Abstract: The U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA) has created a new standard
occupational classification code for GIS/Geospatial Technician. This entry-level job has long been sought after by graduates of
the 164 community college GIS certificate programs currently in operation in the United States. The formal recognition of this
job has created an opportunity for these colleges to realign their curricula to meet workforce needs. This study was undertaken
by the National Geospatial Technology (GeoTech) Center to assist in this effort to validate the DOLETA’s occupation-specific
workforce requirements. Validation is performed using the DACUM (Developing A CUrriculuM) job-analysis technique, which
relies on workers themselves to describe and define their jobs. Building on the strength of this approach, the GeoTech Center
developed and applied a meta-analytic technique for consolidating multiple DACUM job analyses into a single national assessment. Using eight GIS technician job analyses from across the country, this assessment identifies 55 common task categories,
35 knowledge and skill categories, and 27 behavior categories that are ranked and documented. This helps to clarify the job
responsibilities of GIS technicians and complements the DOLETA’s workforce information