Geographic Information Science (SaIG) at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia is a pioneering study program — the first and only one of its kind in Indonesia. This program marks a new chapter in the nation's history in the development and application of geospatial technology. The SaIG Study Program was officially established on February 23, 2018.

Speaking of its history, this program is the result of a long process that had to be accompanied by hard work, consistency, perseverance, and an unyielding spirit. Why so? Because this program is the fruit of a great dream born of love for Indonesia. The chronology behind the establishment of the Geographic Information Science Study Program was not as smooth as what is seen today. It began with the struggle of Dr. Lili Somantri, S.Pd., M.Si., as Head of the SaIG Study Program, proving that a struggle founded on good intentions and strong determination can advance the nation.

It all began in 2015, when Dr. Lili Somantri, S.Pd., M.Si., served as Head of the Regional Survey Mapping and Geographic Information (SPIG) Study Program. The SPIG program aimed to produce reliable and professional surveyors in the field of natural resources. His appointment as head of the program was not without reason — a vacancy at the time ultimately led to his election as head in June 2015. He had never imagined becoming Head of the SPIG Study Program, having only just completed his doctoral degree (S3) in October 2014.

In carrying out his duties as Head of the SPIG Study Program, Dr. Lili Somantri, S.Pd., M.Si., encountered numerous academic and non-academic obstacles. One of them was the low number of applicants to the program — even though its graduates were highly sought after in the surveying field in Indonesia. Faced with this problem, Dr. Lili Somantri, S.Pd., M.Si., saw a more promising future if the program's status were upgraded from a three-year diploma (D3) to a bachelor's degree (S1).

He eventually held a meeting with all SPIG lecturers, which resulted in a decision to change the Regional Survey Mapping and Geographic Information (SPIG) Study Program from D3 to S1, despite pros and cons. Those in favor argued that many people considered the D3 study duration to be neither here nor there. Moreover, the job market does not distinguish between D3 and S1 graduates, focusing instead on the competencies they possess. Meanwhile, the lecturers who opposed the change argued that SPIG was originally established to produce surveyors at the technician level — that is, the D3 level.

Armed with conviction, he consistently prepared the proposal to change SPIG's status from D3 to S1, assisted by several lecturers, among them: Prof. Dr. Dede Sugandi, M.Si., Dr. rer. nat. Nandi, M.T., M.Sc., and Arif Ismail, S.Si., M.Sc. In the process, Prof. Dr. Dede Sugandi, M.Si. helped convince the University to support the change. Dr. rer. nat. Nandi, M.T., M.Sc. served more as a discussion partner in conceptualizing the status change, while Arif Ismail, S.Si., M.Sc. helped research Geographic Information Science curricula around the world. The four of them formed a solid team whose struggle to realize a great aspiration is worth emulating.

After the proposal was completed, the team met with the Rector of UPI, Prof. Dr. H.R. Asep Kadarohman, M.Si, to consult on changing SPIG's status from D3 to S1. From that discussion, the Rector shared the same view on the change, considering that UPI is an academic-oriented university. However, a new problem emerged regarding the regulations of the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (Kemenristekdikti), as reviewed by the UPI Academic Senate, which stated that a D3 program could not be converted into an S1 program — instead, a proposal to establish a new study program had to be submitted. The Rector ultimately suggested establishing a new S1 SPIG study program.

Some time later, the Rector invited all heads of study programs at UPI regarding changes to the program naming nomenclature. It turned out that the name "Regional Survey Mapping and Geographic Information (SPIG)" at the bachelor's level did not exist in the Kemenristekdikti nomenclature. Dr. Lili Somantri, M.Si quickly replaced "Survey Mapping" with "Science," making the program name Geographic Information Science. The Ministry immediately agreed, as it matched the nomenclature carrying the degree title Bachelor of Geography (S.Geo). As the saying goes, good fortune arrives at just the right moment — "Regional Survey Mapping and Geographic Information" was changed to "Geographic Information Science," because Geographic Information Science belongs to the geography discipline developed from technical geography.

The name Geographic Information Science was inspired by the book Sains Informasi Geografi: Dari Perolehan dan Analisis Citra hingga Pemetaan dan Pemodelan Spasial (Geographic Information Science: From Image Acquisition and Analysis to Mapping and Spatial Modeling), written by Projo Danoedoro (2004) of the Department of Cartography and Remote Sensing, Faculty of Geography, Universitas Gadjah Mada. Afterwards, Dr. Lili Somantri and his team conducted a comparative study at the Cartography and Remote Sensing (KPJ) Study Program, Department of Geographic Information Science, Universitas Gadjah Mada, to study the curriculum of a similar program and seek guidance from UGM lecturers — all of whom had been Dr. Lili Somantri's own teachers during his Master's in Remote Sensing and his Doctorate in Geography with a Remote Sensing concentration at the UGM Faculty of Geography.

Alhamdulillah, after a struggle spanning 2016 to 2017, the new proposal was finally approved by the Rector of UPI with various considerations. In January 2018, it was approved by BAN-PT (the National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education). The Rector of UPI then issued the establishment decree numbered 1665/UN40/HK/2018 on February 23, 2018, and Dr. Lili Somantri, S.Pd., M.Si., was elected as Head of the SaIG Study Program based on the results of a faculty meeting. The successful establishment of the Geographic Information Science (SaIG) Study Program cannot be separated from the views of others who called it a "Miracle."

Officially, the Geographic Information Science (SaIG) Study Program then opened new student admissions through the SBMPTN written selection and the UPI Independent Selection (SM) in 2018, with a quota of 80 seats. Interest in SaIG for its first cohort turned out to be extraordinary — around 1,000 applicants from the SBMPTN and SM UPI pathways competed for a seat in the UPI SaIG program.

The SaIG Study Program went from non-existent to real, from a mere dream to a reality, and from small beginnings — hopefully one day it will grow very large. Its founders are certainly optimistic that it will continue to grow and progress, accompanied by achievements and graduates who become reliable geospatial analysts.