GIS, an Essential Technology for Civil Engineering Education in Developing Countries

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) plays a crucial role in designing multi-source information based civil infrastructure plans. The present study evaluates the status of GIS in civil engineering education in developing countries. A comparative study to investigate the status of GIS education at universities was published in 1995 by the present study’s authors, which identified the need for GIS in civil engineering in developing countries. Since the early 2000s, a revolutionary development in digital computing and the internet has transformed how major civil infrastructure projects are planned. Even though the advances on the internet share the benefits of electronic communication among nations, the barriers that developing countries faced 25 years ago seem still overshadowing to build a valid educational link between civil engineering and GIS. This study suggests several recommendations to increase the inclusion of a GIS in civil engineering education in developing countries through educators, social and political decision-makers