gender. Sexism can be overt such as a manager claiming those of a specific gender can’t do something. Sexism can also be from not very well thought out instances such as referring to women as ladies or girls in a professional setting or calling them “honey” or “dear”. The prevalence of sexism in the technology industry has been the subject of countless articles and even has its own Wikipedia page.

I am looking to create a balanced article that looks at both sides of the issue of what issues those working in GIS may or may not face when working in geospatial fields when it comes to their gender. There are some in GIS that feel strongly about this topic, and there are those that get irritated by this topic and respond, “so, what?”

As part of my initial research into this topic, I am looking to gather input from the greater GIS community. If you would like to contribute, please answer the survey questions below. All answers, unless you specifically provide your name, will remain anonymous.

Please note: The survey will remain open for input until September 10, 2015.

Thanks in advance,

Caitlin,

Editor, GISLounge.com
Take the Survey about Sexism in GIS

Follow the link here to take the survey.

Topcon introduces rotary-wing UAS for Europe

Topcon Positioning Group announces the addition of a rotary-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS) to its mass data collection solutions line for the European marketplace. The Falcon 8 - powered by Ascending Technologies - is designed for inspection and monitoring, as well as survey and mapping applications.

“Rotary-wing systems provide the perfect solutions for small-scale sites and projects for which flexibility of takeoff and landing or an oblique perspective is required,” said Francois Erceau, vice president of the Topcon GeoPositioning Solutions Group in Europe. “The Falcon 8 offers the flexibility to maneuver in small spaces and can cope with challenging environments often presented in inspection and monitoring. It is also well suited for smaller mapping or modeling projects up to 35 hectares that require high-resolution imaging.”

The Falcon 8 features new AscTec®Trinity technology, an autopilot safety feature that provides three levels of redundancy for protection against performance drop or loss of control. Three IMUs (inertial measurement units) synchronise all sensing data and identify, signal and compensate when needed.

Two models are available - the GeoEXPERT for surveying, modeling and mapping projects, and InspectionPRO for industrial inspection and monitoring applications. The GeoEXPERT includes an HD RGB camera payload, while the InspectionPRO features an HD RGB camera and infrared sensor combination.

“Both versions offer easy deployment and operation with real-time video and data monitoring capability, navigation software for planning and optimising flights, as well as photo-tagging and post-processing desktop software to quickly generate high-quality and easy-to-edit material,” said Erceau.

The Falcon 8 complements the Topcon Sirius Pro a fixed-wing UAS, providing large area accurate mapping without the requirement for traditional ground control.

www.topconpositioning.eu

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