Job profile for an GIS officer
What is GIS?
GIS or Geographic Information Systems are computer systems that allows lots of different information about an area to be captured, analysed and displayed in a visual format – a big digital interactive map.
What does a GIS officer do?
A GIS officer looks after all the geographical information about the National Park and makes sure that the right people can use this data. This includes all kinds of different data, from the locations of planning applications, car parks and tourist information centres, to the types of habitats of areas of land, where rare or invasive plant species are growing, and important archaeological sites.
The data can come from different sources. Maps and data are supplied by other organisations, like the base maps supplied by Ordnance Survey, or Flood Plain Data from the environment agency. GPS units are used by National Park staff like rangers, to record the location of things they see when out in the park.
GIS officers work with other teams, like planning and conservation teams, to combine and analyse different data. They create 2D and 3D maps and generate statistics to help other teams with their work. If the planners are looking at a planning application for new houses, they need to know if the land is likely to flood, is home to a rare plant or is near important archaeological remains and GIS data can give them all the information they need.
Other organistations like the district councils use National Park GIS data too, so GIS co-ordinators make sure that they are sent the right data in the right format to help with their work.
What qualifications and experience do you need?
A GIS degree or Masters or a related subject such as geography is normally required. Experience of using GIS is valuable too, a good way to get experience is to volunteer your skills to local authorities using GIS. You need to have a keen interest in geography, map design, visual data and enjoy working on your own as well as with other teams. Even though GIS officers deal with data about National Park, most of their work is computer-based in an office.
