Ander's Geo Quest

We are finally here. The last assignment. 

I created my Portfolio in Google Sites. 

I kept my about me short and sweet (like me!) and included the link to my career and education highlights in ArcStory Map that I created and updated for Cartography and Applications in GIS.

I updated my resume to include feedback from a previous submission and I added the groups I am a member of. 

On my contact page I included a link to email me directly, my LinkedIn link, and a basic contact form created through Google Forms.

On the Portfolio Page I kept it simple. 

I broke the sections up by different skill sets - Emergency Management, Cartographic Design, GIS Skills, and Python/Model Builder. 

Instead of writing about each thing I included- I linked them all back to my blog posts that I think covers skills and tools used well. 

For Emergency Management I included skills I think benefit that particular sector.

For Cartographic Design I picked my three favorite design focused maps.

For GIS Skills I went with the skills I am comfortable with and had nice looking maps. 

For Python and Model Builder I linked the associating module where the code, model, and flowchart came from. 

I included my Student Spotlight that links to the spotlight and the project associated with it and I added a section that links to my blog and the different classes. 

This last semester ended up being the "toughest" because of different work and personal situations. 

But I am proud to say I made it and I am excited for what my future holds.

See you lucky ducks around! 

Don't hesitate to reach out!

For GIS Day I made contact with our Public Information Office and asked them if we could do a social media post about GIS Day and the people in our organization. 

I crafted part of the post with links to ESRIs GIS overview and a link to our County GIS page. 

The PIO then gathered pictures of everyone and posted it to Social Media on two of our different Facebook pages where we had a great response from the public. 

Of course this prompted conversations with my coworkers, friends, and family about GIS and I was able to tell them its more than just maps!

Module 4 we learned how to download and import satellite imagery, explore and interpret histogram data, identify features using that data, and create spectral band indices. 

Module 3 was in two parts. First part had us calculating wavelength, frequency, and energy of EMR, and the basics of ERDAS Imagine. 

Second part had us delve more into ERDAS Imagine.

Overall I only really struggled with the various calculations but math has never been my strongest subject. 

Map is a subsection of Mount Olympus around the Big Bend Area taken from ERDAS Imagine using the Inquire Box.

I watched the interview with Richard Butgereit with FDEM and watched ArcGIS Solutions: Emergency Management from the 2023 UC Sessions.

The three important things from the interview is, first, how much work goes into Hurricane Season in the off season so we are prepared before the storms so we can deploy resources as soon as they’re needed with, hopefully, no issues.

Second is that not every place has a dedicated GIS department. Like, currently, where I am, they are a small rural area, with a small local team. So after the storm hit, the state sent an emergency management team so they can run the initial response which sometimes includes GIS personnel if the area doesn’t have any or enough.

Third, I think this interview was recorded in or near 2015. But he touched on getting paid vs volunteering. FDEM/FEMA has improved its system in the last few years and the requesting resources and getting them paid for has greatly improved. If the resource is not available locally or in the state, the state can request people from outside of the state. If you are deployed, you should be getting paid for it - don't go anywhere without a mission number!

The three things I found most interesting from the Session is that across the nation the cost, size, and frequency of incidents are increasing, and Emergency Management is having to support more types of incidents than they ever had before, for example, the Pandemic response. With all these factors increasing, being able to communicate efficiently and effectively has also become more complex with all the various forms of social media and communication avenues. Being able to keep a consistent message and information across all communication platforms has been a challenge. 

Unfortunately my internship plans changed and I have had to switch to my backup plan of ESRI classes and prior hours. 

My approach to my LinkedIn was to try to cover the basics of everything that I am qualified in. Only highlighting one aspect of my qualifications would not represent my career goals well. The career I am going for requires various skills in GIS, IT, and Emergency Services.

Module 2 had us learning about Land Use and Land Cover Classification and Ground Truthing. 

We created a land use/land cover map of a section of Pascagoula Mississippi and measured our accuracy using Google Street View. 

I really had to keep in mind to not to get lost in time with the details and forced myself to be create broader polygons. 

I made my classifications off of the ones provided in the lab.