Reflection on My Growth as a Geospatial Professional
Geospatial Information Science (GIS) is a field with many applications and having a grasp of the core principles is crucial to being able to adapt them to each situation. I began my foray into GIS because I wanted a better understanding of why Bald Eagles began expanding their population into urban areas and I wanted to use GIS to assist with the analysis. While my study involving Bald Eagles is ongoing, I am amazed at how far I have come since beginning my journey into GIS.
Having grown up before the age of the internet, I struggled with things like figuring out how to use a windows-based software package (i.e., ArcMap) on my Mac’s operating system, and getting the tools and buttons to appear large enough to be seen. After making it past the basic course that introduced me to ArcMap, I was relieved to get into more of the ‘science’ part of the field.
Much of GIS focuses on solving spatial problems or presenting spatial information in a way that fosters new understanding of the underlying data. I also was excited to learn about remote sensing technology and gaining a wider understanding of how to use these data. In my coursework, I also explored hydrology and the tools available to explore and analyze hydrological phenomena. In this program, we learned how to solve a variety of spatial problems using data that had been given to us and then we learned how to find and clean our own data so we could apply these skills to solve problems that reflected our own interests. In this portfolio, I have tried to present work that highlights my skills and interests, but some of the knowledge gained in this program is difficult to display in a portfolio, including the understanding of projections and transformations or the style to use when creating a map. However, most of the courses had several common themes, including a solid understanding of projections and transformations and cartographic style, but also understanding how to use (or create) metadata, and to use the multiple online resources that are available if you run into an error or problem that you can’t solve on your own.
I thought I had learned enough to have a solid grasp of the field, and then I entered my final year in the program. Now I was taking courses that expanded my world of GIS far beyond what I had ever expected to learn or understand. The fundamental course I took in geospatial programming introduced me to Python, but now courses are moving me into database management and using SQL, plus publishing web services and using JavaScript. We were actually learning how to control traffic across the internet, along with learning about security and controlling access at different levels. We learned how to use information stored in a database and serve the spatial information over the internet to create web-mapping applications that bring the power of geospatial information and analyses to the general public. I never imagined this could be possible for someone like me, who was so disinterested in computers when they hit the market that I barely even used them to play games.
I can now use the concepts of modeling and analytics of spatial data to answer questions or solve problems. I understand how to use computer programming, with tools like Python or SQL, to query or manipulate both spatial and non-spatial data to answer similar questions and how to manage and use a database. With this comes the understanding of publishing services to the internet to be used in web-mapping applications. This brings maps and their information to the public in a user-friendly, convenient, and easy-to-understand way.
While this program focuses heavily on Esri’s products (being an Esri Development Center) I appreciate being exposed to open-source platforms like GRASS GIS also. NCSU’s Center for Geospatial Analytics is a leader in the industry and the MGIST program is well-rounded and complete. I have learned to use the most up-to-date and cutting-edge software in the GIS field.
When I was pursuing my MS in Biology, I remember some musing that biologists wished the statisticians had a better understanding of biology, but the statisticians surely wished the biologists had a better understanding of statistics. In the MGIST program, my classmates came from a variety of fields with an array of interests in terms of applications to GIS; this reflects the wide range of fields to which GIS applies directly. I believe having been trained in both fields, my knowledge and background in biology allows me a unique understanding of ways to leverage the power of GIS in ecological studies.
The next step that I have planned is to pursue a research project that focuses on the genetic spatial ecology of an ocean-dispersed insular plant and its wind-dispersed insect pollinator. I plan to use my skills with GIS to compare the patterns of genetic diversity of two species with different dispersal mechanisms. What I now realize is that there is so much more that I can apply. For example, I can create a web mapping application that will allow me to collect data in the field directly into a map, or to use a database management system for storing my data. I also plan to continue the project that brought me into this field to begin with: the project on the nesting habitat of Bald Eagles. I will expand the Python code to fine-tune the analysis. I don’t know where these skills may ultimately take me, but I am confident that I have learned enough to know how to continue to learn and grow and adapt my skills to an ever-evolving field.