Technological innovations such as the Internet of Things，big data，and artificial intelligence，as well as application requirements such as dynamic monitoring，automatic modeling，and travel services，have spawned the transformation and upgrading of the discipline of surveying & mapping and geoinformation，thus putting forward new demands on the knowledge system and capabilities of practitioners. This paper analyzed the development status and trends of surveying and location services，remote sensing technology and its application，cartography and geoinformation in recent years. It was proposed that under the comprehensive effect of the discipline’s own development and external factors，the reform and innovation of the surveying and mapping geoinformation discipline is a necessity. Based on the demand for future talents，four suggestions were put forward for the education of surveying & mapping and geoinformation in colleges and universities，namely，the innovation of the education of basic theory and method of surveying & mapping and geoinformation，the new engineering cultivation model of multidisciplinary，the application orientation for significant demands，and the comprehensive innovation of the cultivation system.