In the Middle of Disasters, Using GIS to Do Good

[JulieCase]

Billion-dollar hurricanes and severe storms may be increasing in the U.S., but now advancing technology tools like GIS are helping the nonprofits that serve survivors of these storms do it better than ever before. 

That’s something that Jay Reddi, a GIS consultant and volunteer with disaster relief nonprofit Team Rubicon, knows something about. During his first operation as a Team Rubicon volunteer—or Greyshirt—responding to Hurricane Helene, he found himself stepping in to help map work orders in damaged areas of North Carolina. He may have signed up for the disaster response operation to tear down molding walls and move hurricane debris blocking homes, but his knowledge and experience with GIS allowed him to help increase the disaster relief operation’s efficiency, too. 

Team Rubicon volunteers use data to prepare for a disaster.A year later, Reddi is still not only working in the field helping people who have survived a disaster, but also applying his knowledge and experience with GIS behind the scenes to help the veteran-led disaster response nonprofit serve more people and respond to more disasters. It’s a plum volunteer opportunity for any young professional looking to expand their portfolio, he says. That’s because, according to Reddi, Greyshirts in Team Rubicon’s GIS cadre get the chance to do much more than just network and shake hands: They get the opportunity to actually build something and put it into use, and then demonstrate that they did something that delivered some value, says Reddi.

“Team Rubicon actually gives people practical experience,” says Reddi. “So, when you build a lot of these maps, solutions, or whatever it is on the GIS side, people are actually going to use them.”

Then, he says, there’s the ability to work across an organization at all levels. 

“I think there's a leadership element, which is a unique opportunity that Team Rubicon offers, which many of our organizations don't necessarily offer,” says Reddi. “Fundamentally, you learn how to work with people to build stuff that is useful. A lot of young folks don't necessarily get that exposure where they work with stakeholders from across the organization to really understand what people need, and then use their skills to build out a solution.”

So what, exactly, might a day volunteering with Team Rubicon look like for a GIS young professional? According to Senior Associate for Operations Support and Planning, Francesca Williams, who oversees Team Rubicon’s GIS cadre, that will vary based on the volunteer’s skills and on the disaster cycle, and there won’t be work every month of the year. Fundamentally, most GIS volunteers have the opportunity to build maps of disasters; build dashboards and operational analysis about Team Rubicon’s responses to disasters; and potentially even build applications that integrate those dashboards and maps. Sometimes they also tell stories, via ArcGIS StoryMaps, about disasters and the work Team Rubicon’s Greyshirts have done. 

“For young GIS professionals, volunteering on Team Rubicon’s GIS cadre offers a really unique opportunity to help serve communities,” says Williams. “There's even a chance that they could help serve their local community.”

For example, a GIS volunteer might not live in an area that's been hit by a disaster recently, but they could work on a project that would help with mitigation to prevent a disaster in their local area. Such experience might be portfolio building, but it’s community building, too. 

Best of all, these young professional GIS volunteers are getting the chance to use their skills to do good. 

“GIS is used a lot in utilities and environmental conservation and architecture, and it's used in all these cool ways, but we're using it in a way to better humanity; to help people on their worst day or before their worst day or after their worst day,” says Williams. 

Want to become a Team Rubicon disaster response volunteer and help put your GIS knowledge and skills to use for good? Here’s what Team Rubicon needs, now, and how to join. 

Team Rubicon Volunteer Requirement for the GIS Cadre – On Call Team

Volunteers should be willing to commit up to 10 hours per month to Team Rubicon's geospatial mission.

Mid-level GIS skills needed:

• Proficient in ArcGIS Online for creating and sharing web maps, basic ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS Instant Apps, and ArcGIS StoryMaps
• Skilled in data management—importing, cleaning, and organizing spatial datasets from multiple sources
• Familiarity with Field Applications (ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS Field Maps)
• Capable of performing basic spatial analysis 

Team Rubicon Volunteer Requirement for the GIS Cadre – Specialist Team

Volunteers should be willing to commit a minimum of 10 hours per week to Team Rubicon’s geospatial mission.

Volunteers should have an understanding or experience with disaster management, emergency management, or tactical operations; demonstrate the ability to work independently and provide GIS leadership; and have a willingness to create and conduct trainings, and to mentor and promote outreach and learning within the organization and close partners. 

Advanced GIS skills needed:

• Expertise in ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online administration
• Proficient in data management within ArcGIS Online
• Proficient with ArcGIS Experience Builder, ArcGIS StoryMaps, ArcGIS Dashboards, and ArcGIS Hub sites
• Experience configuring and deploying Field Applications
• Knowledge and experience with Python, Arcade, and JavaScript
• Skilled in map production and spatial analysis

How to Join Team Rubicon’s GIS Cadre

Anyone interested in volunteering on Team Rubicon’s GIS team should first register to become a Greyshirt. 

Once you’ve registered to become a Greyshirt, complete and submit this Survey123 form to indicate your interest in joining the GIS cadre.

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