Latest Contributions by Suzanne-Boden

Happy Geography Awareness Week! This is a fun time for the GIS community. It's also time for our third and final giveaway of 2017. Between now and November 24 at 5pm Pacific, you can enter to win an Esri technical certification exam voucher valued at US$225. On November 28 we will randomly select four individuals to receive a free voucher. Vouchers must be redeemed within six months, but you can schedule your exam appointment at a later date.   Esri offers certifications in three domains: desktop, developer, and enterprise. Earning a certification validates your expertise and is a great way to advance your career goals. Whether you've been thinking about achieving your first Esri certification or your fifteenth, now is a great time to put those thoughts into action.    Only one entry per individual will be accepted. Good luck!   Enter the Giveaway ... View more

ModelBuilder (included with ArcGIS Pro) provides a visual canvas to create geoprocessing models that automate GIS workflows. Invaluable for conducting sophisticated spatial analyses, models are everyday workhorses too. If built with reuse in mind, models can be your go-to shortcuts to get a lot of work done quickly. In fact, you can think of ModelBuilder as a visual programming language and a model as a workflow map. Like a map: A model can be navigated (it has direction built in). A model uses shape, color, text, and symbols to represent and communicate about its features. A model reveals data relationships that can spark ideas and collaboration.   If you've never created a model in ArcGIS, there's just one thing you need to know to get started: take a five-step approach: 1. Plan the Workflow Obvious, but...before creating a model, know what you want it to do. List the data input, identify the required geoprocessing tools, and describe the desired output. If the workflow is simple, just think it through in your head. For more complicated workflows, you may want to sketch everything out on paper or a whiteboard. If you're not sure which tool to use or what a tool's required inputs are, check the geoprocessing tool reference. 2. Create the Model Shell In ArcGIS, a model is stored inside a toolbox. In ArcGIS Pro, when you create a new project, a toolbox with the same name as the project is automatically created. On the Analysis menu, click ModelBuilder to open a model window. Tip: You can also open a new model by right-clicking the toolbox folder in the Catalog pane and choosing New > Model.    Now set the model properties. On the ModelBuilder tab, click Properties.   In the General tab, the option to “Store tool with relative path” should be selected. This is what you want, because using relative paths prevents headaches down the road if your data gets moved around. Set the properties below, then click OK. Name — the filename; no spaces allowed. Label — the plain-English name; spaces are fine.     3. Add Tools and Set Parameters With the basic setup done, now comes the fun part. You can't beat ModelBuilder for easy drag-and-drop building and tinkering. But hang on a sec, you need to understand some ModelBuilder vocabulary. A model consists of one or more processes. A process consists of three elements: input data, a tool, and the tool's output. Each output becomes input to the next  process. Just like when you run a geoprocessing tool outside a model, if your input data has selected features or records, the tool processes only the selection.   When you add a tool to a model (by dragging/dropping from the Catalog or Geoprocessing pane), its output element is also added and both elements are colored light gray. In model parlance, gray means "not ready to run." You need to double-click the tool and set its parameters. Tip: In a tool dialog box, a red asterisk means the parameter is required.   Once you click OK to set the tool parameters, the input element displays and the process colorizes, Oz-like. As you add processes, the model window may fill up. Use the Fit to Window and Auto Layout buttons to see the big-picture view and zoom in and out as needed. Be sure to save periodically as you build the model (ModelBuilder tab > Save). To add the final model process output as a layer to a map, right-click it and choose Add To Display. Otherwise, you'll have to manually add it to the map. 4. Validate the Model After you've added all the tools and set their parameters, it's time to ensure the model will run properly. Validation is easy—just click the Validate button on the ModelBuilder tab. During validation, if there's an error, processing will stop at the first process that requires a fix. Figure out what's wrong and make the fix, then validate again. Repeat if necessary, then save your work. 5. Run the Model You have two basic options to run a model: On the ModelBuilder tab, click the Run button. Outside of ModelBuilder, run the model as a tool or service.   Running a model as a tool or service has distinct advantages for collaboration and sharing. We'll cover model tools in an upcoming post.  It's fun to run a model inside ModelBuilder. As the model progresses, each process turns red and then gets a drop shadow. The drop shadow indicates the process has completed correctly. If a process turns gray, that means an error needs to be fixed and the model stops running. If you've validated, this shouldn't happen. (Optional) 6. Maybe Run It Again A model's final output may raise a question. For example, suppose a model process created a 50-meter buffer around a feature. After examining the model output, you wonder what would result if you used a 100-meter buffer instead. To find out, simply open the buffer tool, enter the new distance value, and run the model again starting at the buffer process (right-click the buffer tool and choose Run). Because you're not altering preceding processes, you don't need to rerun the entire model.  This is the beauty of a model. It's a perfect medium to explore and test what-if scenarios. Like scripts, models are encapsulated workflows. Once built, they can be reused as a fast alternative to manually performing a set of individual processes. You can build a model to automate any geoprocessing task or series of tasks, from the complex to the straightforward. Now that you've learned the steps to create a simple model, why not try it for yourself?  Want to learn more on this topic? Check out these training options: Building Geoprocessing Models Using ArcGIS Pro ArcGIS Pro: Essential Workflows ... View more

By Aaron Zureick, Esri global training program manager   The Esri Technical Certification program launched in January 2011 with one primary objective—to establish a means of recognizing and validating ArcGIS expertise. The program now offers nine exams, across three domains and three levels to span the breadth of the ArcGIS platform and associated user roles. More than 6,000 certifications have been awarded to date.   The growth of the Esri Technical Certification program mirrors the trend seen in the IT certification industry as a whole. What is responsible for the continued demand in the IT space for certified individuals?   According to ManpowerGroup’s 2016-2017 Talent Shortage Survey, globally, employers have reported the highest talent shortage since 2007. The hardest talent to find include IT staff (developers, programmers, database administrators, and IT leaders and managers). Since the previous survey, IT roles have jumped seven places to become the second most difficult talent position to fill. Employers were asked why it is increasingly difficult to fill positions.   Lack of available applicants and hard skills were the top two reasons provided.   Esri Technical Certification enables individuals to validate their hard skills with Esri technologies, helps potential candidates position themselves as strong applicants, and provides employers with the ability to more easily find potential employees with the correct and proven skillset.     Not surprisingly, the upward trend in technology-related jobs is expected to continue. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50 percent of jobs today require some degree of technical skills. Experts estimate that the percentage will jump to 77 percent within the next decade. Additionally, over the next four years, it is expected that 51 percent of all IT jobs will be software-related.   This is good news for individuals who pursue a software-related career, and even better news for individuals who have validated their expertise with a certification.   In a 2016 survey by Pearson VUE (Value of IT Certification), individuals who obtained an IT certification noted several benefits, with “a positive impact on their professional image” and “moving into a career in IT” as the top two benefits cited.   Nearly 40 percent of survey respondents noted that certifications helped them perform complex tasks more confidently. These survey findings show that job candidates with a certification have a competitive advantage and, organizations that employ certified individuals receive key benefits.   The numbers are in! An Esri technical certification can play a valuable role in individuals’ ability to competitively differentiate themselves in the marketplace and in the workplace. Employers can leverage Esri technical certification to select candidates with a proven ability to perform a GIS-related role within their organization.   For information on the Esri Technical Certification program, visit esri.com/certification. ... View more

The two most important components of a successful GIS are good planning and good people. Keep in mind, though, that all the planning in the world is useless if you do not have adequately trained people to operate your system.   So said the late, great Dr. Roger Tomlinson, who coined the term "geographic information system," and authored Thinking About GIS, Geographic Information System Planning for Managers (now in its fifth edition). Tomlinson writes:   If you're a manager, you are responsible for supporting the people who build, manage, and maintain your organization's GIS. How have you supported their development? Like Tomlinson, do you see a relationship between developing your workforce and the success of your GIS program? Do you see a relationship between the success of your GIS program and the success of your organization?   For some, training can be a challenge to justify when budgets are uncertain. The reality is that every program must justify its existence. If your GIS program is instrumental in managing key assets, collecting data and providing business intelligence that increases revenue, or providing valued constituent services, then workforce training is easily justifiable.   In his book, Tomlinson recommends keeping senior management informed of the business benefits and solutions received from the GIS and present all requests for training expenditures in that context. Communication, as in all things, is key.   Get the Answers You Need Today, most managers understand the strategic value of workforce development. They do, however, want to make sure they are sending individuals to appropriate classes, so that the training investment provides measurable results, including increased productivity, higher quality information products, and operational efficiency. We frequently receive questions like these: What training is available from Esri? Which training format will be most cost-effective for my organization in the long term? Are there training programs that can save me money? Of course, the answers to these questions are on our website, but the fastest way to get answers is to contact an Esri Training team member. Training consultants have extensive experience partnering with organizations to develop training and workforce development plans that take into account upcoming projects, staff roles and responsibilities, GIS workflows, and the organization's strategic, ArcGIS-enabled goals.   A well thought-out training plan is a valuable tool for making and measuring progress toward your GIS program goals. Remember:   Related Post: What's Your People Strategy? ... View more

Updated November 8, 2021 The ArcGIS Desktop Entry certification is one of our most popular exams. The Certification team frequently fields questions about the entry-level certification—for example, what types of ArcGIS Desktop skills does the exam measure, how is it scored, and who is this certification designed for? To shed some light on the ArcGIS Desktop Entry certification (and certification exams in general), we talked with one of the people closely involved in the ArcGIS Desktop Entry exam development process. Lisa S. O’Leary, PhD, is a psychometrician with Alpine Testing Solutions who works closely with the Certification team on exam development, security, and maintenance. Developing the entry-level exam involved many people and many levels of review and analysis. It takes a lot of hard work to ensure we create a valid and reliable measure of a certification candidate’s skills. We caught up with O’Leary just as she was about to leave her home base of Chicago to get married. Her credentials are impressive: she holds a PhD in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation from Boston College. She worked on higher education assessment and evaluation at MIT, and has consulted for several well known IT certification programs, including those of Microsoft, CompTIA, and Cisco. Based on your experience in the industry, what value does certification offer to professionals? O’Leary: “It depends on the value associated with a particular certification. The big three benefits are job advancement (and some certifications are a qualification for a particular job), industry recognition, and peer recognition. Lisa S. O'Leary     “Peer recognition—particularly in the IT certification world—is a main benefit to candidates. There are also some programs where certification is used for continuing education. So the benefit there is that certification can fulfill other job-related requirements.”   How common are entry-level certification exams? O’Leary: “Entry-level exams, we sometimes call them gateway exams, are common in IT. They are a gateway for people who want to go up the exam level chain. What varies now in the IT industry is the approach to the entry level. “Some have a foundation exam that cuts across all domains, and there are other organizations that have tracks (an entry-level exam for each domain).” Note: The ArcGIS Desktop Entry-level certification is part of the ArcGIS Desktop track, which includes Associate- and Professional-level exams. Are there special considerations when developing an entry-level exam? O’Leary: “With any level of certification, we always need to keep in mind the domain of interest and the person of interest within that domain. I’m reviewing to make sure we’re developing items at the appropriate level of cognitive complexity from Bloom’s Taxonomy for the way the domain and the entry-level candidate have been defined. “We’re expecting entry-level candidates to be able to recall and perhaps understand and apply knowledge, but not necessarily analyze, evaluate, or create information.” What is the role of a psychometrician in exam development? O’Leary: “My role is to be a sounding board and a technical resource to tap into for any structure or planning that needs to go into the exam development process we’re going to employ and any measurement issues we run into. "Basically, I’m a go-to for the science and technology behind the development of a particular exam. It’s my role to make sure—in every piece of the process, for every deliverable—that we’re always collecting evidence of exam validity.” How do you collect evidence of an exam’s validity? O’Leary: “I review to make sure we’re constantly keeping in mind the purpose and intended use of the test scores, which is the crux of validity. For example, we conduct in-depth statistical analysis using classical test theory and item response theory (Rasch analysis) to gauge the exam performance against its intended purpose and defined content domain. “There are two levels of analysis that we’re constantly working on: form-level and item-level.” Note: Form-level refers to the exam as a whole. A certification has multiple forms in use at all times. Item-level refers to each question. Describe some of the item-level analysis you perform. O’Leary: “For item-level analysis, we’re looking into item difficulty through the p-value (the proportion of candidates who correctly answer the item) and other measurement indicators. “We’re also looking at the correlation between a particular item and total score on the exam. A well performing item is going to have a high positive correlation (if candidates answer the item correctly, they’re likely to do well on the exam). Additionally, we’re looking to see if there are there items that negatively impact a candidate’s positive performance. If so, those items are flagged for review because it’s indicative that there’s likely something wrong with them.” Is the analysis based on data collected from the beta exam? O’Leary: “Yes, beta exams provide a lot of useful information. We analyze candidate performance on every item as well as overall performance on the beta forms to determine viable items for the operational (released) exam. “The time limit for a released exam like the ArcGIS Desktop Entry has taken into account the time every beta tester spent on each item. The time limit ensures that 95% of all candidates would be able to complete the operational exam within that time, looking globally across the entire spectrum of candidates that have taken the exam. “Also, beta exam takers have the option to comment on every single item. Their comments help with decision making on individual items.” Describe some of the form-level analysis you perform. O’Leary: “We look at the reliability of each form: so that if a person were to take Form A, then retake Form A, what is the likelihood of receiving the same score, within measurement error? We’re looking for overall form-level reliability to be 85% or higher, with 1% or less variance between each form. Note: To support an exam’s validity argument, the forms must be demonstrably equivalent. In other words, it does not matter which form a candidate receives as each measures the same knowledge, skills, and abilities in the same proportion, at the same level of difficulty, in the same amount of time, with the same reliability. “We look at the mean performance of the forms. What is the average score that candidates are achieving on each form? We want those mean averages to be within 0.2 decimal places of each other for us to consider the forms equivalent. “We’re looking at the average time for candidates to take each of the forms. Our standard parameter for median time is the forms should be within 1 minute of each other. We analyze the pass rates for all possible scores (0-95), and we analyze candidate time versus exam score. “We’ve actually taken form-level analysis a step further. For Esri certification exams, all analyses typically conducted at the form level are now being done at the subdomain level.” Note: “Subdomain” refers to one of the categories shown on the Skills Measured tab of the exam’s web page. Interesting, please elaborate on that. O’Leary: “Every section on the ArcGIS Desktop Entry exam is balanced, and that allows us to give really great diagnostic feedback to candidates. We can provide failing candidates with empirical evidence of areas in which they performed better and worse. On their score reports, failing candidates will get overall pass-fail and also pass-fail equivalents for each section.” This is useful information for candidates planning an exam retake. Do all certification programs provide section-level reporting? O’Leary: “In IT certification, requests for section-level reporting are very common. It’s less common for certification programs to actually conduct the due diligence and the exam development in a way that supports that level of reporting. “Esri has really moved forward strongly with it. The way the exam development process is being employed absolutely supports the level of information that we’re now providing.” Thanks, Lisa. Interested in the ArcGIS Desktop Entry certification? View the detailed qualifications, skills measured, and preparation resources. To learn about other Esri technical certifications, visit esri.com/certification. ... View more