Ander's Geo Quest

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Showing posts with the label GIS 4944 - Internship

GIS Portfolio

We are finally here. The last assignment.

The GIS Portfolio.

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!

GIS Day

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!

Internship Blog #3

The GIS industry I am most interested in is Emergency Management.

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.

GIS Job Search

September 15, 2024

GIS Job Search

This week we in our Internship class we had to perform a GIS Job search.

I started with a Google search, “GIS 911 jobs”, which led to Indeed.

I started with these broad terms because I was already aware that the technical job names for what I am wanting varies across the nation. As expected, there were various different job titles – 911 GIS Technician, GIS Manager, CAD/E911 GIS System Administrator, 911 GIS Coordinator, etc.

I went through quite a few of them and they all had about the same requirements. Most were completely dedicated to GIS tasks and a few mentioned working with IT.

The closest I could find to what I am looking for was for Geographic Systems Administrator for a 911 center in Texas.

The only requirement across the various job descriptions that I think I would struggle with at the start is SQL Servers, but once I learn the basics and get some hands on experience I think I would be fine.

Ideally, I would want a role that is dedicated to GIS for 911 and assists with CAD/E911, IT, Dispatch Training, and GIS projects for Public Safety.

Internship

September 01, 2024

Internship

For the internship, I have selected to complete 130 hours of hands-on GIS related work at the county I currently work for. The current plan is to work out something internally with our main GIS department and then supplement with GIS related projects in my department. If needed, I will also be supplementing the hours with ESRIs Virtual Academy classes and past GIS projects I have worked on for work.

This week we explored GIS user groups. Due to my location, I selected to join

Northwest Florida GIS User Group
Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)

Florida Chapter
Location, Enterprise Addressing & Public Safety (LEAP) Committee (formerly the NextGen 911 Task Force).

This is an industry focus for me since I work in Emergency Communications and we are in the process of converting to Next Gen 911.

GIS Association of Alabama (GISAA)

South Region

This area borders my county.

Coastal

Possibly could have some overlap in ideas/resources for my County's coastal area.

I am also interested in the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) but I am going to do more research and consult colleagues before making the decision on becoming a member. USGIF is a community for those that develops and apply geospatial intelligence to address national security challenges.

I am a member of NENA and APCO but they did not seem to have any particular chapters/groups or committees currently available that are focused on GIS.