During my four years of studying Geography Information Science (GIS), I have formed a strong interest in this field. It has instilled a passion in me for applying geographic analysis methods and techniques to benefit everyone’s daily life, a passion that motivates me to pursue advanced studies in GIS.
I have a great desire to work with semantic web and volunteered geographic information (VGI) technologies. In the era of Web 2.0, information is generated, collected and shared by common users frequently. Certain VGI applications such as Wikipedia and Open Street Map include more broader and up-to-date information. However, these programs have some issues like credibility, evaluation qualities and completeness which are serious. I am concerned about how to put VGI into use in disaster management. Huge numbers of geographic information are generated by users through social media every day. What can we do to take efficient advantage of this kind of geographic information when natural disasters occurs? Storage and analysis of geodata from social media will give us more illustration.
Based on my academic background and research experience, I believe that I am ready for deeper pursuits in this field. Firstly, I have mastered a good command of GIS knowledge and skills, gained hands-on experience in GIS applications, and built a solid foundation in mathematics, geography and computer programming for further studies and research in the spatial information field during my undergraduate studies and this semester’s study. I was honored to be the only recipient of the 2012 Academic Merit Scholarship out of 120 GIS program students in Beijing Forestry University. Secondly, after my undergraduate studies, I have been fortunate to be a guest student in the research group at the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences. I assisted in building an Inference Engine for soil classifications, which was a chance for me to study principle and technology of semantics web and ontology, and to learn the recent news and technology development of VGI. This valuable research experience not only endowed me with the ability to apply advanced geographic analysis techniques to solve practical problems, but also provided me with comprehensive academic abilities such as critical thinking, problem defining and logic reasoning, which strengthened my confidence for my master’s degree.
Through this semester’s study, I have not only adapted to the graduate study in advance, but also my study interest became more clear. The two academic courses I took this semester strengthened my academic skills both in GIS and mathematics, broadening my knowledge in cartography and spatial statistics. Courses like PROV 504 and EAP 508 are not only training my writing skills and oral presentation, but also improve my learning abilities and are teaching me to be a critical thinker. Additionally, they introduce all the support I could get from library, workshop and writing center at George Mason University to aid me success.
The Department of Geography and GeoInformation Science at the George Mason University is an ideal place for me to achieve my academic objectives, since the department is well renowned in the Spatial Information Science field and a place where I can learn more about cartography, volunteered geographic information and spatial analysis. In addition, the variety of courses offered, the top-class faculty, many available research opportunities for graduate students to participate in as well as great career search and placement support from the university entice me to choose your department for my advanced studies. I have no doubt that my experience at George Mason University will be a huge boost to my professional growth in the future.