FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, March 28, 2006 -- Jackson, MS – Digital Quest, Inc. and the Institute for Advanced Education in Geospatial Sciences (IAEGS) announce that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on the development, marketing and distribution of online GIS and Remote Sensing courses.  This strategic partnership will result in a wider distribution of already existing courses as well as the creation of new courses to better address needs in academia, industry, and government.

 The IAEGS at The University of Mississippi has created the Knowledge Delivery Engine™ and all of the tools necessary to effectively facilitate the creation and delivery of geospatial courses online.  A current repository of more than 28 courses cover such topics as:  introduction to remote sensing; decision support systems; orbital mechanics; digital image processing; business geographics; and aerial photographic interpretation.  IAEGS, established in 2001 under the auspices of a NASA Challenge grant, is now offering these online courses worldwide.

 “Considering the need for an increased professional pool in the field of GeoSpatial Information Technology, our ultimate goal is to develop a highly skilled workforce, well educated and equipped to lead the development of GeoSpatial Information Technology in the next century,” said Dr. Pamela Lawhead, Director of IAEGS.  “This partnership with Digital Quest will help us meet this goal more broadly and more quickly.”

 Digital Quest, a private business member of the geospatial industry cluster in Mississippi, focuses on designing, developing, distributing and supporting geospatial/remote sensing educational, classroom-based products.  Their STARS certification is a product created by SPACESTARS, LLC, a partnership with the Berkley Geo-Research Group.  The STARS certification is designed to provide skill training in the field of geospatial technology which is among the top three fastest growing career fields in the U.S. with a 15 percent growth in new jobs projected over the next decade.

“This is quite a dynamic partnership,” said Eddie Hanebuth of Digital Quest, Inc.  “Digital Quest is in a strong position to increase the appeal of the IAEGS courses nationally and help reach beyond customers in academia to potential users in industry and government.” 

 The partnership also includes the enhancement of Digital Quest’s products and courses by the addition an internet-based option provided through IAEGS.  This public-private partnership will result in a thoroughly comprehensive on-line offering of geospatial courses, educational products, and training modules available through the web portal www.geoworkforce.olemiss.edu.  

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 The Institute for Advanced Education in Geospatial Sciences was established in July 2001 by a Challenge Grant from the Applied Sciences Directorate at the NASA Stennis Space Center as a collaborative course development center.  Based at The University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS, the goal of the Institute is to prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers to assume the responsibilities necessary to expand the knowledge of the Earth from space. For more information, visit http://geoworkforce.olemiss.edu/.

 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, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .