Today is GIS Day, a day to recognize the importance of Geographic Information Systems on people and businesses’ everyday lives throughout the world. Arra Faith Estur, a GIS Analyst for GeoNobel, Inc., a subsidiary of Nobel Systems, created the above video to explain what GIS is and the various career paths one can pursue in this field. Following is the video transcript.
Happy GIS Day, everybody. I am a GIS analyst from GeoNobel. In the next few minutes, I will share one of the most lucrative career paths you can take.
Before anything else, let me first give you a sneak peek of my professional journey. I graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in geology. Basically, we study the earth and its physical structures. After graduating, I started working immediately. I have been exposed to different fields from research to mining to government and now GeoNobel, an IT company.
With this wide selection, you might be thinking, what exactly do these fields and industries have in common? If you think it’s GIS, then you’re absolutely right. Although I only had a few GIS subjects in college, I found that it is one of the most important tools that I applied in all the jobs that I’ve had.
So what exactly is GIS or geographic information systems? Simply known as GIS, it is all about solving complex problems in the world from a local to a global scale. It simply answers the question of where.
For instance, in healthcare, the most timely GIS concern is where our country’s Covid hot spots are. In light of the recent typhoons in the Philippines, where are the flood-prone areas in their province? Or when it comes to disaster prevention, where are the fire hydrants in my city?
In addressing these spatial problems, the key elements of GIS being utilized are number one, hardware or, simply put, computers, where we can do analysis. Number two, software like ArcGIS or QGLS. Number three, data in the form of spatial data, maps, satellite imagery. Number four: tools and methods that help us understand how to use the data we collected. And last but not least, people: the network of individuals who can solve a problem in a decision-making environment.
Sounds interesting, right? Now that you have a rough idea of what GIS is, you might be thinking, is this the right job for me? Well, let me give you a few insights as to why you should choose the GIS career path. First of all, GIS has limitless applications. It is a growing field with strong job prospects in the field of agriculture, health, military intelligence, asset management, you name it.
Due to its importance in a variety of fields, the demand for GIS professionals is quite high. This is because GIS professionals have enhanced spatial thinking skills used in solving complex problems such as analyzing urban growth and how it will expand in the next few years or managing transportation issues in a highly urbanized country, or assessing the impact of humanity on the environment.
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GIS also leads to a variety of work that suits all styles. Are you the type of worker who dreads sitting at the desk all day, or are you exactly the type who wants to sit at a desk all day? The wonderful thing about GIS careers is that there are ideal roles for all types of different working styles. You can work outdoors, track wildlife and map their habitat, or work indoors and analyze the trend of diseases in front of a computer.
With GIS, you can make a difference. So if you love maps and you want to make sense of data you care about— the well-being of your community—or you simply want to blaze new trails, the GIS career is for you.
Thank you, everyone, and have a happy GIS Day.
You can find out more information about Nobel Systems’ GIS tools and services here.