Latest Contributions by ChrisScott4

As a newcomer to the world of GIS and spatial analysis I have found myself with a challenge that I am hoping the Geonet community may be be able to support me with. Let me explain: I have undertaken the challenge to define the environmental constraints for our development site. This is something that has been attempted in the past with (in my opinion) incomplete/misleading deliverables being produced. This called out to me as an opportunity to "get it right" and also develop my own knowledge of producing this kind of map. I am a new user of GIS (circa 6 months) as is the company I work for - previous maps had been made in CAD. The first thing I realised was that the issue wasn't "What information do we need to show?" - that was relatively straight forward after gathering requirements from the relevant specialists. The challenge lies in "How do we present that data as meaningful information?" Here is an example: previous maps presented ecology survey results as point data - hang on, don't these guys move?! Maybe we should be looking at identifying habitats suitable for that species around that point where you may encounter them. Another example are the watercourses; previous maps showed the network which to me says "This watercourse is a constraint, don't carry out work here" What we actually mean is within 5 meters we are not permitting work but from 5 to 10 meters it is possible with consideration, outside of this buffer you are free to work. I hope that's enough of a background and provides some context to my question - i am coming onto it, I promise. The first phase of the plan is now taking shape. We have identified the constraints, they have been buffered and the map will be supported with contextual information to ensure its content is interpreted in the right way. At the moment it looks like the 1970s vomited on a page! Helpful if you want to see specific information but it does not provide the overview that is also required. I want to create a layer that identifies how constrained (a combination of number of constraints and the rating i.e. high, medium or low risk) a parcel of land is and produce an overall heatmap showing the same across the site. Can anybody provide me with some guidance? Do I need to reclassify my information? Is there a technique, maybe weighted overlay that will help me achieve this? Any support, as always, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks ... View more

Does anyone have any experience of transitioning from a broad IT (analysis, design, project management) background to a specialist GIS role? I anticipate the first question that will be asked is "What kind of GIS role" and that's a very valid question. My strengths and areas of interest are the application of GIS tools and techniques (problem solving) and GIS related technology. My vision at this stage would be to develop towards a GIS consultancy type position. A bit about me... My background is predominantly in Finance (not the most orthodox start!) where I spent 10 year working in various operational, managerial and IT project based roles. My more recent step in my career saw me move from the world of banking to that of engineering, construction and nuclear power where I discovered my interest in GIS whilst taking a leading role on an ArcGIS implementation project. Since I started to understand spatial data and the power of GIS I have found myself absorbed in reams of training material, courses and hands on experience of using ArcGIS - this is typically a no-no in the world I come from where projects are delivered and then we move on to the next challenge. The difficulty I am having is defining the path which will allow me to develop these skills and give me the exposure to spatial challenges - some questions I have in my head at the moment are: How do I make the sideways step? Do I need to retrain or take an apprenticeship? Is that do-able without making un-manageable sacrifices? How do I show the skills I have developed over the past 10 or so years are of benefit to an employer looking to recruit for a GIS type role? For the purposes of this question let's assume that my current employer is not in a position to support my personal objectives. I will not openly name or pass comment about my current employer in this thread, so please do not ask. What are your thoughts? I'm not the first person to try and make this transition, right? ... View more