By the end of April 2004, the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) (see "GIS Professional Certification Program Begins" in the Winter 2003/2004 issue of ArcNews) has certified 235 GIS professionals. GISCI set modest goals at the beginning of the year to certify 300-350 professionals by the end of 2004. At the current pace, this number could double.

GISCI attributes a large degree of its initial success to its grassroots marketing efforts. Numerous state and local organizations sponsored events on GIS certification or featured speakers representing the institute. These small, informational sessions and workshops provided GISCI with an opportunity to reach 40 to 50 applicants at a time rather than answering questions individually.

Esri is providing training materials to the first 1,000 certified, each of which receives a packet of materials, including information about the Virtual Campus class based on the book Thinking About GIS by Roger Tomlinson, a certified GIS professional himself.

GISCI is excited about fulfilling its mission of maintaining the high standards and integrity of the GIS profession and promoting ethical conduct within it.

For more information about GIS certification, visit www.gisci.org.