Amy Sorensen: “Keep pushing the arbitrary boundaries between geospatial and IT”

Grew up on a farm in Iowa. Started my GIS career as an intern for Emmet County, working on first iteration of E-911 for the sheriff’s department. Moved to South Dakota from there and worked for the SDDOT for a while with the esteemed title of “Automated Mapping Specialist”. Really enjoyed the work but was looking for a faster pace and more of a challenge. Ended up taking a project-related position with a consulting firm working for DM&E railroad out of Sioux Falls. Had great fun learning all about rail, sidings and frogs. When that project ended, I decided to take a position with HDR and moved down to Omaha, Nebraska, where I am currently.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arsorensen/

Amy was interviewed for GeoHipster by Atanas Entchev.

Q: How did you get into GIS?

A: I had been doing in-home child care, I have an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education. I was bored and broke and wondering what I should do. Driving down the road I heard a radio ad for the local community college that talked about computers and mapping. I thought… “I love maps!” and went and signed up for the program after that.

Q: You work for HDR, an engineering company. Tell us what you do there.

A: What I do day by day really varies based on the projects I’m on. The funnest part of my job is the variability of what I am involved with on a week by week basis and meeting new people and learning about what they do. I work on hydrology projects where we are looking at flood zones, levees, or stream flows for one project, and then I am managing the GIS database for a large transportation project and dealing with right of way, utilities, and shifting contracts. I also like to code, so I will put together web maps or write some scripts to automate work flows. It’s really fun to listen and evaluate what is currently being done and then to apply some type of technology to help streamline and document the work as well. Recently I’ve gotten involved with the sustainability group here at HDR, and now there is great potential to mix my love for GIS with my desire to make the world a better place.

Q: Do engineers “get” GIS?

A: Yes! I would say there are varying levels of “get” involved. I find that if you are on a project, and learn as much as you can about the overall big picture, then it is easy to plug GIS into it in ways that make sense and help meet those project goals. If someone isn’t getting the point of using GIS then it could be that you aren’t getting what the big picture is for them.

Q: What technology — GIS and other — do you use at work? What do you / don’t you like about it?

A: Of course the big technology provider I work with is Esri, I work with the full suite of Esri products. I really love working with Python and use Notepad++ for the majority of that type of work. It’s simple and straightforward. When I’m working with JavaScript I have been using Atom, which has been a good editor. I’ve gotten to use Jupyter Notebook on projects as well now, and really have found the power in being able to quickly write code, see the results, then tweak. Being able to revisit later and use the notebooks to document what has been done is priceless. I’m digging into some new (to me) JavaScript frameworks, and am really interested in playing with Ember. I’ve heard good things, and Esri uses it a lot and is starting to push out add-ons using it.

Q: You were a volunteer in a GISCorps project for North Korea. Tell us about the project, why you did it, and what you got out of it.

A: This project was for the World Food Program (WFP) and the information Management and Mining Action Program (iMMAP). We digitized features like roads, cities, rivers, and rail from historical maps. The idea was to create this data to support their humanitarian efforts. I got involved since I had been listed as a GISCorps member for some time and was waiting for a volunteer opportunity to come up that I could do at home. This project was great and I was able to put a couple hours in on a weekly basis. I am always trying to save the world and it really gives me a great sense of satisfaction to be able to do something with the skillset I have to help the world be a better place.

Q: You do lots of volunteer work, not just GIS. Tell us about your other volunteer activities.

A:  I do like to do volunteer work, it’s my desire to make a difference that drives it. Though I would say I’m not doing a ton right now, there are a few things I’m involved in. I do manage a website for a local grassroots organization. For the last couple years I’ve been able to create some mapping for a local group that puts together garden tours in Omaha and hosted for them as well. Over the years I’ve done things like volunteer for Boys and Girls Homes, and also was a baby rocker at a NICU for some time. I think volunteering really does add a lot to your life and gets you out in the community, which is fun.

Q: What is the tech scene like in Omaha?

A:  I think the tech scene is good. We have some good coding school options in Omaha, which have fast turnaround to get people into the workforce. There are coding groups that happen for kids and teens like Girls Who Code, and we have a really innovative tech library that offers classes and opportunities to work with and learn all kinds of software and cool things like 3D printers and maker events. There are also some good groups I’ve found through Meetup — Women In Technology of the Heartland is one, and it has great social events and is a good support group for those working their way up or into technology fields. There are other groups I’ve not joined yet based on Python and JavaScript that I plan on checking out soon as well.

Q: What is the hipster scene like in Omaha?

A:  Isn’t that the same as the tech scene? 😉 Ok, maybe not but there is some crossover. The hipster scene is good. There are some known areas in town where you will find great local music, food, and events. One of my favorite is the Benson First Friday Femme Fest — it’s an amazing opportunity to see all kinds of females taking the lead role and sharing their music, poetry, and art to the masses.

Q: Knitting and Dr. Who — is that hipster or what?

A: Probably. I still need to knit my Dr. Who scarf, I think once that is completed then I can really grab the hipster trophy. My list of nerd interests is strong and I think if I could pull together a group of geohipsters to crash the UC dressed in Dr. Who cosplay, then my life would be complete.

Q: Do you consider yourself a geohipster? Why / why not?

A: Sure. You know, unless in considering myself one I negate the title. 🙂 I think a geohipster is anyone who is constantly striving to do new and cool things with geospatial data. With that definition, I’m 100%.

Q: On closing, any parting words of wisdom for our global readership?

A: Keep pushing the arbitrary boundaries between geospatial and IT. Data is data and we all can and should be playing and working together. Also — volunteer for something. You do need to get away from the computer once in a while, and it will change your life to do so. And finally, if you love Dr. Who we should talk. 🙂



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