Geographer

Duration: 12-month Contract (with possible extensions up to 5 years)

Pay Range: $52.15 – $55.38 per hour

The Geospatial Services Department is responsible for providing Geospatial support in the maintenance, operation and development of new facilities. This position provides professional GIS (Geographic Information System) services utilizing computerized data capture, storage, query, and analysis techniques for visual displays, spatial analysis, and tabular reports on a wide variety of geographical projects. May conduct research on physical aspects of a region, including land forms, climates, soils, plants and animals, and conduct research on the spatial implications of human activities within a given area, including social characteristics, economic activities, and political organization, as well as researching interdependence between regions at scales ranging from local to global.

• Write and present reports of research findings.
• Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales.
• Gather and compile geographic data from sources including censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps.
• Analyze geographic distributions of physical and cultural phenomena on local, regional, continental, or global scales.
• Develop, operate, and maintain geographical information (GIS) computer systems, including hardware, software, plotters, digitizers, printers, and video cameras.
• Provide consulting services in fields including resource development and management, business location and market area analysis, environmental hazards, regional cultural history, and urban social planning.
• Provide geographical information systems support to the private and public sectors.
• Study the economic, political, and cultural characteristics of a specific region's population.
• Locate and obtain existing geographic information databases.
• Technically manage complex GIS projects (i.e. Transmission Construction projects, Fiber Optic projects, Communication projects, land management, and EF&W projects) Design, prepare, and publish quality cartographic map and attribute report products using industry standards.
• Provide geographic expertise and consultation for long-range transmission facility right-of-way corridor planning projects, natural resource projects, operation and maintenance projects for existing facilities, environmental review and compliance projects, fish and wildlife projects related to program and mission.
• Design and maintain data bases and ensures data quality through the use of automated and manual techniques to enter, edit, and process data sets.
• Create geo-processing models and scripts to assist in data collection, storage, retrieval and analysis.
• Create and maintain metadata of newly created data sets to track the source, scale, currency and other pertinent geographic information, as well as any modifications to the data set.
• Conduct complex geographic and network analysis, including spatial joins, proximity analysis, buffer creation, optimal path and resource allocation, and point and linear event processing with dynamic segmentation.
• Design and prepare publication quality cartographic products using industry standards.
• Give demonstrations, presentations, and write papers on GIS work being done by the agency.
• Verify the timely delivery of data between Geospatial Services and other organizational units used in the design, acquisition & construction of transmission facilities. Archives, secures & maintains critical records.

Bachelor's degree in geography, cartography, natural resources, landscape architecture, environmental, urban or regional planning, with a strong emphasis in computer assisted spatial analysis is preferred.

6 years of experience required with an applicable Bachelor's degree.

10 years of experience required without a degree or applicable Bachelor's degree.

Experience should include providing professional GIS services utilizing computerized data capture, storage, and query and analysis techniques for visual displays, web applications, spatial analysis, and reporting on a wide variety of projects.

• PC operating systems, ESRI ArcGIS software.
• Working knowledge of Python or similar scripting language.
• Ability to develop, maintain, and modify geo-processing models and/or scripts, design and maintain geographic and relational databases, and design and implement complex spatial analysis.
• Ability to lead or train technicians or related staff in the conduct of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analytical procedures.
• Ability to lead in the research and development of automated geospatial analytical approaches that best provide problem solving solutions.