Analyzing geographic information science

Education background:

Master’s degree in geographic information systems (GIS) from Idaho State University
Bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Idaho State University

“The logical steps and critical thinking vital to programming made me want to pursue a career in computer science and informatics.”

Job description:

I work for the National & Homeland Security Division at INL. My daily tasks vary depending on which project I’m working on. A very simple way to define my job is that I write programs that allow INL to analyze geospatial data (data that represents actual structures on the planet).

What led you to become a computer software developer?

While I had taken programming classes in high school, it was never on my radar as a potential career path until graduate school. Geographic information science is a data-heavy field. When I was shown how programming could greatly reduce the time it took to process this data while increasing the accuracy, I was hooked. As I took more programming classes, I realized not only did I enjoy the subject, but I was also good at it. The logical steps and critical thinking vital to programming made me want to pursue a career in computer science and informatics. I have always been interested in maps and am an avid backpacker. This evolved into an acute interest in GPS and spatial relationships.

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