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Digital Quest Q&A featured in EIGS' "The Sensor"!

For Immediate Release Contact Eddie Hanebuth, 601-856-2237, eddieh@digitalquest.com

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EIGS recently visited with Eddie Hanebuth, Founder and President of Digital Quest, to learn more about the company, the numerous products they offer, and the future direction of the company. Digital Quest is a member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA).

The Sensor: Give our readers background information about Digital Quest and your role with the company.
Hanebuth: We are a curriculum development company designing classroom-based materials. These materials enable educational institutions to provide their students with skill-based training in the growing, vital field of geospatial technology. I am the founder and president and am involved in all areas of the operation and development of Digital Quest products and training events.

The Sensor: You are active throughout the geospatial community and an advocate for increasing educational opportunities at all levels from elementary through professional certifications. Tell us more about your efforts.
Hanebuth: Digital Quest is my company and my living, but I am passionate about geospatial and increasing the number of people being trained in this field. I chair the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Standard Geospatial Apprenticeship Program and the SkillsUSA Geospatial Competition Committee. I am also very active in promoting the technology and educational opportunities through social media, especially via Twitter (@GISGuy) and Facebook.

The Sensor: Digital Quest has long been at the forefront of serving the educational and training needs of the geospatial community. Tell us about your products and support services.
Hanebuth: Digital Quest has been providing educational support for the geospatial sector for over 12 years now. Digital Quest has three course series:

1. aGIS (a Geospatial Industry Series) examines an entire industry/career cluster to show students how geospatial technology impacts and improves that industry/career cluster. All career clusters are drawn from "16 Career Clusters" developed by the National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. AGIS courses give detailed narratives about the relationship between a particular industry and geospatial technology. Guided lessons and scenarios give students hands-on experience with GIS Software. Books in the aGIS series include Introduction to Geospatial Technologies, Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources, and Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics.

2. SPACE (Spatial Products And Community Exchange) applies geospatial technology to real, local, community-based projects. Students find solutions to problems in their local community. SPACE can be taken in a conventional classroom, in the workplace or at home. The SPACE series teaches GIS through the eyes of the businesses and government agencies that protect, and increase the efficiency of, citizens’ everyday lives.

3. STARS (Spatial Technology And Remote Sensing) is a series of connected courses preparing students to take an industry-backed, entry-level GIS certification test—the first and only competency based, industry-backed, entry-level geospatial certification. The turn-key STARS program was developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. STARS is offered in colleges/universities, community colleges, vocational-technical schools and some high schools. Four semesters of courses provide students with skills to be an entry level geospatial technician. STARS ends with a guided capstone project executed either in the field of agriculture, public health and safety, or business and marketing. Students seeking STARS certification must demonstrate an ability to apply skills and concepts learned in previous STARS courses, and they also must pass a rigorous exam. All three geospatial series utilize ESRI’s ArcGIS Desktop software, the leading software in the GIS industry.

The Sensor: Give us an idea about who is using Digital Quest products.
Hanebuth: Our product line is used by instructors in geospatial specific programs of study at the university, community college, technical college, technical center, high schools and middle school levels. Digital Quest products also are used to enhance non-geospatial-specific programs of study such as environmental engineering, law enforcement, homeland security, economic development, agriculture, city planning, forestry and many others. Additionally, Digital Quest products have trained a variety of professionals including city, local and state government employees, and many in private industry. From York, PA to Chico, CA and from homeland security to agriculture, our successes span the U.S. and industry sectors. More than 300 geospatial technicians have been certified via Digital Quest’s rigorous STARS certification program.

The Sensor: Digital Quest is a long-time member of the geospatial cluster including now through the Magnolia Business Alliance. Why are business advocacy groups important for small companies such as Digital Quest?
Hanebuth: Both small and large companies benefit from networks like EIGS, MBA, and the Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MsET). In todays socially- driven, network-based environment, you need information quickly. These advocacy groups allow for personal relationships to form between several experts. This facilitates the quick movement of needed information. They are fierce and strategically positioned advocates for Digital Quest, but most important is the fact that the these groups provide a safe place to exchange ideas with respected colleagues.

The Sensor: What is on the horizon for Digital Quest?
Hanebuth: Digital Quest recently branched out into the field of Manufacturing more specifically sensors, conveyors and controls. We partnered with TII Educational Systems out of Gilberts, IL and created a tutorial that allows the students to work with Photoelectric and Proximity sensors to learn their applications in a conveyer environment. No matter what the field or industry sector, we will continue to focus on our philosophy of giving both the teacher and the student everything they need to be successful.

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"Digital Quest Twitters Its Way to New Book Release! "

Third book in an introductory GIS series for 16 Career Clusters uses innovative networking tool to find contributors.

For Immediate Release Contact Eddie Hanebuth, 601-856-2237, eddieh@digitalquest.com

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RIDGELAND, MS: A national leader in GIS education is releasing a new book using top experts found via Twitter.

Digital Quest, Inc.’s new book, A Geospatial Industry Series in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics, was written by in-house authors along with contributions from three experts networked on Twitter.

“We know GIS, being that we’ve written several books on the subject,” said Digital Quest president and founder, Eddie Hanebuth. “But rather than simply explain how we want GIS to be, we desired to explain how it actually is. Twittering let us accomplish that by identifying expert contributors and that’s exciting!”

Digital Quest’s primary focus is supplying educational institutions with turn-key courses in skill training for students in the new and increasingly vital field of geospatial technology.

Digital Quest’s new classroom-delivered course is designed to show STEM skills through Green and Sustainability disciplines. Students answer questions using ESRI's ArcGIS Desktop software on topics including:

• What alternative energies are abundant in my area?
• Can we preserve green space in our community?
• Where can a biodiesel fuel company “strike oil”?
• How can geospatial technology be beneficial to conservation biology?
• What is the biomass potential of a forest?
• Which watershed will receive funding?
• Where do we create, restore, enhance, or preserve a wetland?
• How do carbon emissions change over time?

Five of the book’s ten lessons were written with assistance from three Twitter-connected experts.

Marc Seelinger, a wetland scientist and proprietor of the Swamp School (Twitter name: SwampSchool), contributed to lesson six on conservation biology, lesson eight on watershed management, and lesson nine on wetland mitigation.

“Marc’s expertise in these fields truly enhanced our own understanding of these important environmental issues. With all of our books, we want to show a scenario that mimics real world activities. Marc was integral in helping the team understand regulation and process for real world lessons. The idea of GIS lessons that are true to industry requirements is very exciting,” said Austin Smith, Digital Quest's Vice President of Development and Support.

Jason San Souci, (Twitter name: JasonAFE) a remote sensing scientist and owner of AFE Advisor who works as a spectral analyst for Decisive Analytics Corporation, “took time out of his schedule to assist the creative staff at Digital Quest in implementing one of his projects in lesson seven on biomass potential,” added Smith.

Finally, Don Meltz, principal planner and owner of Don Meltz Planning and GIS (Twitter name: DonMeltz) “graciously shared not only his planning expertise, but also data files for a real world case study that made lesson four on green space possible,” Smith said.

A fourth contributor was Kevin Gurney, associate professor at Purdue University, Lead on Project Vulcan. Gurney runs a program that provides hourly carbon emission data broken down in to sub sector. Digital Quest hopes that the inclusion of data from this project can show the world one of the great resources that has been built to help make better decisions about our world.

The staff of Digital Quest decided to write the current book, “aGIS in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics: Green & Sustainability Focus”, due to national trends revealing the desire to better educate American students in the STEM fields.

“How do we get more students involved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics?” asked Scott Weller, the company’s director of national sales and marketing. “We feel that students who see the growing relationships between skills in GIS and these four vital academic areas will be further motivated and energized to study or specialize in one of those fields.”

This is the third book in a series based on the 16 Career Clusters, created by State Career Clusters’ Initiative, to show how GIS can be applied and used in these career clusters. The series is called “aGIS,” or “a Geospatial Industry Series.” Digital Quest’s other major book series include:

• “SPACE,” or “Spatial Projects And Community Exchange,” which shows students how to apply geospatial projects to their own, local community. SPACE is taken in a conventional classroom, the workplace, or at home.
• “STARS,” or “Spatial Technology And Remote Sensing,” which is both a curriculum series and the leading national, industry-backed, entry-level certification program for students seeking to enter a GIS-related career, as developed in cooperation with the US Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship. STARS is taken by students in colleges, community colleges, or technical schools. More than 300 students have completed STARS certification to date.

Digital Quest is Mississippi-based and operates out of MsET’s the Center of Excellence in Geospatial Technology at NASA’s John C. Stennis Center. The company is a member of the SkillsUSA National Geospatial Competition technical committee, and it also founded the Spatial Technology and Remote Sensing Geospatial Apprenticeship Program (STARS GeoAP), which offers a standardized way for schools, individuals, and employers to train skilled workers for geospatial jobs.

To learn more about the new book, GIS in STEM, find it on amazon.com or call 1-877- 5REMOTE (1-877-573-6683) , email salesusers@digitalquest.com, or visit www.digitalquest.com. President of Digital Quest, Eddie Hanebuth, twitters as GISGuy.



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"Digital Quest Expanding Operations and Growing Sales Team"

Ridgeland, MS - Digital Quest, a Mississippi-based development and training company, is pleased to announce that they are expanding operations to keep up with the growing demand in the educational and training geospatial market. Austin Smith, employed with Digital Quest for the past four years, is being promoted to Vice President for Support and Development. He will be opening the newest branch office of Digital Quest in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he will oversee the support and development of new materials.

“We have three major projects on our list including updating all of our current books, adding e-commerce to our web site and releasing a brand new certification testing instrument,” said Austin Smith. “I plan on being very busy.”

In addition, Digital Quest is announcing Scott Weller as the new head of the national sales and marketing team. Scott has worked in marketing for the geospatial industry for seven years and as an educational consultant for the past ten years. He has instituted geospatial curriculum at all levels from kindergarten through post secondary. Scott helped Digital Quest create the blue print for the educational "Geospatial Hub Sites" and he will now help the Digital Quest sales team implement that plan nationally.

“Digital Quest has a proven model that will help everyone be more successful,” said Scott Weller. "I am excited to get to work with the Digital Quest team and all the sales representatives from around the country to implement Digital Quest solutions.”

Digital Quest focuses on designing, developing, distributing, and supporting geospatial/remote sensing educational, classroom-based products including:

• STARS: A series of courses that prepare students to take the GIS certification test. STARS is the first and only competency based, industry recognized, entry-level, geospatial certification.

• SPACE: A series of courses, developed by the SPACESTARS partnership, designed to allow students to use GIS skills in the context of selected community based topics.

• AGIS Book Series: A Geospatial Industry Series that examines an entire industry/ career cluster to show how geospatial technology impacts and improves those industries. These courses feature detailed narratives about the relationship between the particular industry and geospatial technology. In addition, guided lessons and scenarios give students hands on experience with GIS Software.

“Having the caliber of personnel like Austin and Scott is key to Digital Quest’s future,” stated Eddie Hanebuth, Founder of Digital Quest, Inc. “These two have the skills, visions, and ability to drive Digital Quest to a whole new level.”

Digital Quest, Inc. is a Mississippi-based development and training oriented company with a primary focus of enabling educational institutions to provide skill training in the new and ever-more vital field of Geospatial Technology. Digital Quest, an active member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster, is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi and operates the SPACESTARS Geospatial Training Laboratory at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. For more information about Digital Quest, visit www.digitalquest.com or contact Scotty Weller at 1-877-573-6683, scottw@digitalquest.com.

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3rd Annual Geospatial Competition to Showcase Best Geospatial Students in the Nation"

Ridgeland, MS – Digital Quest, Inc. and SkillsUSA are pleased to announce the 3rd Annual Geospatial Technology Competition. This contest was created to provide post secondary students an opportunity to showcase their skills on a national level and compete for the SkillsUSA title of best in the U.S. for geospatial technology. The competition is being held in Kansas City, Missouri, June 23-June 27, 2008.

Registrations for the contest are currently being accepted at www.digitalquest.com/SkillsUSA08. The first 50 students that are verified as post secondary students registered in programs that teach GIS will receive invitations to participate in the contest. The qualified student contestants will receive the STARS certification kits, worth $500 including a 60-day evaluation license of ESRI ArcView 9.2 software. They will receive a formal invitation to the contest and a password to a protected ftp site. Students will then download the 2008 STARS Geospatial Project and will need to prepare and complete this project in advance of the competition in Kansas City in June.

In Kansas City, the contestants will orally defend their GIS project, as well as take a written technical knowledge test and a hands-on test of geospatial technology skills. Those college contestants at the Kansas City competition whose aggregate score reaches at least 75 percentile will be awarded STARS Certification. STARS (Spatial Technology and Remote Sensing) is a fully developed “turn-key” certification program for high schools, colleges and universities as well as career professionals looking to integrate geospatial tools into their on-the-job skill set.

The top prize includes a complete software package of ArcGIS ArcView and four extensions student software package worth $10,000 from ESRI, and a $1,000 cash scholarship to reimburse travel expenses to Kansas City. Other prizes include the ArcGIS ArcView student software package, and $500 and $250 scholarships for 2nd & 3rd place winners.

###

Digital Quest, Inc. is a Mississippi-based development and training oriented company with a primary focus of enabling educational institutions to provide skill training in the new and ever-more vital field of Geospatial Technology. Digital Quest, an active member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster, is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi and operates the SPACESTARS Geospatial Training Laboratory at NASA’s Stennis Space Center. For more information about Digital Quest, visit www.digitalquest.com or contact Eddie Hanebuth at 1-877-573-6683, eddieh@digitalquest.com.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. . The national organization helps all students excel in their training programs and future technical, skilled and service careers. SkillsUSA serves more than 285,000 students and instructors annually. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.

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More Press for Joppatown High School's Homeland Security:
"How to Stop Terrorism? Begin in School"

by Sibile Morency, ABC News
January 11, 2008

January 2008 -- Homeland security is one of the hottest issues in this year's presidential election, the candidates sparring daily over who is best qualified to protect the nation against terrorist threats.

Meanwhile, Leah Beaulieu is busy educating the next generation of security experts. Beaulieu teaches the nation's first homeland security high school program at Joppatowne High School in Joppa, Md.

Sixty-one Joppatowne 10th-graders enrolled this year to spend three years learning about protecting the country against terrorism.
The sophomores choose specific areas of homeland security that they would like to explore during their junior years. And as seniors, they complete internships or shadow homeland-security professionals on the job.

"We introduce our students to all major areas of homeland security. We start off with a historical perspective, learning where terrorism comes from, the political motivations, even going back to the Crusades and talking about change over time," said Beaulieu.

The program, which has been lauded by some in law enforcement, educates them on cutting-edge security technology, law enforcement and criminal justice, and teaches them to identify potential chemical and biological threats. Its creators say it will prepare the young students to enter a growing industry that could one day employ thousands of new workers.

But the program has also raised concerns about the appropriateness of teaching such a serious, politically charged subject matter to high school students.

Education or Indoctrination?

David Volrath, director of secondary education for Maryland's Hartford County public schools, insists that the school's main motivation is to help students find future jobs. There are high-tech companies in the area, and the Defense Department's Aberdeen Proving Ground is nearby.

"When we recognized that these industries were coming to support research at Aberdeen, we realized the opportunity for our students," he said.

And Jack Cloonan, a former FBI agent and president of Clayton Consultants Inc., a global risk crisis management firm, praises the high school for being the first in the nation to take this initiative.

"Those of us in this type of business often get criticized for running around, screaming the sky is falling, [but] we do have to keep the public vigilant," he said. "This is a very important educational message. If it's first introduced at the high school level, along the line it will increase people's professionalism."

But other observers warn that the the educational message must remain distinct from any political implications.

Jonathan Zimmerman, director of New York University's History of Education Program, encourages the inclusion of homeland security issues in the school's curriculum, but he urges the school to make sure it focuses on teaching national security.

"The devil is in the details. Is the school educating or indoctrinating? The job of public schools is not to get people to vote for or against Bush. [Rather] it's to teach kids the tools to evaluate Bush," he says.

Read Full text of Article here

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"[Joppatown High School's] homeland security studies get noticed"

by Mimi Hall, USA Today
December 10, 2007

December 2007 -- The nation's first comprehensive high school homeland security program, a three-year course to help kids land jobs in the growing anti-terrorism industry, is in its infancy in Maryland. But it's recently been attracting the attention of educators and school districts from as far away as California and Florida.

The program, started at Maryland's Joppatowne High School with 61 sophomores, provides "an opportunity for kids to see relevance to being in school," says Frank Mezzanotte of the Harford (Md.) County Public Schools. "It gives kids additional options."

Students have toured a Coast Guard command center, visited a county detection center, practiced emergency response in a fictional town called "Joppaville" and heard an Iraqi-born speaker explain cultural differences between Americans and Middle Easterners.

"We're trying to set high expectations," says student Megan Bell, 15. "We don't want to be known as just the school with the good football team. Now we have homeland security." Other school districts are taking notice. Mezzanotte says he's been contacted by individual schools and education departments in more than a half-dozen states.

"Joppatowne broke the ground for all of us," says Lise Foran of Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland. Next fall, Meade High School will begin a Homeland Security program. "We're following in Joppatowne's footsteps."

And on Wednesday, Mezzanotte will be in Las Vegas, where he has been asked to give a presentation on the program to the Association for Career and Technical Education annual conference.

Some question whether the program will teach students to be open-minded about the government's national security policies, given its goal of getting kids jobs with defense and homeland security contractors and the military. The liberal magazine Mother Jones dubbed Joppatowne "the academy of military-industrial-complex studies."

Jonathan Zimmerman, a New York University history of education professor, says "the devil lies in whether this is going to be a school for education or indoctrination."

Other educators applaud the school for taking steps to prepare kids for one of the nation's expanding job markets and for connecting what they learn in school to what's happening in the real world.

"This sounds to me like it has all the earmarks of what keeps young people in school," says former West Virginia governor Bob Wise, now head of the Alliance for Excellent Education. "It gives them the skills necessary for the modern workplace."

Read Full text of Article here

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Digital Quest Develops Geospatial Industry Book Series

October 2007 -- Ridgeland, MS, -- Digital Quest is pleased to announce the development of a new series of course books that examine 16 industry/career clusters to demonstrate how GIS technology impacts and improves those industries. A Geospatial Industry Series (AGIS) will examine the relationship between the particular industry and GIS. In addition, guided lessons and scenarios will give students hands-on experience with a variety of applications of GIS using ESRI’s ArcGIS Software.

The career clusters are based on the 16 Career Clusters developed by the NCTEF/NASDCTEC (National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium) as a means to provide a link between "what students learn in school with the knowledge and skills they need for success in college and careers." (Career Clusters Institute, www.careerclusters.org) The link between education and careers makes this program ideal for students and professionals alike. Since the career clusters encompass all industries that are pertinent to a specific cluster, students can learn what they need to know to begin a career in a variety of industries. Professionals will also find this book useful in defining the best ways GIS can be used in their organization.

The first release in the new series, AGIS Introduction to Geospatial Technology, includes ten lessons designed to demonstrate key concepts, software capabilities, and future opportunities in the geospatial industry. The lessons contain overviews of career profiles including examples of industries and individuals that use this technology. Students will gain hands-on experience using industry-leading ESRI's ArcGIS software in eight lessons that explore agriculture, business, information technology, logistics, public safety, health science, tourism, and technology engineering.

Educators will find the modular design of the course easy to implement in their classroom. Colleges will be able to use this book to supplement existing courses such as: "Introduction to Computers"; "Integrating Science and Technology"; Environmental Education"; "Tools in Business"; and many others. High Schools can integrate this course into classes including: "Project Lead the Way"; "Career Exploration"; "CAD"; and "Technology Education". They series is a perfect fit for any STEM based indicatives with the total time to team this class from 6 to 18 hours. For more information on ordering the Book Series, please visit www.digitalquest.com or call 877-573-6683 x. 225.

"Look for our second book in the series AGIS in Agriculture to be released later this year," stated Eddie Hanebuth, President of Digital Quest Inc. “This book will focus on the Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources industry cluster area and will examine the industries involved from animal and plant systems to power infrastructure to resource and agribusiness management.”

Digital Quest, Inc. is a Mississippi-based development and training oriented company with a primary focus of enabling educational institutions to provide skill training in the new and ever-more vital field of Geospatial Technology. Through our partnerships and associations with organizations such as SPACESTARS, Environmental Systems Research Institute, (ESRI), Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS), Mississippi Enterprise for Technology (MsET), NASA, SkillsUSA and others, Digital Quest is able to deliver complete turn-key courses which can be taught by instructors with little or no previous GIS knowledge, and which can provide entry-level GIS technician certification to its students. Digital Quest runs the STARS Geo Apprenticeship Program through the U.S. Department of Labor, the SkillsUSA National Geospatial competition, and the SPACESTARS teacher training Laboratory at the Center of Geospatial Center of Excellence in NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center.

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Digital Quest's STARS Approved by Maryland for Homeland Security Ed. Program

September 2007 -- Ridgeland, MS, -- Digital Quest, Inc. is pleased to announce the adoption of its GIS in Homeland Security Course and its flagship product, the STARS Certification, by Harford County Public Schools for their Career and Technology Education Pathway Program for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. This program, housed at Joppatowne High School, is the first of its kind in the nation. It is dedicated to providing students with career skills and technological expertise in the areas of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (HSEP).

The HSEP program provides a foundation-level course followed by advance options that include courses designed to advance student knowledge and skills and lead to industry certification and/or college credit. The Information/Communications Technology option prepares students for certification in the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as it is used in relation to Homeland Security. Students will generate geospatial maps and emergency response plans specific to their community.

"One of the reasons the Maryland State Department of Education fast tracked this program for distribution throughout the state was our partnership with Digital Quest," said Eric Cromwell, Coordinator of Accelerated Learning Programs for Harford County Public Schools. "We are eager to implement the GIS in Homeland Security curriculum and the Geospatial Technologies Certification Program."

STARS (Spatial Technology and Remote Sensing) is a fully developed "turn-key" certification program for high schools, colleges and university as well as career professionals looking to integrate geospatial tools into their on-on-the job skill set. STARS is the first industry-recognized geospatial certification recognized by NASA, the U.S. Department of Labor, and by industry leaders.

"Working with the Digital Quest team was an extraordinary experience, said Cromwell. "For example, when we returned from training at the National SPACETARS training Lab at NASA's John C Stennis Space Center, we requested a few changes be made to better fit with our specific curriculum. Digital Quest quickly modified their GIS in Homeland Security course to fit our curriculum needs. It is wonderful to work with a group willing to go the extra mile to help our schools be successful!"

The STARS courses for the HSEP program will introduce students to GIS and Remote Sensing technology through academic study and applied instruction and will offer a series of half-credit courses including:

* Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing

* Skill-Based Training for Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing

* Advanced Skill-Based Training for Geographic Information Systems, GPS, and Remote Sensing

* Geospatial Application Project with a Final Certification Exam

"We are excited to have the combination of our GIS in Homeland Security course and the STARS Entry-Level GIS Technician Certification provide the foundation for the Information/Communications Technology option for this innovative program," said Eddie Hanebuth of Digital Quest.

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Digital Quest and SkillsUSA Announce 2007 Geospatial Technology Champion

August 2007 -- Ridgeland, MS, -- Digital Quest, Inc. and SkillsUSA are pleased to announce the gold medalist in the Postsecondary Geospatial Technology Challenge at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference and Competition that was held in Kansas City, Missouri on June 26, 2007

June Garneau of Berlin, New Hampshire won first place and is the recipient of thousands of dollars in ArcGIS software and a cash award both donated by ESRI of Redland, California. Garneau's gold medal was based upon an extensive pre-challenge project, STARS testing, and completion of challenge events at the conference. Garneau is a 2007 graduate of the one-year Spatial Information Technology/Geographic Information Systems (GIS) certificate program at New Hampshire Community Technical College in Berlin.

"My interest began one year prior to the competition, when I enrolled in a GIS course for kindergarten through 12th grade teachers," said Garneau. "I was so interested after the course that I decided to pursue the field of GIS. I am so pleased to end my year of study with this competition and the gold medal."

This is the second year Skills USA has offered national college competitions which were designed to provide colleges with an effective way to validate their technical programs and measure them against national standards. The Geospatial Technology Challenge was initiated in February 2007 with an on-line, 150 question qualification exam that tested academic knowledge, technical knowledge within the subject area, and general employability skills. Qualifying contestants were required to complete a STARS certification project.

Garneau's project involved Global Positioning Systems (GPS) data collection, surface model development, and site analysis based upon pre-set competition criteria. June chose White Mountain Regional High School as her project, which focused on the best location for a garden. According to Garneau, she put at least 80 hours into her project, which included choosing a location in which to use digitizing techniques and GPS data collecting to create a campus based model including building, water sources, sport facilities, and other campus features. From her base model, she created 3-dimensional models and a preferred garden location based upon six preset criteria. As part of the competition, she had to prepare a PowerPoint presentation, maps, and a written report.

"The experience gave me a unique opportunity to expand my knowledge, build my confidence and abilities in GIS, and to successfully meet challenges that took me through a whole range of skill sets," says Garneau.

As part of the prize package, Garneau earned the STARS Certification from Digital Quest, Inc. STARS (Spatial Technology and Remote Sensing) is a fully developed "turn-key" certification program for high schools, colleges and university as well as career professionals looking to integrate geospatial tools into their on-on-the job skill set. STARS is the first industry-recognized geospatial certification recognized by NASA, the U.S. Department of Labor, and by industry leaders.

More than 5,000 students from high school and colleges throughout the U.S. competed in the 43rd Annual SkillsUSA Championships in 87 different contests. High school and college students may download the free 2007 SkillsUSA Competition hands-on examination in preparation for the 2008 examination from www.esri.com/arclessons.

### Digital Quest, Inc. is a Mississippi-based development and training oriented company with a primary focus of enabling educational institutions to provide skill training in the new and ever-more vital field of Geospatial Technology. Digital Quest, an active member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster, is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi and operates the SPACESTARS Geospatial Training Laboratory at NASA's Stennis Space Center. For more information about Digital Quest, visit www.digitalquest.com or contact Eddie Hanebuth at 1-877-573-6683, eddieh@digitalquest.com.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. . The national organization helps all students excel in their training programs and future technical, skilled and service careers. SkillsUSA serves more than 285,000 students and instructors annually. The organization has 13,000 school chapters in 54 state and territorial associations. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org .

Digital Quest's STARS Certification Selected for Department of Labor's National Standards of Apprenticeship for Geospatial Technician

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Digital Quest's STARS Certification Selected for DoL National Standards of Apprenticeship

July 2007 --Ridgeland, MS -- Digital Quest, Inc. is pleased to announce that the national Spatial Technology And Remote Sensing Geospatial Apprenticeship Program (STARS Geo AP) has adopted the STARS certification curriculum materials as part of the National Standards of Apprenticeship developed in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship for the occupation of Geospatial Technician.

The Spatial Technology And Remote Sensing Geospatial Apprenticeship Program (STARS Geo AP) was established to increase the level of skilled workers in the Geospatial Industry based on national industry-backed standards. The program provides a standardized way for schools, individuals, and employers to train skilled workers for geospatial jobs. The combination of on-the-job learning (OJL) and the successful completion of the STARS certification materials will result in well-rounded, competent Geospatial Technicians for the geospatial field, one of the fastest growing career fields in the U.S.

"We recognized that the responsibility for training rests with those in industry who are the benefactors of a skilled workforce," stated Eddie Hanebuth of Digital Quest, Inc. "In order to maintain the high level of competence demanded by the geospatial industry, the STARS Geo AP Executive Board was made up of industry leaders and employers who were critical in formulating and adopting the National Apprenticeship Standards for the training of apprentices in this industry."

STARS (Spatial technology and remote sensing) is a fully developed "turn-key" Certification program for high schools, colleges, and universities as well as career professionals looking to integrate geospatial tools into their on-on-the job skill set. STARS certification, offered by DigitalQuest, Inc., is supported by the companies in the Center of Geospatial Excellence located at NASA's John C. Stennis Space Center. STARS is an output driven, competency-based program in which students master the use of geospatial problem solving, software, data, and tools standard in the geospatial industry.

The suggested work activities and the correlating STARS coursework are designed to allow for individualized training and work assignments. The company and customer needs determine the key deliverables required of the apprentice. The core requirements include a term of twelve to twenty-four months with a minimum of 1,000 documented OJL hours as well as the STARS certification coursework. This combination of on-the-job learning and geospatial studies allows for multiple exit and entry points based on the individual apprentice and the organizations' needs.

"We believe that the most practical, well established, and sound method of preparing geospatial employees is through registered apprenticeship programs," said Craig Harvey, CIO of NVision Solutions and a member of the STARS Geo AP Executive Board. "An apprenticeship program allows for training under actual job conditions supervised by experienced geospatial workers. Using the STARS certification along with this on-the-job training will create both a knowledgeable and experienced geospatial worker. This is a strategy that will greatly benefit both the employee and the employer."

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Digital Quest featured in "Pointe Innovation" magazine's article: "No Boundaries: Geospatial Training Moving Full Throttle in Mississippi"

by Lynne Jeter, Pointe Innovation Magazine

March 2007 -- Digital Quest, a Ridgeland-based private development and training-oriented company, and the Institute for Advanced Education in Geospatial Sciences (IAEGS) at The University of Mississippi also offer innovative GIS training opportunities in the state.

“The Mississippi geospatial community is playing a direct leadership role in the advancement of geospatial technology throughout the U.S.,” noted Eddie Hanebuth, president of Digital Quest.

Growing the geospatial industry dovetails nicely with the state’s goal to grow more higher-paying, high technology jobs. According to the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions, the average annual salary for geospatial jobs in Mississippi is $55,000. In the last decade, Mississippi’s geospatial industry has grown from a dozen to nearly 700 jobs. Geospatial revenues have jumped from $15.8 million in 2001 to $75 million in 2006. Last year, state income tax generated from the geospatial industry was $1.4 million; more than $50 million has been invested in Mississippi geospatial companies. Cash investment in Mississippi’s geospatial cluster activity from 1998 to 2006: $208 million.
Pointe Innovation Magazine, Lynne Jeter, Spring 2007. Read Full text of Article here

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