Latest Contributions by WilliamTarpai

@EvanGPetrie Coming into this conversation a bit late, and I hope you have decided to make life-long learning important to you.  But from my perspective, a Master's degree really can open doors, even in the GIS field.   But I tend to agree with @RyanUthoff in the number of ways.   Having a professional career, as a US government and then United Nations professional officer, was really exciting for me.  Without an MA, it would NOT have been possible.   I lived and worked in more than a dozen countries for more than a year, so spent lots of time enjoying new cultures and learning languages.  If you are a stay-near-home kind of guy, perhaps a MA/MS may not be needed. But some of the most exciting and high paying jobs are be taken by those who want to travel and see the world, especially if they have GIS education.  Today, you can fill your resume with lots of real-time mapping and spatial analysis experiences related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles.  I have posted a link to the 2024 SD Report and rankings, but the 2025 report will be coming out soon.   Ponder working in some of these places, especially with GIS skills and real-time experiences.... ... View more

I saw a post this morning by James Akello  2:55 AM from Kenya Hello William,  I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for sharing the incredible news regarding the shipment of five containers of books for Africa headed to Mombasa on behalf of Safina Development Organisation. Your dedication to this initiative, along with the efforts of Safina Empowerment Organisation, is truly inspiring and demonstrates your profound commitment to improving education in rural Kenya. Your work at the UN and your involvement in driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forward is commendable. The impact of providing access to quality education cannot be overstated, and your efforts exemplify the crucial role that knowledge sharing plays in achieving these global ambitions. I also admire your connection with the behavioral science initiatives within the UN Innovation Network. Understanding how individuals make decisions and engage with programs is essential for enhancing strategies for collaboration and development. Your insights in this area will surely contribute to more effective approaches in our collective pursuit of sustainable solutions. Thank you once again for keeping us informed and for your unwavering commitment to facilitating positive change. Your leadership inspires many, and we look forward to seeing how these books will transform lives in Kenya.  Warm regards   ... View more

As I was working on Week 2 of an ESRI Geo Apps MOOC, I came across this link, perhaps by accident, but I am dedicating this post to the ESRI YOUNG PROFESSIONAL NETWORK - https://www.esri.com/en-us/about/ypn/overview      As a retired, America, UN professional officer, with almost 3 decades of field experiences, living away from my home in Riverside, California, I have gained significant real-time experiences working with  ACTIVITIES AND ACTION TOOLS  used to achieve  2 separate 15 year global challenges (the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs 2000-2015), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2015-2030) challenges.   https://files.unsdsn.org/SDG7%20Guide%20Part%202_FINAL.pdf Today, after reviewing the ESRI BOOK Proposal Guide, and beginning to be active with the UN Behavioural Science Group of the UN Innovation Network, I am exploring writing a book to help guide more students in the remaining years of the SDG challenge to get actively involved with and busy collaborating for development.  You may ask:  What is the UN Behavioral Science Group - https://www.unbesciweek2025.org   "...Behavioral science refers to an evidence-based understanding of how people actually behave, make decisions and respond to programs, policies, and incentives. It uses rigorous methods to provide an understanding of impact and of what interventions work. The practice includes presenting choices to help people achieve their aims and make informed decisions; and reducing friction (such as paperwork requirements and administrative burdens) that separates people from something that they want".   I have just received letter that 5 Books for Africa-filled containers have been loaded on a cargo ship and are headed for Mombasa, to be distributed in rural Kenya.  The letter was addressed to all those responsible for making it happen, including myself and Safina Empowerment NGO in Kenya. I am taking the ESRI MOOC, collaborating with Safina Empowerment as we "recognize that access to accurate data is key to development. By using geospatial mapping and AI-driven tools, we  strive to help local governments, organizations, and development partners make better decisions for sustainable growth in our communities. We believe that real change happens when people have skills, technology, and data to make informed decisions'. Components of our strategy: :small_blue_diamond: Empowering Women & Girls – We train women and girls in leadership, digital skills, and climate-smart farming, equipping them with the tools to drive change in their communities. 📍 Data for Development(geospatial data) – we strive to avail data and visualization strategic for sustainable development  :classical_building: Leadership & Innovation Hub – we work to provide the programmes needed in leadership , sustainable development  and technology closer to the marginalized groups and populations through our leadership center . 🤝 Global & Local Collaboration – we promote global institutional partnerships to strengthen the quality , capacity and impact of our work. So now, preparing to submit a book proposal, I turn to members of this community for feedback about how important it may be to 'mappers and spatial analysts'to find entryways to get involved with the SDG Challenge.  Looking for you responses as I enter Week 3 of the Geo Apps MOOC. ... View more

Hello,  I'm enrolled AND even more important today, have completed and submitted both my 2024 US and California tax submissions, so will be able to devote more time to this course.   I am pleased that at least 2 Kenyan colleagues will be joining me.  We all support SAFINA EMPOWERMENT ( https://safinaempowerment.org/ ) and are very interested in helping contribute to rural development efforts in Kenya.     One of our first joint projects will be to map and analyze distribution of 20,000+ books being sent by Books for Africa ( https://www.booksforafrica.org/index.html ) We are still not sure which of the 4 apps will be most useful in our first collaborative efforts, but are pretty certain we will be using all 4 for our efforts to improve rural development SDG successes over time. ... View more

Thanks @HannahOlpinski   Indeed Kate and Brittany provided very helpful training that I'm hoping will result in speeding up the pace for achieving successful SDG outcomes in rural Kenya.  Collaborating with the Safina Empowerment team ( https://safinaempowerment.org ) as they begin their skill set trainings has been a wonderful experience.  The seminar was great!   and now the hard work begins....  ... View more

@natalie Jung. A belated thank you for this article which I am reviewing as I prepare to work on a mapping project to promote rural community development.   I was wondering what improvements in mapping software and tools in the interim since you published this report have come onto the market that you would recommend? Now a decade into the future, working to provide national, regional and local leaders and planners with visual maps and data displays that aid decision making on funding aimed at improving lives in rural communities.   ... View more

Greetings Jesse,  I posted my first project proposal on the AFrica Geoportal this week, that I want to use in parallel with a one month ESRI MOOC - Make an Impact with Modern Geo Apps  collaborating with a Kenyan NGO - Safina Empowerment to map rural development progress against the 17 SDGs.    Suggestions and collaborators to document our efforts in ways that  might creatively caught the attention of policy- and decision-makers hoping to speed up the pace achieving successful SDG outcomes in this decade.   That is what I was asking for: best wishes.  William     ... View more

Hello,  I'm writing today, hoping to become a Geo Mentor in the future.   Last weekend at California State University San Bernardino during the Alumni support CHOOSE CSUSB event, it was exciting to see more than a thousand incoming (but still high school) students accompanied by family members exploring the San Bernardino campus.   CSUSB had invited 650 students to explore the campus with their families.  It was an exciting time. Of the students and family members I was able to meet, many of the high school seniors knew what the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenge was (a 15 year global effort 2015-2030) global leaders that agreed on to make progress against 17 goals (each with targets and indicators to measure progress).  Several came from schools that had received ESRI school bundles, and they were hoping to continue learning, especially hoping to find entryways for involvement in the SDG challenge. This weekend, I will participate in the same CHOOSE CSUSB event, but at its Palm Desert campus.  Same event as last week, but now onto a campus 90 minute drive down I-10 that residents of the Coachella Valley and points south in the state of California were excited because of the opportunities for higher education it created for students who might have otherwise been able to complete their university educations.  Today as I was exploring the ESRI Africa Portal https://www.africageoportal.com.   I know I wanted to become a SDG mapping and spatial analysis mentor, so I came onto Communities and sought this group out.    I hope I have come to the right place. ... View more

Thanks Rosemary Boone - while waiting for the ESRI Academy Power Data-Driven Decisions with ArcGIS Dashboards to begin, I posted urging everyone to check out their country's SDG ranking https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles.     Drill down to check targets and indicators under each goal that needs more data....    I am a retired UN professional, and am very interested to helping students and young professionals find entryways to gaining real-time experience while honing their skill sets.   Definitely had a wonderful career traveling to more than 100 countries that my employer help pay travel costs. ... View more

Thanks again Jesse,   Logged onto the Africa Geoportal now, trying to figure out how to a) finalize and publish a project; and b)  notify several ESRI staff (Ashley Du, Ellen Delgado, Leah Jaques, Martin Copping, Matt Payne, Thomas Coughlin) about this pilot project that I hope to implement during the one month MOOC - Make an Impact with Geo Apps.    I just began drafting that I would encourage Community members who are already involved in the SDG Challenge to get involved with: Rural Community Development in Kenya: Mapping and Spatial Analysis I am also writing to the administrator of the California State University San Bernardino ESRI licensee to invite current students to hone their skill sets if they are interested in real-time experience in global development.      Any suggestions??? ... View more

Very pleased to meet the MVP members, and very much impressed by the scope of their work.  With the US ranking in the SDG Challenge now at 46th place globally, 2024 Sustainable Development Goals Report - US Ranking achieving the 17 Goals    I would clearly like to future MVPs who might be able to have been part of using ESRI software and tools to achieve SDG successes.    The SDG challenge (2015-2030) is a 15 year global challenge, that US can and must improve our ranking in the next 5 years. ... View more

Thank you Jesse Cloutier, Preparing to work with cross border SDG collaborations, but still 2 years behind  M_David Johnson's 79.  ESRI software and tools are doing good things all around the world, but progress is uneven, so helping bring progress to the most vulnerable is a daunting task.  Glad I finally found the ESRI Community. ... View more

Hello Ammar Abdelwadood,  Thanks for posting about using GIS to turn data into actions, speeding up the pace for achieving successful SDG outcomes.   I'll reach out to you on Linkedin as well.   Hope we can meet up soon as I'm working on a pilot project hoping to design communities for success as well.  ... View more

I was just in a conversation about this question with a colleague in Kenya who is interested in rural community development in Bomet County.  Searching for already existing maps of Kenya now that are able to drill down within county constituencies. ... View more