GatewayGIS
ABOUT GATEWAYGIS
Usually gateway is defined as “an entrance through a wall, fence or where there is a gate”. For instance, it could be visualized as a symbol such as the Arch in St. Louis that's considered the “Gateway to the West”.
Although GatewayGIS originated in St. Louis, its reach goes beyond geographic boundaries of its origin. It’s more of a portal—an expansive entrance.
For the purpose of the GatewayGIS website, think of the website as a gateway for “seeing the connections” of geospatial and other technologies as part of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).
And as a portal, “see” the applications through a toolkit of resources that can aid in preparing for innovative careers and entrepreneurial pursuits in STEAM that’s inclusive of geospatial and various technologies.
So, let this website be a gateway to learning—connecting portals of learning via the five “Es” or Elements of GatewayGIS: (1) Expose, (2) Explore, (3) Expand, (4) Enhance, and (5) Educate. Discover it by clicking on images, bullet points, and links throughout the website.
Since May 2019, GatewayGIS serves as an innovative intermediary for community-building that integrates geospatial and different technologies through resources of STEAM career education, entrepreneurship, and workforce development for under-resourced, underrepresented children, youth, and families. Services coordinated free of charge and offered through collaboration with skilled volunteers, students, parents, community advocates, educators, researchers, and different representatives of universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations. As a volunteer-driven model, it’s based on “giving back” to our communities—giving of time, talents, and resources.
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Motto: Act locally. Think globally.
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The philosophy for GatewayGIS is based on a quote by Leonardo da Vinci: “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
That's why the purpose of GatewayGIS is: Bridging the digital, geographic, cultural, racial, and economic divide.
"The future of Geosciences" by Vishvajeet Singh Goraya, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, India [Presented at the 4th International Conference on Geology and Geoscience, April 27-28, 2017 in Dubai, UAE]
The future of geosciences will be radically different than it was 100, 50, or even 5 years ago. We are on the cusp of new discoveries, techniques and ideas. Geoscientists are becoming well respected in the science and public communities as new challenges face us. The future of geosciences will involve research into renewable energy and the depleted water resources. The water crisis will also increase the need for medical geology research and will perhaps open up a new industry for this specific title. Geoscientists will be called to help find water on other planets or decipher the historical geology of a planet to see if it is habitable. These planetary geologists will also be used to set up lunar bases or develop local resources. Geoscientists will be educated in many disciplines to fully understand everything they are studying.