Enhancing the geographic information systems (GIS) curriculum by integrating uncrewed/unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technologies

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education awarded Virginia Community College System Office (Northern Virginia Community College) $999,938 on October 1, 2026, under the STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) to enhance geospatial curriculum through integration of uncrewed/unmanned aircraft systems technologies.

The recipient will integrate UAS into community college GIS coursework, enabling students to collect, process, and analyze their own data rather than relying on third-party datasets. The award funds development of a new applied associate of science degree in GIS and an updated certificate program, provision of student research experiences for UAS-supported projects, and faculty development across disciplines including horticulture, viticulture, geology, and environmental science to incorporate GIS and UAS technologies into coursework. Industry and government partners will guide curriculum and program decisions.

The project addresses workforce demand in Northern Virginia, home to one of the world's largest concentrations of data centers, where aerial inspection and infrastructure monitoring create direct employer need for technicians combining drone operation with geospatial data processing. Performance occurs at the Annandale, Virginia campus from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2029.

Abstract

Geographic information systems (GIS) and location-based technologies, including those enabled by uncrewed/unmanned aircraft systems (UAS, commonly known as drones), are rapidly expanding sectors of the U.S. Economy, supporting applications from weather forecasting and climate monitoring to defense operations, public safety, and infrastructure planning. This project aims to prepare technicians to apply integrated GIS and UAS technologies across these industries at a time when the geospatial workforce is projected to grow substantially. Changes in federal drone regulations are also creating new types of jobs that combine flying a drone with processing the data IT collects, rather than treating those as two separate skill sets, which means that technicians increasingly need to be capable of handling a project from data collection through final analysis. This demand is especially pronounced in northern virginia, home to one of the world's largest concentrations of data centers, where aerial inspection and infrastructure monitoring needs are driving direct employer demand for technicians with this combined skill set. This project will (1) integrate UAS into community college GIS coursework so that students collect, process, and analyze their own data instead of relying solely on third-party datasets; (2) create a new applied associate of science degree in GIS, along with an updated certificate program; (3) provide a research experience for students to design and carry out their own UAS-supported projects; and (4) support faculty across disciplines such as horticulture, viticulture, geology, and environmental science to bring GIS and UAS technologies into their own coursework, broadening the reach of those skills well beyond the GIS program itself. Industry and government partners will guide curriculum and program decisions to ensure they reflect current workforce needs, and project materials will be shared nationally, contributing a transferable model for UAS integration into technician education. The goals of the project are to improve student outcomes in GIS through UAS integration, increase recruitment and retention in GIS and adjacent programs, expand faculty capacity to embed GIS and UAS technologies across stem disciplines, and strengthen students' competitiveness in the job market through career-readiness activities. Activities will include revising GIS courses to embed UAS-based data collection methods, such as photogrammetry and lidar, and creating two new courses, conservation GIS and GIS programming, which will broaden the program's interdisciplinary reach into environmental science and geography. A mobile GIS laboratory will extend outreach beyond campus, and a credit-for-prior-learning pathway will recognize FAA part 107 certification, military UAS experience, and other industry credentials to accelerate degree completion for veterans and working professionals. A revised course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) will be used to implement a student research experience, and a faculty fellowship will be offered following a year-long professional learning model in which secondary and postsecondary educators develop and implement their lessons through a summer symposium, ongoing mentorship, and a final showcase. An external evaluator will use a mixed-methods design, including surveys, focus groups, and a partnership rubric, to assess implementation and reported gains in knowledge, skills, and confidence with GIS and UAS technologies. The project will disseminate findings and instructional materials through national conferences serving the geospatial and stem education communities and will share project deliverables with the national ATE community through the ATE central resources collection, the annual ATE PI conference, and a partnership with the geospatial technology consortium of community colleges. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program, which focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.