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Geospatial
technicians map, measure, monitor, model, & manage change
in relationship to locations on the surface of the earth or
other planets. Output is not limited to reports and posters.
Most employers provide Web-based services where their geographical
information can be viewed. Work may be found with five major
types of employers.
1.
Government and Public Service Agencies
Government
is expected to protect its citizens from unhealthy and unsafe
living conditions. Government “planners” do this
by establishing appropriate land use patterns (including recreation
and open space); transportation routes; “public works”
infrastructure systems to handle trash, sewage, water, telecommunications,
and energy needs; services for the indigent and impaired;
and systems for collecting and increasing revenue. Emergency
management systems are used by police and fire departments
to dispatch 911 calls. They also determine best locations
for fire & police stations. Geospatial technology can
be used to determine how equitable and efficient government
actions are. County assessors use geospatial technology to
ensure that taxing of property is done properly. Nationally,
geospatial technology is used to evaluate threats to our safety
and to plan for our defense by interpreting imagery derived
by use of satellites.
2.
Businesses that Extract and/or Process Raw Materials
Mining,
logging, farming, ranching, and archaeology use this technology
to plan for the efficient use of their resources.
3.
Businesses that Market Goods and Services
Businesses
marketing goods and services must obtain a return on their
investment in order to stay in business. Geospatial technology
can be used to evaluate new and existing store locations,
track response to new promotions, locate clients/customers
who are looking for the goods and services being offered,
and deal with competition and other challenges. On the Internet,
businesses provide maps showing locations of their stores.
Television and newsprint media make more and more use of geospatial
imagery to help people visualize the impact of the latest
news and weather developments. Realtors and tourism authorities
use this technology to show the advantages of specific locations
in the context of the larger community.
4.
Logistics and Transportation Agencies
Agencies
that arrange for the movement of goods and people hope to
ensure the smooth flow of goods and people. Geospatial technology
can be used to create realistic network resistance and find
potential bottlenecks. Geospatial technology can further be
used to evaluate alternative routing and to make live adjustments
to routing when conditions change abruptly. Planning for the
mass evacuation of population to mitigate the effects of large
and small disasters can be evaluated using geospatial technology
simulations.
5.
Environmental Science
Environmental
Science encompasses issues such as climate change, conservation,
biodiversity, groundwater and soil contamination, use of natural
resources, waste management, sustainable development, air
pollution and noise pollution. When analyzing environmental
change, geospatial technicians use patterns on the ground
to infer physical and biological processes at work in the
environment. The size, connectivity, and fragmentation of
ecological areas can be easily measured and visualized with
geospatial technology.
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