GIS INTEGRATION AND EVOLUTION INTO THE ALBANIAN SYSTEM EDUCATION AND MARKET

This paper offers a general overview of GIS integration as a curricula and technology in the Albanian Education System. Basically it presents the evolution history of this technology, the development environment and the efforts of a closer approach to the state and private institutions. A detailed analysis will be performed between the growing market needs in Albania for GIS utilities and the handicap due to the lack of experts in geospatial technology. Results of a questionnaire survey in the university areas will be presented, where students expressed their approach to GIS technology. The need to build a complete chain of GIS curricula beginning from secondary school level up to graduate and master programs is necessary to be accomplished. Many problematic fields in Albania like flood management, population census, transport, urbanization, pollution, tourism, illegal constructions, professional orientation, etc. which are subjects of topic interest in many university courses require the use of GIS utilities. In this article it is discussed the position of GIS in the university system and the major efforts departments must carry out in increasing interaction between each other followed by a substantial intervention of the proper government institutions to the benefit of GIS development. “Albania in the age of internet” is the latest reform the government is implementing, with the scope of informing young people mainly in rural areas to develop ICT infrastructure basically in public schools and state offices, which will have a powerful impact in GIS developing technology in Albania.