first published week of: 07/08/2013
Programmers and developers can find high-paying projects in many industries, but one field that’s drawing increasing attention is that of geologic information systems (GIS). As more manufacturers and marketers realize the advantages of building geographical data into their operations, GIS specialists - as well as managers and researchers with GIS insight - are becoming increasingly integral parts of their company teams. So here are three tips for turning your GIS expertise - or interest - into income.
“If you’re looking to expand into GIS, you must first determine the role you want to play in your industry,” says Thomas Thomey, founder and president of MGP Inc., a GIS technology company. Even if you’re not directly involved in app development or hardware engineering, he adds, your industry is likely to make use of geographical data in some aspect of its operations.
Aside from the areas where GIS already plays an obvious and essential role - mobile app development, geological surveying and so on - a variety of other fields are increasingly making use of geographic databases for applications from customer tracking to resource management. Environmental scientists, forestry technicians, resource conservationists and agricultural managers are all using GIS technology to visualize and organize large swathes of surveying data. And of course, many advertisers are realizing the advantages of targeting ads for people in specific areas - making GIS a growing component of campaign planning.
All in all, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that thousands of new GIS-related jobs will open up by 2020, as more industries recognize the utility of geography-based data management. If you take some time to examine the technical needs of your industry, you’ll probably find that GIS is either already in use or badly needed in some aspect of its operations. continued…