Kingston University London

Studying GIS means you'll have the opportunity to get involved with organisations outside the university. GIS is used extensively in business, commerce and industry and by a wide range of organisations. The Kingston staff have developed close links with numerous individuals and organisations which yield benefits for our students.  Doing a GIS degree gives you an inside look at what goes on in these organisations.

Ordnance Survey

We have close links with Britain’s biggest mapping service, Ordnance Survey. The company's director general is a visiting professor at Kingston and there are opportunities to visit its headquarters in Southampton.  This lets you find out first-hand how GIS is applied in a working environment.  

The range of activities Ordnance Survey is involved in goes much further than simply surveying the country and publishing maps. It uses digital technologies and GIS for a range of research activities that are used by business, local government and emergency services.

Ordnance Survey also has a thriving research and development section and has offered work placements to some of our students. Many former graduates (and staff) have gone on to work for Ordnance Survey. 

Ordnance Survey also sponsors the annual GIS dissertation prize, which is awarded to the student who completes the best dissertation each year. As well as receiving a trophy and cheque, winning a prize sponsored by such a major organisation is a major boost for your CV.

AGI conference

Our involvement with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) conference is an example of the University’s reputation within the industry. This is the largest GIS-focused conference in the UK and, each year, it invites Kingston University to speak on industry trends and host an exhibition stand. 

One benefit of this is that we are frequently approached directly by conference delegates who are looking for graduate recruits. Students also sometimes work at the event, which gives them access to a range of speakers and employers.

The GeoInformation Group

We have a long-established partnership with The GeoInformation Group.  Formed by one of our ex-lecturers and renowned GI expert, Dr Seppe Cassettari, the company is a leading provider of high-resolution aerial photography and geospatial information products and consultancy and training services. Our links with Group allow us to access a range of cutting-edge datasets and products to use in teaching as well as many other activities.

The Group's clients cover a broad array of professionals and it provides bespoke mapping and image databases worldwide. Its image and imagery derived products are published under the Cities Revealed brand. One of the places you’re most likely to see Cities Revealed data is in Google Earth and it has even been used by the BBC for the London marathon route. 

Guest speakers

In the Contemporary Issues module, GIS professionals give lectures about the latest industry developments. This means that you have up-to-the-minute information about how GIS is being applied in different working environments. Examples of guest lecturer topics include:

• 'The use of GIS in society' by Dr Vanessa Lawrence, director general and CEO of Ordnance Survey;
• 'GIS and Google' by Ed Parsons, chief technologist at Google;
• 'GIS and crime mapping' by Spencer Chainey of the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science;
• 'GIS and global change' by Professor Kieth Clarke of University of Santa Barbara, USA;
• 'Research and innovation at Ordnance Survey' by Dr Doreen Boyd of Ordnance Survey;
• 'Models of uncertainty in GIS' by Professor Peter Fisher of Leicester University;
• 'The use of remote sensed imagery' by Dr Seppe Cassettari of The GeoInformation Group;
• 'The role of GIS in military defence' by Major John Tate of Royal School of Military Survey;
• 'Waste management issues' by Professor Adam Read of Hyder Consulting;
• 'Using GIS as a tool for location planning and market analysis' by Debbie Millard of CACI;
• 'GIS and geodeomographics' by Professor Richard Webber of CASA; and
• 'GIS and census design' by Professor David Martin of Southampton University.

Visit the Centre for GIS website for a full list of guest speakers and lecture topics.

Enterprise case study

You will also have the opportunity to build contacts with the wider business world and gain important skills. For example, a team of five Kingston students, including Sports Science, GIS and Environmental Studies students, beat over 60 universities to scoop first place in the 2007 Entrepreneurs’ Open Challenge.  

This nationwide competition brings together entrepreneurial-minded students from universities across Europe and the US. It is similar to The Apprentice TV show, with each team undertaking challenges designed to test a range of skills, including negotiation, sales, marketing and strategy.

The Kingston team was made up of Diana Lo (studying Sports Science with Business), Adanna Welch (GIS with Business), Roshni Shah (Environmental Studies with Business), Farah Henry (Business and Psychology) and Mitul Patel (Law).

"[The competition was] both physically and mentally challenging, but a fantastic opportunity to network and gain invaluable skills in both entrepreneurship team working," said team leader Diana Lo.