The Department of Geographic Information Science

Profile

Henan University established the geographic information system laboratory in 1985 and set some majors, with the aim of cultivating geographical information science and technology talents with international vision who possess sound grounding, wide scope, high skills and high quality. Thereinto, four undergraduate majors were set up: Geographic Information Science（2000）,Geographic Information Science (co-organized with University of Miami, USA, 2013), Network Engineering (GIS direction) (Jointly organized with the School of Software in 2010 and 2011), Network Engineering (Smart City) (jointly with the School of Software in 2017). There are three majors for Master's degree: Cartography and Geography Information System (2001), Cartography and Geographical Information Engineering (2002), Remote Sensing Information Science and Technology (2012). Two majors for Doctor’s degree (2): Cartography and Geography Information System (2005), Remote Sensing Information Science and Technology (2012). In 2003, the center for post-doctoral research on geography was established.

Faculty

There are 30 full-time teachers, among them, Wang Jiayao is a full-time academician, the academician Sun Jiulin acts as the honorary president. Besides, national model teacher as well as nationally outstanding teacher, Professor Qin Yaochen is the leader of this major, enjoying Special Allowance of the State Council. Other young and middle-aged teachers with doctoral degrees account for 80%. Professor Michael F. Goodchild of the American Academy of Sciences is engaged as the Honorary Director of Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education. Professor William Cartwright, the President of the International Cartographic Association, and Professor Milan Konecny, the European regional Chairman of the Eurasian Academy of Sciences, and 7 overseas experts also give lessons. This major is equipped with eight scientific research and teaching platforms and nine practical teaching bases, including the Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Digital Geography Technology in the middle-lower reaches in Yellow River, the Yellow River Basin Branch Center of the Earth System Science Data Sharing of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center for Environment and Planning.

Achievements

The "Key Technologies and Application of Earth System Science Data Sharing" hosted by this team won the first prize of Henan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award in 2013. "National Platform Construction and Key Technologies and Application Services of Earth System Science Data Sharing " won the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2014. “Specialty Construction for Geography in Colleges and Universities Based on the Culture of the Yellow River” “Research and Practice on the Construction of a National Teaching Team in the Major Geography Course” won the grand prize of Henan Provincial Teaching Achievement Award in 2012 and 2016 respectively. The students of this major have won the second place in Spatial Analysis and Modeling, the paper contest of AAG for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011, won the second-class reward in the 2014 and 2015 National GIS Application Skills Competition for College Students. They also won the second and first prize respectively in the 2016 and 2017 Geography Science Display Contest of China Universities.

Ranks

According to the joint release of the Center for Chinese Science Evaluation and Wuhan University Center for Education Quality Evaluation, in 2016 and 2017, the undergraduate major in Geographic Information Science of Henan University ranked ninth among 151 universities, and the major for graduate students ranked eleventh among 77universities. In 2017, the Department of Geographic Information Science was awarded the Henan Provincial Outstanding Basic Unit of Teaching Organization and it was the only award-winning unit in the provincial geographical majors.