1. Introduction to GIS for Career Counselors presented to Science And Natural Resources Pathway Career Counselors Tour Hood Canal Wetlands Project Center October 3, 2002 by Phil Hurvitz GIS Specialist, College of Forest Resources University of Washington

2. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 2 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Overview What is GIS? How does GIS work? What can GIS do? What does GIS produce? What industries use GIS? What job prospects exist for GIS experts? What job prospects exist for GIS users? What should students study to prepare for a GIS- related career?

3. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 3 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? Common definition: “A system of hardware, software, and procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display of spatially-referenced data for solving complex planning and management problems.”

4. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 4 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? What does that really mean? “A system of hardware, software, and procedures….” Computer machine based (hardware) Computer software based (software) Computer programming based (procedures)

5. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 5 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “…designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display…” Spatial data are stored as digital data on a computer disk. Data are scanned or manually digitized.

6. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 6 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “…designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display…” Like any other data sources, digital geospatial data must be managed, checked, backed up, transferred, …

7. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 7 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “…designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display…” Data sources frequently need to be converted from one format to another, units of measure changed, projections altered, …

8. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 8 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “…designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display…” GIS almost always is used for getting answers of one kind or another. Analysis, not map production, are the main reason GIS is used.

9. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 9 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “…designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display…” GIS is used to understand how the world works, and to predict the behavior of any phenomenon that has a spatial component.

10. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 10 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “…designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, modeling and display of…” The last step of most GIS projects is to create a map of results. This can either be a simple map of “reality” or a map displaying the results of complex analyses.

11. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 11 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “spatially-referenced data …” GIS data always represent things that are spatial in nature Wildlands to urban environment Natural and built features Large scale (planetary) to small scale (primate brains, human genome)

12. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 12 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What is GIS? “for solving complex planning and management problems.” GIS is used to help us understand the world Understand the consequences of particular activities Make better decisions about the use of resources Help plan the future as we want to see it rather than be victims of a future that is the result of ignorant action

13. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 13 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 How does GIS work? Combination of and coordinate data tabular data each feature has a record

14. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 14 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 How does GIS work? A selection of spatial features also selects records in the table & vice versa

15. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 15 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What can a GIS do? Generically Find features with known properties but unknown location (“Where is a particular feature on the landscape?”) (“Where are features with particular properties?”) Identify properties of features with known location (“What type of features are at a particular location?”) Analyze the relationship between/among features and location (“Is there a reason these features are found at this location?” “What is special about this place?”)_

16. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 16 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What can a GIS do? Specifically Estimate economic effects of land-use regulation (Spotted owl, salmon) Determine the optimal locations of new businesses (demographics, transportation) Generate optimal routing and scheduling delivery and repair services (network & routing) Determine the ground area covered by a new cellular phone network (visibility and line-of-sight analysis)_

17. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 17 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What can a GIS do? Specifically Delineate watershed boundaries for estimates of sedimentation effects Predict vegetation types based on elevation, slope, and aspect Predict landslide hazard for harvest units Epidemiological analysis Locate natural areas that need protection Make communicative, colorful, and interesting maps_

18. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 18 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of what a GIS can do Example 1: Where is a given feature or set of features? “Where are forest stands greater than 100 years of age?” query criteria are defined location is shown

19. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 19 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of what a GIS can do Example 2: What features are at a given location? “What is the age of the forest near the 1050 Road?” 1 st step: select road

20. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 20 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of what a GIS can do Example 2: What features are at a given location? “What is the age of the forest near the 1050 Road?” 2 nd step: select adjacent stands 3 rd step: examine records of adjacent stands

21. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 21 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of what a GIS can do Example 3: Where are areas that meet a given complex set of criteria? “What parts of the forest are located: within 100 ft of a stream, beyond 50 ft from a road, on greater than 30% slope?”

22. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 22 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of what a GIS can do on > 30% slope? closer than 100 ft to a stream, and farther than 50 ft from a road,

23. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 23 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of what a GIS can do Example 4: How can GIS calculate distance of features? “How far away is a bird nest from the rest of the patch of nesting habitat?” essentially a calculus problem approximated quantitatively

24. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 24 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What industries use GIS? Business Banking and Insurance Media Real Estate Retail and Commercial BusinessBanking and InsuranceMediaReal EstateRetail and Commercial Business Communications Location Services TelecommunicationsLocation ServicesTelecommunications Defense and Intelligence Educators Universities and Community Colleges K-12, Primary, Middle and Secondary Libraries and MuseumsUniversities and Community CollegesK-12, Primary, Middle and SecondaryLibraries and Museums Engineering Pipeline SurveyingPipelineSurveying Environmental Management Archaeology Cave and KarstEnvironmental ManagementArchaeologyCave and Karst ESRI Conservation Program Internet Solutions Government Federal Government Homeland Security Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Public Safety State and Local GovernmentFederal GovernmentHomeland SecurityLaw Enforcement and Criminal JusticePublic SafetyState and Local Government Health and Human Services Natural Resources Agriculture Forestry Marine and Coast Mining and Earth Sciences PetroleumAgricultureForestryMarine and CoastMining and Earth SciencesPetroleum Sustainable Development and Humanitarian AffairsSustainable Development and Humanitarian Affairs Transportation Utilities Electric and Gas Water/WastewaterElectric and GasWater/Wastewater

25. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 25 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of GIS generated maps detailed topographic maps

26. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 26 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of GIS maps orthophoto image maps good for validating other data

27. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 27 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of GIS maps surface drapes & 3-D modeling

28. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 28 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of GIS maps classified (thematic) maps good for understanding data with many unique values

29. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 29 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Examples of GIS maps documentation of research

30. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 30 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What job prospects exist for GIS users? The GIS user of tomorrow is: Medical doctor Lawyer Natural resource manager Urban planner Web master Truck driver Market analyst Salesperson Real estate agent Scientist Restaurateur Mountain guide Travel agent Transportation engineer Military professional Sea captain Farmer... Anybody whose job or leisure involves knowing about where things are, and why things are in a particular location

31. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 31 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What job prospects exist for GIS experts? GIS experts will be: Creating data sources Serving data via the Internet Creating applications for desktop & handheld computers, telephones, kiosks Providing technical expertise to GIS users Maintaining large databases Managing large computer systems and networks Making lots of money

32. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 32 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What should students study to prepare for a GIS-related career? GIS is a field/discipline that requires: Strong technical skills Quantitative/analytical abilities Requires spatial aptitudes Communication skills Strong computing background Operating systems Programming Networks Databases Knowledge in a discipline in which GIS is applied

33. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 33 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 What should students study to prepare for a GIS-related career? Education should include Computing Mathematics Communication (writing, reading, speaking) Geography or other spatially-oriented science Design or other visual/graphic arts

34. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 34 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Questions? Q & A

35. GIS for Career Counselors 20021003.ppt 35 © Phil Hurvitz, 2002 Web Site http://gis.washington.edu/phurvitz/ presentations/2002/ hood_canal_counselors/