Spatial Data Analyst (STO-N21)                             Fernie, British Columbia - CANADA
NAFTA-Geographer
                                   
Ministry of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations.                                                                                            
November 1, 2007 – January 22, 2016

           
DUTIES
 

  • Perform GIS analysis on a wide range of environmental and social issues throughout British Columbia, Canada.
  • Facilitate data visualization & statistical products for an audience of provincial, federal, first nations, university, regional, and municipal government clients.
  • Utilize ESRI ArcGIS 10.2, Python, FileMaker Pro, SQL developer, Access and numerous other GIS/GPS software packages to analyze and deliver digital spatial & non spatial products.
  • Committee Involvement:

            -Crown of the Continent -  Participate with environmental managers & scientists from the Alberta government, BC government, Montana, USA government agencies and university & business partners to discuss and model the ecological condition of a trans-boundary environment.  Harmonizing GIS datasets across this international landscape, and disseminating relevant spatial and environmental information to this group from the BC government is one of my roles. 

            -Mobile GIS Working Group - Participate in province wide group whose goal is development of provincial infrastructure to support GIS/GPS and field mapping efforts on iPad/iPhone and Windows tablets.  I Attend software training sessions on FileMaker Pro database software and app development.  Delivering provincial messaging around IT security issues, development of forestry related iPad applications, and supporting regional field staff with geographic products for environmental regulatory work is one of my roles within this group.
            -Data Managers Working Group - Participate in province wide group to discuss and facilitate resolution of provincial and regional spatial data issues.  This group is comprised of GIS analysts, GIS coordinators andIT managers that all bring forward concerns relevant to the operations of their own region, or area of expertise.  I represent over 50 regional data users on this group, and assisted in development of a Share point site for the group.  I bring concerns  relevant to the Kootenay Boundary Region of southeast BC to this group on our bi monthly conference calls.

 

PROJECTS
 

  • PM2.5 Air Quality Analysis-  I was lead GIS analyst on multi-stakeholder air quality assessment within a local air shed.  Among my roles were to coordinate with the project statistician to develop sound methods for removing outlier data point data from our large dataset and rationalizing the distance that we would extrapolate this point data.  I provided expertise in how to display the results of our information in a way that would be useful to policy makers and NGO's facilitating a clean stove exchange program.  Converting our large collection of PM2.5  data to raster to raster allowed me to show measures of spatial variability (min, mean, max) across the urban and rural landscape being affected by wood smoke air pollution.  Our mobile air pollution monitoring utilized a nephelometer, Toyota Prius, and a GPS unit set to coincide with a 15 second sampling interval used by the nephelometer. Our mobile air pollution sampling campaign ran for 18 nights in winter along a predetermined 100km route.  Our work was summarized in a paper published that I co-authored at:  
    (    Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health)

 

  • Values Assessment & Cumulative Effects Model (VAM) – Using ArcGIS 10.1 Model Builder, and Python I developed a land use assessment & planning tool to assist with an array of projects throughout British Columbia, Canada.  Tool development required me to consult directly with land managers, planners, and natural resource experts to produce a comprehensive spatial dataset of relevant natural, cultural, and economic (NCE) values.  Values Assessment Model outputs include an interactive map product (A), a spatial statistics product that allows for rapid visualization of key NCE values (B), and finally a land use planning tool (C).  The land use planning tool was designed to be defendable and transparent at open house meetings throughout the Kootenay Boundary Region of BC.  This tool has supported decision making in many areas of BC including the BC Coastal Conservancies project. I hand delivered model results to several remote first nations around Bella Coola BC.  My model allowed first nations to engage in economic development while avoiding map units that were off limits due to natural, ecological and cultural concerns.  Today the VAM is being applied to a regional Threat Based Management project where a cost benefit analysis is applied to flora and fauna species of concern.

 

  • Timber Harvest Sustainability - Using ArcGIS 10.1 & Python I worked with the regional fire district manager, and a fellow analyst to identify the number of years current logging trends could be sustained. To achieve this, we used ArcGIS Spatial Analyst functionality to convert all relevant forest stand data including: site series index, % pine, volume as well as topographic characteristics (slope, elevation, aspect) into 100m raster datasets.   . Theresults of our work (D) provided Ministry of Forests managers with a number, in years, that current logging trends could be sustained.  Results have received wide review and acceptance within government and relevant industry.   My poster (D)  was shown at the ESRI international users conference in San Diego, CA. This Timber Harvest Sustainability method is now being used to inform legally mandated forest review.

 

  • Landslide Likelihood | Linked to fish habitat- Using complex spatial analysis functions I created a spatial data product that could be used to determine if landslides were linked to class 1 fish habitat.  This product is being used to govern how logging companies place roads within critical fish habitat watersheds.  ArcGIS 10.2, Model builder and Python were the tools I used to create this product, I worked closely with the regional hydrologist and landscape ecologist to put their   Products are displayed on my portfolio.