From November 14 to 16, 2024, the 14th National College Student GIS Application Skills Competition, hosted by the China Geoinformation Industry Association and the Chinese Geographical Society, was successfully held at Xi'an University of Science and Technology. As the highest-level and largest-scale professional competition for college students in the field of geoinformation science education, this event consistently promotes teaching, learning, and talent development through competition, playing a vital role in enhancing the quality of talent cultivation in higher education institutions.

This year's competition attracted over 700 participants from 182 universities nationwide, including Peking University, Wuhan University, and Sun Yat-sen University. The Nanjing Normal University team, comprising Zhang Shuming, Liu Yitong, and Du Hao from the GIS program of the School of Geographic Sciences, along with Cao Yanning from the Chen Shupeng Experimental Class of the Intensive Training College, competed under the dedicated guidance of instructors Xiong Liyang and Wu Mingguang. After intense competition, the team was awarded the National Grand Prize, while both instructors received the title of “Outstanding Grand Prize Instructor.”

During the preparation period, the college placed high importance on this competition. Departmental leaders frequently inquired about the progress of preparations, providing ample support and resources for the participating teams. Instructors Xiong Liyang and Wu Mingguang offered professional guidance throughout the process, patiently assisting team members in resolving various technical challenges encountered during training. Previous award-winning participants also actively shared their experiences, providing valuable insights for this year's preparations.

This year's competition continued to adopt a hybrid online-offline format. Compared to previous editions, the challenges presented significantly increased in complexity and innovation, encompassing multiple intricate GIS application scenarios such as remote sensing image processing, DEM construction, ecological environment analysis, road planning, and engineering volume estimation. The competition primarily assessed participants' capabilities in spatial data collection, editing, integrated processing, and comprehensive spatial analysis under multi-source data conditions. Our university team demonstrated composure and efficient collaboration throughout the two-and-a-half-hour morning and afternoon sessions. They successfully completed tasks including data cleaning, georeferencing, image matching, DEM construction, thematic mapping, spatial statistical analysis, watershed analysis, optimal road alignment, and earthwork volume estimation. The team submitted high-quality reports featuring clear problem-solving approaches and detailed content, fully showcasing our students' solid professional expertise and outstanding practical capabilities.