The California - Geospatial Education Technology and Training (iGETT) project offers educators and natural resource professionals the opportunity for workforce directed training in remote sensing and image processing. Participants will gain skills in the acquisition, processing, integration, display and analysis of moderate-resolution imagery (15 to 250 meter), such as that from Landsat, MODIS, and ASTER sensors. Remote sensing applications may include forestry, agriculture, park management, water resources, fire and fuels, archaeology, vegetation management and regional planning.

CalGETT will offer training through a series of 1 week workshops. Each workshop cohort of 20 participants will receive intensive training over a 5 day period between June 2009 and July 2010). CalGETT workshops will be oriented toward either educators or natural and cultural resource professionals (see workshop schedule below).

The project is the result of a multi-year collaboration by the West Valley College, Shasta College; NASA, Science Systems and Applications, Inc. at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute); and the U.S. Geological Survey Land Remote Sensing Program. This project will support college educators and natural and cultural resource professionals throughout California.

Faculty who currently teach GIS at two-year colleges or high schools located in California are eligible to participate in CalGETT. Applicants may come from other two-year colleges, affiliated high schools, or four-year colleges/universities that have or plan to develop articulation agreements with two year institutions. Natural resource professionals (public or private with previous experience in GIS, that want to augment their learning with Remote Sensing.

Each applicant must submit an application form and a letter from a department chair, college administrator or manager, agreeing to cover transportation costs to the CalGETT workshop and to support program innovations based on CalGETT participation. All applicants must have access to computer laboratories that can support GIS and Remote sensing applications. Note that large raster data sets and remote sensing data require sizable RAM and Graphics Card memory.

CalGETT workshop: Week-long workshop (to be held at either West Valley College in Saratoga, Ca. or Shasta College, Redding, Ca) will provide training in remote sensing , image processing and the integration with GIS . Field activities will allow for the use of GPS and Spectroradiometers for data collection. Students will collect ground based observations and compare with satellite data. The workshop will also address program development issues such as attracting both traditional students and members of the workforce who need additional training, overcoming obstacles to program modifications, and developing partnerships with industries and government agencies.