A GIS coordinator oversees a company’s or region’s use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. GIS software has a wide range of applications, and a GIS coordinator’s work can be in a variety of fields, including business, engineering, and humanitarian relief, to name a few. A GIS coordinator’s general responsibilities include implementing work based on the results of GIS surveys and projections, as well as applying geography principles to planning and personnel.
GIS technologies, such as mapping locations or tracking weather patterns, are familiar to many computer and handheld application users. Multi-layered tools for performing virtual surveys of land and environmental conditions are created by software technologists and trained geographers. A GIS coordinator’s job is to make use of these technologies for specific projects or contracts.
Some coordinator positions focus on research or education activities, as well as developing methods for analyzing the conditions of proposed or future developments. A GIS coordinator may evaluate conditions for potential foundational or excavating potentials in areas where there is a lack of usable land for building or infrastructure projects. Coordinated GIS teams may also investigate site reuse in areas of land damaged by environmental or industrial events.
A GIS coordinator’s role may also include providing specific solutions for civil, commercial, or sustainable development. Before breaking ground on a project, a public works or transportation plan for a region would typically require a thorough study and planning proposal, and a coordinator might review natural resources and characteristics through technology mapping, as well as investigate manpower and brainpower resources. Large-scale industrial or commercial venues, as well as projects focused on land use provision for communities around the world, require similar planning.
A trained GIS coordinator can use geographic information system technology at all levels, from the most micro, or local, to the most broad, or macro. The role of coordinator is often both hands-on and virtual due to the complexity of a region’s geography and the layers of GIS imaging available through software applications. Some coordinators may concentrate solely on developing actual projects based on extensive GIS modeling and research, while others may coordinate from a computer station while delegating project planning to experts in their fields.
Civil, aerospace, and industrial engineering are some of the industries that use GIS coordinators. At the federal level, many positions exist to develop interactive and print maps for navigation and boundary identification. Other coordinators may be called upon as needed in the aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or floods, which may necessitate remapping of locations to meet the immediate and long-term needs of affected populations.