Geomatics Courses & Certificate Requirements:
These certificate courses are appropriate for surveyors and mappers in training, new graduates, or working professionals interested in a career in the fields of geomatics - surveying, mapping, GIS, and photogrammetry. In a lecture series format via the Internet, UF faculty will present overviews on Geomatics issues, as well as insights into the latest developments on these issues. Faculty from the UF Geomatics Program recognized for their expertise in surveying, mapping, GIS, legal aspects, computations, and photogrammetry continually update these courses with their unique perspectives.
To complete the Certificate the student must take five of the three-credit online courses listed below. Two of them are required: SUR 3103 Geomatics and SUR 3641 Survey Computations. Any three additional courses from the list must be taken. Students with the indicated skills and materials have the pre-requisites to do well in the course. Students without the listed skills and materials may struggle to do well. Enrollment is open to all students for all courses, but only those with the indicated skills and materials are likely to do well. The passing criteria are the same for students enrolled in the regular degree program. You may take individual courses and receive University credit for each once completed. However, if you wish the certificate, we recommend that you go through the following steps:
- At any time, request a "Certificate Audit". After furnishing us a college transcript of your previous college geomatics courses, the transcript courses will be evaluated for suitability of replacing the certificate courses.
- The audit will then be returned to you indicating courses which already have been completed or accepted.
- The remaining courses needed for the certificate will be clearly indicated.
- After you feel you've completed all certificate requirements, request a "Final Audit". We will check your courses and then if all certificate requirements are met, we will issue you a certificate by mail. The certificate is a "diploma" suitable for framing.
Geomatics Course Offerings:
- SUR 3103 - Geomatics (3 credit hours) This course is required for the Certificate. Surveying distance, angle, elevation measurements, traverse computations, basic geodesy concepts, basic mapping concepts, basic GPS, field exercises under a local mentor. Needed skills/materials: algebra, trigonometry, access to surveyor equipment, access to local surveyor mentor, access to basic use of AutoCad, textbook.
- SUR 3641 - Survey Computations (3 credit hours) This course is required for the Certificate. Coordinate geometry calculations, COGO, traversing, inversing, intersection, resection, area, coordinates, azimuth, bearing, curves, algebra review, trig review. Needed skills/materials: algebra, trigonometry, textbook.
- SUR 4403 - Cadastral Principles (3 credit hours) The land title and ownership system of the U.S., deeds, title, legal principles, writing legal descriptions, sequence deeds, simultaneous deeds, basic public land survey system, survey reports, boundary principles, case studies. Needed skills/materials: report writing in English, textbook.
- SUR 4430 - Surveying & Mapping Practice (3 Credit hours) Professional concepts, licensure, ethics, standards, conducting a boundary survey, field work, computations, mapping, technical proposals for surveying and mapping projects. SUR 4403 is a pre-requisite for this course. Needed skills/materials: boundary law, survey computations, AutoCad survey drafting, report writing in English.
- SUR 4201 - Route Geometrics & Design (3 credit hours) Route baselines, stationing, Cartesian coordinates, horizontal alignments, horizontal curves, vertical alignments, vertical curves, cross sections, volumes, spirals, Geometric design standards, AASHTO Green Book, superelevation, design velocity, earthwork analysis, sight distance, vertical route design, horizontal route design, evaluating existing roads for safety. Needed skills/materials: survey computations, algebra, trigonometry, analytic geometry.
- SUR 3322 - Visualization of Spatial Information (3 credit hours) Basic CAD techniques, templates, paper space, model space, land desktop, plotting, blocks, boundary survey, topographic survey
- SUR 3393 - GIS (2 credit hours) GIS concepts, surveying and mapping inputs in GIS development, comparison of GIS systems, applications in the natural and physical sciences, engineering, and planning. This must be taken concurrently with SUR 3393L (1 credit hour).
