The graduate program in Spatial Information Science and Engineering focuses
on advancing knowledge to acquire, integrate, model, analyze, manage, and supply
information about geographic phenomena, with an emphasis on concepts needed
in next-generation information systems. Emphasis is placed on:
- developing novel concepts for managing, storing, accessing, analyzing, visualizing,
and communicating spatial information, and
- applying new methods in the measurement sciences of geodesy, surveying,
mapping, and photogrammetry to acquire and manage spatial data for a wide
range of human endeavors.
Students build on a solid foundation in computer science, mathematics, physics,
geography, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and related fields to
study spatio-temporal phenomena and design intelligent spatial information systems.
In addition to these concepts, the design of spatial information technologies
requires a comprehensive understanding of the social, legal, economic, and institutional
issues affecting such systems, a commitment to human users and ethical uses
of such systems, dedication to the ethics of broad access to information, and
commitment to quality of information.
Degrees offered include the Master of Science in Spatial Information Science
and Engineering, and the Ph.D. in Spatial Information Science and Engineering.
- an interdisciplinary study of the nature and function of information systems,
particularly spatial information systems, and
- the technical study of the design and evaluation of methods, tools, and
techniques to collect and manage spatial information.
Course subjects include design, architecture, and optimization of information
systems, user interface design, spatial analysis, analytical and digital photogrammetry,
digital image processing, advanced surveying, global positioning systems (GPS),
and information systems law. Research topics may be selected from any of the
principal areas ranging from spatial and spatio-temporal reasoning, spatial
database systems, image understanding, satellite geodesy, to legal and managerial
aspects of land information systems. Many research topics require an interdisciplinary
approach and, therefore, courses taught in other departments complement the
program offered.
The Department offers both a thesis and non-thesis option in the Master of
Science in Spatial Information Science and Engineering. All work for a master’s
degree must be completed within six years. The timing starts with the first
semester of registration after admission to the Master of Science in Spatial
Information Science and Engineering.
The thesis option is appropriate for those entering with a strong engineering,
computer science, or mathematics undergraduate background or those willing to
make up the requisite math and engineering courses that would allow them to
succeed in an engineering graduate curriculum. It includes a substantial piece
of individual research, which leads to a master’s thesis.
The non-thesis option is appropriate primarily for those students with undergraduate
degrees in engineering or students who have undergraduate or graduate degrees
in science-related fields such as geography, physics, geology, planning or natural
resources, who wish to focus primarily on course work rather than research at
the master’s level.
Master (Non-thesis Option)
- Minimum of 30 graduate course credits (i.e., 400 level or above)
- At least 12 graduate course credits at 500 level or above
- At least 18 graduate course credits in SIE
- No more than 6 credits of independent study courses (SIE 498, 598, 698,
or equivalent independent study courses in other graduate programs)
- SIE 693 Graduate Seminar
- At least 3 graduate faculty on the advisory committee
- At least 2 must be SIE tenured or tenure-track faculty
Master (Thesis Option)
- Minimum of 30 graduate course credits (i.e., 400 level or above)
- At least 24 graduate course credits
- At least 6 thesis credits - SIE 699
- At least 12 graduate course credits at 500 level or above
- At least 18 graduate course credits in SIE
- No more than 6 credits of independent study courses (SIE 498, 598, 698 or
equivalent independent study courses in other graduate programs)
- SIE 693 Graduate Seminar
- Breadth Requirement - at least one graduate course from 3 out of the 4 groupings:
- GIS and Databases
- Geodesy
- Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
- Law
- At least 3 graduate faculty on the advisory committee
- At least 2 must be SIE tenured or tenure-track faculty
- Master’s Thesis
A maximum of six credit hours of graduate course work taken prior to enrollment
in the master’s program, whether at this university or another, may be counted
towards the master’s degree. If the course did not count towards a completed
undergraduate degree and if the student’s graduate advisory committee formally
approves acceptance of the courses on the student’s Program of Study, then the
credit hours may be transferred toward the master’s degree.
In order to meet the residency requirement, at least 50 percent of the course
work applied toward the degree must be taken through The University of Maine.
The Ph.D. degree is the highest of academic degrees. The Ph.D. in Spatial Information
Science and Engineering is awarded to those demonstrating outstanding achievement
in Spatial Information Science and Engineering scholarship and primarily for
demonstrated ability for independent research in the field. The preparation
and defense of a thesis embodying the results of an original investigation in
a specialized area of Spatial Information Science and Engineering are requirements
of the program.
All work for a doctoral degree must be completed within eight years. The timing
starts with the first semester of registration after admission to the Ph.D.
in Spatial Information Science and Engineering. Students must be admitted to
candidacy within four years of registration for the first work presented for
satisfaction of degree requirements; the dissertation must be completed within
four years of admission to candidacy.
The program for the Ph.D. degree in Spatial Information Science and Engineering
carries a minimum residency requirement of two academic years and a minimum
of 42 credit hours in formal course work beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students
are expected to hold a Masters degree, typically in engineering, computer science,
mathematics, or geography with a strong technical and analytical background.
A qualifying examination is taken after the student has completed the course
requirements and developed a thesis proposal. The examination will be designed
to test the student’s area of expertise by evaluating the student’s thesis topic
through oral and/or written examination. No foreign language requirement is
included in the program. A full oral defense of the dissertation is required
upon completion of the student’s work.
- Minimum of 42 graduate course credits (i.e., 400 level or above)
- Minimum of 12 thesis credits (SIE 699)
- Minor of 9 graduate course credits as detailed below
- Up to 24 transfer credits of graduate course work
- No more than 9 credits of independent study courses (SIE 498, 598, 698 or
equivalent independent study courses in other graduate programs)
- SIE 693 Graduate Seminar
- Breadth Requirements - One out of each of the four breadth groupings
- GIS and Databases
- Geodesy
- Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
- Law
- At least 5 graduate faculty on the advisory committee
- At least 3 must be SIE tenured or tenure-track faculty
- Dissertation
A maximum of 24 credit hours of graduate course work taken prior to enrollment
in the master’s program, whether at this university or another, may be counted
towards the master’s degree. If the course did not count towards a completed
undergraduate degree and if the student’s graduate advisory committee formally
approves acceptance of the course on the student’s Program of Study, then the
credit hours may be transferred toward the doctoral degree.
All students must complete a minor program consisting of at least nine credit
hours of course work taken outside of Spatial Information Science and Engineering.
Only courses at the 400 level or above and listed in the Graduate Catalog (or
equivalent courses transferred from another university) can be counted toward
the minor requirement. Independent study courses do not qualify for a minor.
This minor must consist of courses relevant to the student’s thesis and must
have a common core that typically comes from a single department. The minor
program must be approved by the advisory committee.
The minimum residency requirement for Ph.D. programs is met by registering
for courses or thesis research at The University of Maine for four semesters
beyond the baccalaureate degree. Students entering doctoral programs with a
master’s degree from The University of Maine must register for a t least two
semesters of course work or thesis research.
In addition to University fellowships and scholarships listed elsewhere in
this Catalog, the Department offers graduate research assistantships to qualified
students on externally funded research projects.
We encourage all international applicants to submit, in addition to the complete
application package, a video of approximately 10 minutes, in which they describe
their interests, their background and experience in doing independent research,
and their future goals. This movie can be a digital video (submitted as a URL
to a QuickTime file-do not e-mail the entire digital movie) or a video tape
(in NTSC or PAL format, sent by regular mail together with the hardcopy of your
application). This instruction is particularly important for prospective graduate
students who seek funding through graduate research assistantships.
M. Kate Beard-Tisdale, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 1988), Professor and Chair.
Geographic information systems, spatial analysis, digital libraries.
Peggy Agouris, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1992), Assistant Professor. Digital
image processing and analysis, digital photogrammetry, remote sensing.
Max J. Egenhofer, Ph.D. (Maine, 1989), Professor. Geographic database
systems, spatial reasoning, GIS user interface design, research methodologies.
Alfred Leick, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1978), Professor. Land information
systems, satellite surveying, gravity in geodesy, adjustment computations.
Silvia Nittel, Ph.D. (Zurich, 1994), Assistant Professor. Spatial database
management systems, mobile object systems, heterogeneous information systems,
high performance architectures.
Harlan J. Onsrud, J.D. (Wisconsin, 1982), Professor. Computer and information
systems law, cadastral systems, boundary law, and environmental law.
Anthony Stefanidis, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1993), Assistant Professor. Motion
imagery analysis, virtual scene modeling, digital image processing.
Michael F. Worboys, Ph.D. (Birmingham England, 1980), Professor. Geographic
information representation and reasoning, uncertainty, spatio-temporal information,
human interaction issues.
Claudia M. Bauzer Medeiros, Ph.D. (University of Waterloo, Canada, 1985)
Carol Bult, Ph.D. (University of New Hampshire, 1989)
Douglas Flewelling, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1997)
Charles Ghilani, Ph.D. (Wisconsin-Madison, 1989)
Michael Goodchild, Ph.D. (McMaster University, 1969)
Knud Hermansen, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State, 1989)
John R. Herring, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State, 1979)
Kathleen Hornsby, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1999)
Werner Kuhn, Ph.D. (Swiss Fed. Inst. of Tech., 1989)
Richard Langley, Ph.D. (York, 1979)
Robert Rugg, Ph.D. (University of Ottawa, 1974)
Graduate School
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