Spatial Information Science and Engineering

The graduate program in Spatial Information Science and Engineering focuses on advancing knowledge about spatial information particularly with respect to concepts needed in next-generation information systems. Emphasis is placed on developing novel concepts and methods in the broad field of geographic information science for: storing, accessing, analyzing, and managing spatial data, and modeling, extracting, integrating, visualizing, and communicating geospatial information.

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.

The research interests of our faculty are currently predominantly in the area of Ubiquitous Spatial Computing, including spatial database systems, spatio-temporal reasoning, geospatial ontologies, data stream management, and location privacy, and we anticipate that graduate research would be closely related to these topics.

Degrees offered include the Master of Science in Spatial Information Science and Engineering, the Ph.D. in Spatial Information Science and Engineering, and the Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Systems.

Objectives of these programs include:

an interdisciplinary study of the nature and function of spatial information systems, and the technical study of the design and evaluation of methods and processes to capture, represent and analyze spatial information.

Graduate courses cover formal representations of spatial phenomena, database systems, geographic information systems, and information policy. Research topics may be selected from any of the principal areas ranging from geographic information science, spatial and spatio-temporal reasoning, spatial database systems, to legal and managerial aspects of spatial information systems. Many research topics require an interdisciplinary approach and, therefore, courses taught in other departments complement the program offered.

Master of Science in Spatial Information Science and Engineering

The School of Computing and Information Science offers both a thesis and project 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 the scientific track, typically requiring a strong engineering, computer science, or mathematics undergraduate background. Prospective master’s students with other disciplinary backgrounds are expected to make up the requisite math and engineering courses that would allow them to succeed in an engineering graduate curriculum. The thesis option includes a substantial piece of individual research as a basis for a master’s thesis.

The project option is aimed at students who wish to focus primarily on course work rather than research at the master’s level. The formal coursework is complemented by a one-semester project in which the student must demonstrate that he or she can apply the acquired knowledge for implementing a particular solution.

Degree Requirements

Master (Project 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 (598, 698, or equivalent independent study courses in other graduate programs)
SIE 589 Graduate Project
SIE 507 Information System Software Engineering
INT 601 Responsible Conduct of Research
At least 3 graduate faculty on the advisory committee
At least 2 must be SIE tenured or tenure-track faculty
Breadth Requirement: at least one 3-credit graduate course from 4 out of the 5 groupings:
- Formal Representations of Spatial Phenomena
- Spatial Cognition and Computing
- Database Systems
- Geographic Information Systems
- Information Policy

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 (598, 698 or equivalent independent study courses in other graduate programs)
SIE 501 Introduction to Graduate Research
SIE 502 Research Methods
SIE 507 Information System Software Engineering
INT 601 Responsible Conduct of Research
SIE 693 Graduate Seminar
Breadth Requirement - at least one 3-credit graduate course from 3 out of the 5 groupings:
- Formal Representations of Spatial Phenomena
- Spatial Cognition and Computing
- Database Systems
- Geographic Information Systems
- Information Policy
At least 3 graduate faculty on the advisory committee
At least 2 must be SIE tenured or tenure-track faculty
Master’s Thesis Defense

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.

Doctor of Philosophy in Spatial Information Science and Engineering

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 essential features 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 knowledge related to his or her 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.

Degree Requirements

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 (598, 698 or equivalent independent study courses in other graduate programs)
SIE 501 Introduction to Graduate Research
SIE 502 Research Methods
SIE 507 Information System Software Engineering
INT 601 Responsible Conduct of Research
SIE 693 Graduate Seminar
Breadth Requirements: at least one 3-credit graduate course from 4 out of the 5 groupings:
- Formal Representations of Spatial Phenomena
- Spatial Cognition and Computing
- Database Systems
- Geographic Information Systems
- Information Policy
At least 5 graduate faculty on the advisory committee
At least 3 must be SIE tenured or tenure-track faculty
Dissertation Proposal Defense
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 at least two semesters of course work or thesis research.

Financial Assistance

In addition to University fellowships and scholarships listed elsewhere in this Catalog, the School of Computing and Information Science offers graduate research assistantships to qualified students on externally funded research projects.

We encourage all applicants to submit, in addition to the complete application package, a video of approximately 10 minutes, in which they describe their research 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 mailed on a CD (same format) together with your application. This instruction is particularly important for prospective graduate students who seek funding through graduate research assistantships.

Graduate Faculty

M. Kate Beard-Tisdale, Ph.D. (Wisconsin, 1988), Professor. Geographic information systems, spatial analysis, digital libraries.

Max J. Egenhofer, Ph.D. (Maine, 1989), Professor. Geographic database systems, spatial reasoning, GIS user interface design, research methodologies.

Nicholas Giudice, Ph.D. (Minnesota, 2004), Assistant Professor. Neurocognitive engineering, multimodal spatial learning, human computer interaction.

Reinhard Moratz, Ph.D. (Universitat Bielefeld, 1992), Associate Professor. Spatial knowledge representation in cognititve systems, qualitative spatio-temporal representation, human-robot interfaces, integration of spatial perception and description.

Silvia Nittel, Ph.D. (Zurich, Switzerland, 1994), Associate 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.

Michael F. Worboys, Ph.D. (Birmingham, UK, 1980), Professor and Chair. Geographic information representation and reasoning, uncertainty, spatio-temporal information, human interaction issues.