Smart Campus, Smart Career: My GIS Internship in Facilities Operations
My name is Olivia Koch, I’m an undergraduate student at the University of Rhode Island studying Environmental Science and Management, and in this blog post I will be talking about my experience working with GIS for facility operations in higher education and how it broadened my perspective on the uses of GIS.
Figure 1. Brúarfoss, Golden Circle, Iceland
I chose my major because it offered a wide range of fields, and at the time, I had many interests but no clear passion. GIS wasn’t on my radar, and I had only used it for class projects or taken classes for it as a requirement. Everything changed when I took the Fundamentals of GIS class, where I was introduced to ArcGIS Pro. I was hooked – creating maps, analyzing data, and working on common operations with vector and raster data made me genuinely excited.
At the end of the semester, I joined a focus group for extra credit, where my TA was looking for feedback on her interactive campus map project. That led me to meet the Spatial Services team, and after talking about all things GIS for a couple hours, I was offered a job to help with their ArcGIS Indoors implementation. It has been an incredible opportunity where I’ve gained a lot of different experience with the suite of ArcGIS software and discovered new ways to apply GIS that I didn’t know was possible.
Figure 2. Pilot Indoor image, DeChristofaro Center, Kingston Campus
Exploring GIS in Facility Operations
The experience I’ve gained from working in facility operations has been invaluable. I’ve learned about different geo apps, like ArcGIS Story Maps, ArcGIS Experience Builder and ArcGIS Dashboards. I’ve worked with different data types, such as learning how to use CAD files in ArcGIS Pro and learned how to implement a campus-wide ArcGIS Indoors program.
Figure 3. Georeferenced AutoCAD floorplans, Providence Campus
Additionally, it has been interesting to see how Spatial Services works in collaboration with other organizations on campus, like the Environmental Data Center (EDC), public safety, and utilities to work on projects like setting up commencement ceremonies and organizing parking, monitoring construction projects, collecting and organizing utility and space data to share with other stakeholders on campus, and many more projects that they support by creating and sharing data.
Gaining Hands-On Experience
Working in facility operations has not just taught me about new tools and tricks but opened my eyes to how broadly GIS is used in day-to-day operations. Campus operations are an interconnected network of people, facilities, and departments that all rely on each other to run smoothly, and the backbone to all that is GIS.
GIS for smart campus operations is essential for running an efficient campus and providing the utmost technical support so that everyone – staff, students, and visitors – are satisfied. My experience with Spatial Services has immensely shaped my decision to pursue a GIS career in urban planning, particularly within city and state operations. I enjoy working on projects that optimize urban services, making them more efficient and impactful.
Figure 4. Parking lot feature class and custom basemap, created and edited by Spatial Services
Taking one GIS class has sparked numerous opportunities that have taught me crucial skills in communication, field research, networking, and interpersonal relationships. I have:
- Worked with the EDC on natural resource projects, focusing on digitization, data analysis, and map layouts.
- Received a research fellowship from the EDC to help the National Park Service update GIS data for Massachusetts parks, which I presented at the University’s Environment and Life Sciences Research Symposium.
- Studied abroad with Global Treks and Adventures in Iceland to collect GPS trail data for an exploration publication.
- I was accepted as a Student Assistant for Esri’s Federal GIS Conference in Washington, D.C., in February 2025, where I’ll attend technical sessions and assist behind the scenes.
- I pursued a graduate certificate in GIS and Remote Sensing to deepen my knowledge and learn about additional software like Erdas Imagine and Python.
Simple Advice for Great Success
One key piece of advice I’ve received from many professionals is do not let perfection stand in the way of progress. In GIS, and any data-driven field, data is always evolving and will be updated constantly. Strive to keep your data clean and organized while avoiding getting caught in the smaller details. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by any project, model, or tool, so always remember that patience is key.
One last piece of advice is to apply for every opportunity you come across. Even if a job, internship, or class doesn’t immediately spark your interest, apply anyway – these are the kinds of opportunities that open doors you never anticipated and provide pivotal experiences.
Thank you for reading my blog post, please share comments below! You can email me at kocholivia571@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.
