Month: August 2015

Geo-Case 2: analyzing a household hazardous waste participant for a NGO

On By Zhuangfang YiIn Environmental studies, ESRI, Spatial AnalysisLeave a comment

Case description: The Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) is a non-profit organization (NGO) that into environmental protection. Recently, PRC is helping homeowners in many counties in Pennsylvania collecting and disposing of common household products such as paint, solvents, automotive fluids, pesticides, insecticides, and cleaning chemicals, which could not recycling easily. To better develop education and outreach materials response to their work,they want to map out the participants who are volunteering for the program.

Geospatial skill needed: Geocoding.

Data: In this study, only zipcode of the household participants have been recorded. 

Result: the location

Geocode household hazardous waste

In this case study, only participants around Allegheny county are presented. The result shows that more people who can access to PRC are more willing need to participant the program at this point. 

I would try to write more blogs here. The purposes are:

  1. wanna get better on writing in English;
  2. trying to sale my Geospatial analysis skill to the potential employers and customers;
  3. Put up the geospatial cases I’ve done and passion about, and would help me to build my own GEO case file in the future.

I am doing case study instead of putting up the programming,coding and mapping skill, because I believe that mapping is a kinda art and you won’t really interested in how I made them.If you are interesting in these skills, you could contact me for lectures, mapping and analysis work through: yi.zhuangfang@gmail.com. Any language editing, case presenting and map cartography comments are welcomed.

To get a GIS analyst job that questions you would be asked in the interviews and questions I have

On By Zhuangfang YiIn GIS jobs, job interview, Spatial AnalysisLeave a comment

I am research fellow at an international research organization, Chinese citizen, and have moved to the states in 2014 with work permit in the states. I found myself is not that into writing peer-reviewed journal articles but love geospatial analysis and I’ve been doing it since 2005. I tried to look for GIS analyst job in the states, basically in DC area. However, I just realized I am in such a awkward position now:

1) a lot of positions ask for security check, which is impossible for a Chinese citizen to pass it in the states;

2) Do employers normally not employ people whoever is overqualified? I have PhD degree in ecological economics from China, and I was told I am overqualified while I try to apply a GIS analyst position. I am not that competitive while I wanna a higher and more advance positions, but I am overqualified when I want a entry level job. To be honest, i am just like to play with data, and just wanna get a job in the states while my husband is in a med school here.

3) How can approve to my future employer that I have the GIS knowledge they ask for. As you known, people usually claim they are GIS pro however the skills do vary. I could program in Python and also in R, e.g. general geospatial analysis, hydrological balance modeling. I’ve gone through the book of Esri ArcgGIS Desktop Associate Certification Study Guide, and I am confident I could pass it, so I decide to go for the professional certification directly. I’ve started to go through the books and materials that Esri ArcGIS Desktop Professional (10.1) a month ago. I am half way through now, and am start to wonder if the certificate is ever going help for getting a job in GIS industry. It’s going to be great to hear more of your insights.

I know it’s a long way to go. I’ve been check job board quite regularly and these are questions might come to me (or you) in the coming interviews. look like I have a lot of homework to do.

Skills

  • Tell me about a new skill you taught yourself (need not be GIS). How did you teach yourself?
  • Here’s an online map. What works well? Why? Where do you see room for improvement? Why?
  • How would you describe what GIS is to a sixth grader?
  • What’s your favorite programming language? Why?
  • What’s the topic of the last GIS presentation you gave for work or school? How did the presentation go? How did you prepare for it? What would you have changed, looking back on it?
  • What book or website do you reference the most in doing your GIS work/homework? What sort of information are you typically seeking?
  • What are three things you might do if you got stuck while working on a school or professional project?
  • What can you tell me about open source? How do you feel about it? Have you used it? How? Why?
  • What can you tell me about open data? Have you used it? How? Why?
  • What do you know about OpenStreetMap? Have you contributed? Why or why not?
  • Do you use a GPS in your car/bike or on foot? Why or why not?

Interest and Motivation

  • Tell me about a map or mapping project you did outside of work or school.
  • What’s the next thing you want to learn about in GIS/geospatial technology? Why?
  • What first got you interested in geospatial technology?
  • Who was most influential in spiking your interest in GIS?
  • If you are the GIS person in the backroom, why do you think what you do should be in/on the ________ (boardroom/sales team/training team/etc.)?

Professionalism and Industry Awareness

  • What do you like best about your current/last job/GIS courses at school?
  • Give me your elevator pitch for why this company needs your GIS skills.
  • Are programming skills important in GIS? Why/why not?
  • Will the GIS profession go the way of the office secretary/typist?
  • Does GIS belong in IT or elsewhere (planning, engineering, etc.)?
  • Do you think like a geographer or a ______ (marketer, forester, geologist, programmer, etc.)?

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Geo-Case 1: how to promote your art activities for the potential market of your company

On By Zhuangfang YiIn Environmental studies, ESRI, Geo-Cases, Spatial AnalysisLeave a comment

(In my blog, I will use a lot of abbreviation, one of the most frequent ones would be GIS, which stands for Geographic Information System)

GIS knowledge needed: Geocoding;

Data source: Pennsylvania (GIS Tutorial BOOK 1)

Analysis purpose:  There is an art event sponsored by an arts’ organization in Allison Park, Pittsburgh, called FLUX. The event planners of FLUX would like to know where the event attendees reside for planning and marketing activities in the future. There are only attendees’ ZIP codes have been recorded. So simply, we are going to produce a map for FLUX by using ZIP code that attendees provided to tell where they are from in the area.

Data summery: 1487 attendees, and about 86% of them are from Pennsylvania;

Map result:

Tutorial8-1

Conclusion: FLUX needs more planning and marketing for Pittsburgh, especially the southeast corner, since there are more attendee from that area, and they could be the main customers for the future art events marketing who drove far up to north for the art event. However, there are always more information could be visualized, for example, the age, occupation and so on!