The Geospatial Work Force:
Meeting Wisconsin’s Future Needs
Presented by:
Geospatial Information & Technology Association,
WI Chapter Executive Board members:
Thomas Tym – Ruekert / Mielke, Inc.
Emily Champagne – Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage
District (MMSD)
Agenda
Where are the jobs
 Education vs. Compensation
 Breaking into the Profession
 Recruitment Strategies
& Prospects

Public Sector Jobs
Federal Government
 State Government
 Regional Government
 County Government
 Municipal or local Government
 Educational Institution

Federal Government





National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency
(NGA)
Homeland Security (FEMA)
United States Geological Survey (USGS)
National Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS)
Many others
State Government
Department of Natural Resources
(DNR)
 Department of Transportation (DOT)
 Department of Administration (DOA)

– Facilities Management
– Military Affairs

Several Others
Regional Government
Regional Planning Commissions
 Metropolitan Sewerage Districts
 Water Management Districts

County Government
Land Information Office
 Planning & Zoning
 Register of Deeds
 Emergency Management
 Conservationist
 Sheriffs Office

Municipal/Local Government
Department of Public Works
 Planning & Zoning
 Public Services

– Water Meter Reading
– Snow Plowing

Police Department
Education Institutions

Teaching
– High School
– Technical Colleges
– Universities
Research
 State Cartographer

Private Sector Jobs
Mapping Companies
 Consulting Firms
 Software Developers
 Utilities
 Land Development
 Non-Profits
 Others

Mapping Companies
Publishers
 Conversion Companies
 Satellites Companies

Consulting Firms
Engineering
 Planning
 Surveying
 Remote Sensing

Software Developers
GIS
 CADD/Design
 Parcel
 Modeling
 Web
Applications

Utilities
Electrical
 Gas
 Telephone
 Pipelines
 Digger’s Hotline

Land Development
Real Estate
 Title Companies
 Big Box Retail

Non-Profits

Environmental
– (e.g. Nature Conservancy, International Crane
Foundation)

Land Trusts
– (e.g. Gathering Waters Conservancy based in Madison)

Community Development
– (e.g. Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago)

Historical Preservation
– (e.g. Taliesin Preservation in Spring Green, WI)
Others
Insurance
 Forestry
 Agriculture
 Manufacturing

Educational Requirements,
Positions, & Compensation

Technician level
– Data Entry
– CADD
– Survey Crew
2 Year Technical Degree
 Hourly Position

– $20,000 to $40,000 per year
Educational Requirements,
Positions, & Compensation

Sub Professional level
– Programmer
– Supervisory Management
– Instrument Operator
Bachelors Degree
 Hourly Position

– $30,000 to $50,000 per year
Educational Requirements,
Positions, & Compensation

Professional level
– Software Engineer
– Photogrammetrist
– GIS Professional
Bachelors/Masters Degree
 Salaried Position

– $40,000 to $80,000 per year
Educational Requirements,
Positions, & Compensation

Managerial level
– Land Information Officer
– Project Manager
– Director of Public Works
Bachelors/Masters Degree
 Salaried Position

– $40,000 to $100,000 per year
Educational Requirements,
Positions, & Compensation

Research/Education level
– Professor
– Researcher
– Trainer
Masters/Doctorate Degree
 Salaried Position

– $30,000 to $120,000 per year
Job Skills
Project Management
 Technical Support
 Report Writing
 Training
 Public Speaking
 Research
 Programming

Other Software Skills
MS Access
 Excel
 SQL Server
 Visual Basic
 HTML / ASP

Software Skills (cont.)
Mobile & Web
Technology
 Visual Studio
 Silverlight
 Flex
 Python

Breaking Into The Profession
Educational Opportunities
 Internships
 Professional Associations
 Publications
 Users Conferences
 Credentials
 Network

Educational Opportunities
UW GIS Certificates and Degrees
 Online GIS Degrees
 Technical Training

– Technical Colleges
– Software Training
Internships
Independent Study
 College Credit
 Summer Employment

Professional Associations
“National”
Urban & Regional Information Systems
Association (URISA)
urisa.org
Geographic Information Technology
Association (GITA)
gita.org
American Society for Photogrammetry and
Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
asprs.org
Professional Associations
“Regional”






Wisconsin Land Information Association
(WLIA)
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa/Illinois
Chapters of GITA
Western Great Lake Chapter of ASPRS
Minnesota GIS/LIS
Illinois GIS Association (ILGISA)
Michigan (IMAGIN)
Regional Conferences

WLIA Spring Regional Meeting
La Crosse, WI, May 17-18 (wlia.org)
ILGISA NIU Naperville, IL, Oct 18-19,
2011 (ilgisa.org)
 EWUG, Green Bay, WI, Nov 9-10,
2011 (ewug.org)
 MN GIS/LIS St. Cloud, Oct 5-7, 2011
(mngislis.org)

Publications
Earth Observation Magazine
 PE&RS
 Professional Surveyor
 GeoWorld
 Geospatial Solutions
 Earth Imaging Journal
 ArcUser

Blogs
James Fee’s blog http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com/
 Planet GeoSpatial http://www.planetgs.com/
 Matt Artz’s GIS and Science
Blog http://www.gisandscience.com./
 ESRI’s ArcGIS Blogs
 GoogleEarthBlog http://www.gearthblog.com/index.h
tml
 SCO’s Wisconsin Mapping
Bulletin http://news.sco.wisc.edu/
 NSGIC News http://news.nsgic.org/

Users Conferences

Software Company Sponsored
– ESRI
– Autodesk
– Intergraph
Credentials
College Degree
 GIS Professional (GISP)
 Registered Land Surveyor
 Certified Photogrammetrist
 Professional Engineer

Network
Recruiting Strategies of Area
Companies
Job Postings
 Networking
 Contract Work and Internships
 Employment Agencies and
Recruiters

Job Postings

Internal Company Postings
 Company Website
 Relevant Employment Websites
–
–
–
–
–
–
GIS Jobs Clearinghouse (gjc.org)
GISjobs.com & Geojobs.org
GeoCommunity
GIS Café
Monster.com
WI State Cartographers Office
• http://www.sco.wisc.edu/jobs/jobs.php
– WLIA (wlia.org/classified.cfm)
Job Postings
Internal Company Postings
 Company Website
 Relevant Employment Websites

– GIS Jobs Clearinghouse (gjc.org)
– GISjobs.com & Geojobs.org
– GeoCommunity
– GIS Café
– Monster.com
Job Postings
Internal Company Postings
 Company Website
 Relevant Employment Websites

– GIS Jobs Clearinghouse (gjc.org)
– GISjobs.com & Geojobs.org
– GeoCommunity
– GIS Café
– Monster.com
Networking
“Conference Scouting”
 Employee Referrals
 Linked in
 Facebook

Other Recruiting Strategies
Contract Work and Internships
 Employment Agencies and
Recruiters
 Job Boards – local colleges &
universities
 Internships

Future Prospects

Many Opportunities
– Upper Midwest
Pent-up Demand
 Off-Shore Threat
 Surf the Net

The Geospatial Work Force:
Meeting Wisconsin’s Future Needs
Presented by:
Geospatial Information & Technology Association,
WI Chapter Executive Board members:
Thomas Tym – Ruekert / Mielke, Inc.
Emily Champagne – Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage
District (MMSD)