In today's interconnected world, the utilization of data has become a driving force behind economic growth and development. Among the various types of data available, spatial data holds a unique position due to its ability to provide critical insights into geographic patterns and relationships. From urban planning and infrastructure development to market analysis and resource management, spatial data plays a vital role in fostering sustainable economic progress. Through professional projects and freelance contracting, I provide data transformation, visualization, and presentation services to a variety of clients and aim to present non-sensitive informative insights and professional portfolio pieces through articles, blog posts, and social media. I enjoy exploring the importance of spatial data in economic development and its transformative impact across various sectors. The Toronto Board of Trade plays a key role in the integration of municipal economic policies across the Toronto region. The aim is to optimize the Region's GDP and raise competitiveness to attract more investment. GIS brings a key component to the place-based value of land-use planning and employment zoning to ensure unintended policy consequences don't lead to residential urban sprawl and diminishing economic potential of unoptimized land. Pressure to convert Commercial and Industrial Employment Land to Residential are being seen across the GTA and GTHA, with cross-jurisdictional impacts going unrecognized. Residential land-use can produce unintended pressure to convert nearby industrial lands due to conflicting natures of activity. Quantitative Spatial Data for Qualitative InsightsThe story of conversion pressure within the economic zone surrounding Pearson International Airport contains a significant amount of travel concentration for employment. This is an example of how we can use pilot areas and quantitative data to derive valuable qualitative insights about the context behind cultural economies. By analyzing quantitative data through a geographic lens, we begin to derive a qualitative story about the information. Combining spatial data layers to simultaneously analyze interconnected variables provides the value of seeing what others can't, giving your city a unique edge of cultural competitiveness in the modern global marketplace. GIS provides the insight into new age economic growth. Spatial data refers to information that links data points to specific geographic locations, enabling the analysis and interpretation of patterns, relationships, and trends within a given space. By integrating spatial data into decision-making processes, policymakers, businesses, and researchers can gain valuable insights to make informed choices and formulate effective strategies:
Challenges and Future DirectionsWhile the importance of spatial data in economic development is undeniable, there are challenges that need to be addressed for its optimal utilization:
Spatial data has emerged as a critical component of economic development strategies worldwide. Its ability to provide insights into spatial relationships, inform decision-making, optimize resource allocation, and support sustainable planning makes it an indispensable tool for governments, businesses, and researchers. By harnessing the power of spatial data, societies can unlock their full economic potential, build resilient cities, and create opportunities for inclusive growth. Embracing spatial data as a fundamental pillar of economic development will pave the way for a prosperous and sustainable future.
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The Transition from Data Curation to Research Applications Spatial Data Science and Exploring Decentralized Innovation for Economic Development: The case for Transit Planning and The Toronto Pearson Economic Zone Data Foundation Esri Canada was the next step from soil mapping with OMAFRA, which also laid the groundwork and foundation for building tools for applied research in the field of geographic analysis. I worked in the Community Maps program at Esri Canada from June, 2018 - September, 2022. This position allowed me to refine my GIS knowledge and skills with the world leader of GIS technology, while progressing in the art/science of data quality/assurance and curation for basemapping. I was able to learn more about technical blogging, presentations and demos through a variety of courses and projects working with internal and external clients. This eventually pushed me to do more pro-bono or low cost consulting and technical GIS work through my own individual proprietorship. Data Development My experience at Esri and background in social science geographies created a good mix of creative and technical techniques for research and data analysis. The summer of 2022 led me to explore and complete the Google Data Analytics certificate through Coursera to add more mainstream data analytics techniques with software like R and Tableau onto my GIS analytics foundation. This eventually got me an offer for a Research and Planning Analyst position at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, working on research initiatives to help businesses in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA) take advantage of the economic heartbeat of the Pearson Toronto International Airport economic zone. Incorporating quantitative and qualitative spatial analytics techniques into the research of this zone will be a key component of the initiative's success. It will incorporate a multivariate array of information sources from urban planners and data scientists to communicate the economic importance to the masses and promote the importance of understanding the spatial context, interconnectedness and interdependence of economics in the area. Building Connections, Relationships, and Partnership to Enhance the Scope of our Knowledge and Growth as an Economic Region Community Maps at Esri Canada involved the creation of new relationships and partnerships with different public and private organizations providing data to enhance the quality of our basemaps for client's to utilize for support in their geospatial projects. My role at the Toronto Region Board of Trade incorporates this principle in the business relationships and partnerships the Board initiatives for economic development in the GTHA - while having a broader scope beyond basemap development with the same spatial concerns for data quality in mind. The development of spatial data literacy and analysis in the Pearson Economic Zone is an underlying and overlying asset to stakeholders in the long run. Data As a Digital Asset in Transit Planning and Economic Development Transit GTFS Feed data was web-scraped and used to assess transit route and transit stop activity in and around the Pearson Economic Zone (PEZ). These data are currently publicly available and accessible online. However, there are other forms of demographic data, both quantitative and qualitative, not so easily accessible to urban planners and data scientists, that would make for a much denser data landscape in economic development and urban planning. My theory is that blockchain-based, trustless and "permisionless" business models can help in building the incentive structure necessary to make data more decentralized and open for addressing our everyday challenges. This will also lead to the increase in geospatial data literacy and importance amongst the average person in the future by rewarding individual data providers for quality data instead of big tech aggregators. These innovative strategies can help to address the spatial pain points and bottlenecks causing economic uncertainty and lag in our Region. This will also pave the way for the Region's next generation of business development. The Application and Development of Spatial in Digital Assets for Everyday Truth Verification With the economy becoming more and more incorporated with the digital economy, it leaves room for the application of decentralized and trustless technology when connecting the economy with a dependence on digital and cloud-based IoT technology. With a spatial tracking of supply chains and removing of regulatory red tape to improve economic development, the applications of blockchain and smart contract programming into planning applications and supply chain management definitely deserves a closer look at its benefits and advantages to businesses. I aim to promote geospatial literacy and data-driven initiatives focused on economic development and technological innovation in and around the Pearson Economic Zone. I wish to explore the role digital assets and data ownership can play in a digitally centric economy and discuss the details of our initiatives in the Pearson Economic Zone to learn new research techniques from experts and stakeholders in the field. I would love to hear from more enthusiasts in the field looking to share ideas for innovation in the zone. Feel free to connect with me by clicking on my contact card below. Cheers!
The toughest part of anyone's career is the gap of time between graduating post-secondary school and entering the workforce. The first position after graduation is key for anyone in the GIS field to start building a professional network to learn from and help you build on your skills and experience. My first position was a GIS technician at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough, Ontario in 2016. Niagara College's Geospatial Management program was geared towards personal GIS business and consulting, whereas a lot of my colleagues at the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNRF) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), went to Flemming College, which was geared more towards government GIS applications. It was interesting to learn more about the different structures of work cultures in the public and private sectors, and how understanding this was going to be important for determining how my career would unfold. The big difference between GIS applications in the public and private sectors is the red tape involved in the development of new methodologies to innovate and get creative to pragmatically approach issues and conserve resources. Private sector employers would be more favorable to finding the fastest way to solve a problem, whereas public sector employers may rely more on "by the book" methods to preserve structure in the organization and conform to standards set out in various forms of legislation. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry- Peterborough, Ontario 2016 - 2017 Spatial Data Infrastructure Support, Imagery Information Management, Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System The MNRF presented a multitude of options to create my own adventure in that short summer. There were times when I had to actively seek out the knowledge and skills necessary to continually make an impact and progress instead of wasting time with busy work I would sometimes get allocated towards under my contract. I jointly worked towards improving the spatial accuracy of 7500 watercourse features in the Ontario Hydrology Network (OHN), along with other public datasets like the Ontario Road Network (ORN) and the Ontario Imagery Program. The information Management division allowed me to understand the spatial data life cycle for vector and raster data in conjunction with provincial legislation enforcing data quality standards and methodologies. I was in charge of documenting the business processing of the Digital Imagery Asset Management Ontario Database (DIAMOND) used for automating imagery project data organization for stakeholder delivery. The Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System I was offered a second contract working as a remote sensing analyst in the Forest Resource Inventory unit. We observed temporal NDVI difference composite imagery of the province to verify certain land-use changes through orthoimage interpretation. We were on the verge of developing plans and standards for ecosystem mapping along Lake Erie, until... The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs - Guelph, Ontario - 2017 - 2018 Field Work, Project Management, Business Analysis The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs offered me an internship to work on updates to the Ontario Soil Survey Complex geodatabase updates. This required extensive field plans and project management. Our team devised our data collection plan between Peterborough County and Ottawa Region, in which we used ArcGIS Collector to record attributes for soil samples. Innovating Old Methodologies and Increasing the Quality & Value of Data Products with New Technologies We had created visuals and graphics of research methods used with new developments in geospatial technologies. Showcasing the innovation in the sector helped stakeholders in the province understand the value new geospatial technologies bring to the table and incentivized further investment in soil mapping initiatives. In office, we used Python to automate updates to soil polygon slope classifications based on DEM data derived from LiDAR surveys . In addition to the soil mapping, the policy and planning division leveraged GIS to develop land-use plans for animal agriculture in northern Ontario. These public initiatives sparked an important development in the integration of geospatial technology towards a more digitally mature economy.
How It Started I started to use my portfolio as a medium for showcasing my work in GIS as I finished my time at Niagara College and Brock University. Within the foundations of my experience and education in geography, I initially wanted to learn skills related to the assessment of public policy, urban planning, and social/cultural demography to help solve societal and economical issues damaging the efficiency of our modern day society. Through my degree, I then discovered geospatial technologies and the role they played in the practicality of urban planning and resource management. Together, with my research skills gained at Brock University, I have been growing my skills in geospatial data science and analysis. I started at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, to then complete an Internship at the Ministry of Agriculture. Once I started working at Esri Canada in 2018 and moved to Toronto from Guelph, I started to build my knowledge on the entire scope of GIS in various job economic sectors and which one was the most sustainable to pursue long term. How It's Going
By adding a blog component to the portfolio, I stay active amongst the geospatial community online while providing a space to archive new experiences and build reflections for improving upon old experiences. I enjoy the chance to connect and network with new members of the GIS community while learning new ways to integrate the niche's love of mapping into everyday life. It's interesting to understanding how to translate that value onto the public and hold interest within the spatial lens geospatial-minded people view the world. After completing degrees/diplomas in GIS and Geography, I felt blogging and social media was a good post-COVID world of networking to expand my experience in this field. As I get more involved in the social media aspect of things, I find myself wanting to combine creative and technical writing with copywriting and mapping for smaller businesses and entrepreneurs. There seems to be a gap of knowledge and applications in mapping technology and literacy when it comes to everyday users in contrast to professional users and bigger corporations. I wish to gear my skills towards a network of users that can benefit from mapping and data transformation products for their businesses. The Big Picture
By starting work in government and bridging my skills over to Esri Canada as a GIS Consultant in 2018, I’ve developed a focus on using geospatial technologies with my background in geography, social science, and quantitative/qualitative research design and data analysis to contribute to the improvement of geospatial literacy in everyday life and help new businesses compete with the location analytics and market research advantages of larger competition. Data Provides Value and is an Asset in Today’s Economy In order to expand my skills and experience within the geomatics field and network to new members of the geospatial community, I offer and provide pro-bono low-cost services building geospatial data transformation products to help establish standardized methodologies for new businesses to optimize their resources and business models. I wish to build my portfolio and online presence to add value and enthusiasm to a field progressing to its full potential in the modern technological world. |
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