I want to make maps or solve mapping problems – what career is this?

January 1, 2016 3:06 PM

I love knowing and finding where places are. Where is the capital city of Tajikistan? Where do the most car accidents in Miami occur? Where is there the most pollution in Rio de Janeiro? Where are there untapped oil reserves? Where are the largest ergs? Where is an earthquake most likely to occur? What I have wanted to do for a long time is either make maps or solve issues that require finding a location. What I don't know is how to get into a career doing this.

Cartography, Geographic Information Science, Geographic Information Systems, Geomatics, I don't know the difference between them all. Cartography sounds like it is exactly what I would like to do, but I have been told is a dying industry. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is supposedly a booming field, however it is extremely difficult to find any GIS programs in Canada that don't require a degree or diploma in a related field. GIS appears to be primarily a program for those that already are working and want to learn GIS to sharpen their skills in the field they are currently employed in.

I want to make maps or solve issues that require finding a location. Is this a viable career or, in the case of GIS, simply a tool used by professionals in their workplace?

posted by 8LeggedFriend to Education (11 answers total)

I have a similar passion for maps. I took a GIS class a few years ago and loved it. You might consider getting a certificate in GIS which can be done entirely online. There are several such programs, here's one at the U. of North Dakota.
posted by mareli at 4:41 PM on January 1, 2016

I'm a practicing GIS analyst. Cartography nowadays would refer to something more like graphic design. It's more like stylising maps. If you're trying to do analysis of some kind, which it sounds like you are based on your sample questions, you should look into GIS.

Geographic Information System is longhand for GIS, the type of software suite mareli is suggesting you take courses in. Geographic information science is just a name for the discipline that you would use GIS software to address. Geomatics is an engineering-intensive approach to questions that need spatial analysis. Anything another engineering discipline would answer that has a spatial element (that is, it matters where it happens), would be approached through geomatics.

You can pick up GIS software quickly. Learning the basics is not too difficult if you have teachers to answer your questions. You don't need to be working in a related field to get a GIS certification; you can get a GIS certification and use that cert to get a job.

Unless you work for a magazine or news website or something, your GIS job isn't going to be answering fun questions that pique your curiosity. I would recommend finding something that interests you and then seeing how GIS could be applied to answer its questions. For example, I work in environmental remediation (waste monitoring and clean-up) doing my organization's GIS work.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you have!
posted by thewestinggame at 6:17 PM on January 1, 2016 [4 favorites]

Become a software engineer and work for Google maps! There are several people at my husband's work who do exactly what you are looking for.
posted by saradarlin at 7:56 PM on January 1, 2016

For most who do not work for Google or other tech giants, cartography could be a hobby, while GIS would put food on the table. Most GIS work is done for engineering companies or for their counterparts in state or local governments.
posted by yclipse at 7:59 PM on January 1, 2016

Dunno your training. Lotta geography departments offer an emphasis in GIS. Lotsa GIS Masters out there, too, but most I know don't need it. Those who seem happiest in the career right now are software engineers and 'solution engineers' - building specialized sites, tools, and capabilities.

There's an analytical side, mostly in academics, but I've done work with PhD level informatics guys for - say - a national rental car company. Also, oil and gas use the math a lot.

Cartography. Arghh. When I started it was a Thing with Experts. Guys who would make the 'Information is Beautiful' group look like amateurs - who'd make maps communicate data intentionally, and with clarity, and with rich aesthetic appeal. Not Google Maps/USA Today bullshit point symbols or friggin' heat-map-everything tunnel vision.

That's very much over. Cartography is generally delegated off to the graphic design shop. Eww. Tell, me what text point size (for critical features) is good for a very dense monochromatic map at 1:25k? Feature-relative, how tall is that lettering? yeah...

GIS has a lot of other focus areas: data management, analysis, software, systems, etc.

I can pretty confidently say that you will succeed in none of those without Python - everyone is expected to be able to script their own automation reliably.

I think if I were a 25yo software engineer or GIS guy, I'b be knocking on the door at Map Box. They have great tech and their design group does very good work (albeit with web and popular audience focus).

Or finding collaboration opportunities with PIs (for the coolness and impact, not the money). One of the key players (deeply behind the scenes) in Katrina response was a GIS guy - Sait Ahmet Binselam - working with the flood models at the LSU Center for Hurricanes and Public Health with Ivor Van Heerden. Everyone in GIS should read The Storm, btw, as a lesson in *the impact you could be having* by doing outstanding, important work.
posted by j_curiouser at 11:53 PM on January 1, 2016 [3 favorites]

Doesn't data science often involve this?
posted by trig at 3:25 AM on January 2, 2016

Data science is definitely the way to go. You need to learn how to code and handle big data sets, so that you can help integrate datasets and ARCGIS. The maps that we make today include TONS of information laid over the map, and some element of interactivity.

CartoDB is an example of a company doing this.

Have you considered going to a Dev Boot Camp style program? They are intense, but you come out with a pretty good base knowledge of coding - a few friends of mine have done it and found decent jobs since.
posted by thelastpolarbear at 7:38 AM on January 2, 2016

There is a lot of map work in municipal government, especially cities with property rights, utilities, rights of way, etc all pushed together. With an old city, there is always the chance of finding and identifying really old stuff. See if you can scare up an urban planner to talk to.
posted by SemiSalt at 8:48 AM on January 2, 2016

A friend of mine does this exact thing for a living. He's worked both for local government and small startups. Over the past year his job has taken him to Bangladesh and Kenya to do these types of map things. He has a degree in computer science but as far as I know, just a certification in GIS. His programming knowledge and experience definitely helped him get into this career though. I think there are several points of entry into this field, but definitely take some GIS classes/get certified.
posted by a knot unknown at 1:53 PM on January 2, 2016

There are definitely jobs for cartographers out there, and they earn good money from both little "shops" and big orgs like the NYTimes or Huffington Post. I'm not sure what experience folks in this thread are coming from, honestly. You know those before/after Japanese tsunami maps? Made by cartographers.

Every state also employs dedicated cartographers for official publications.

Anyway, I suspect you want a dedicated cart program, i.e. schooling. You need a combination of mapping skills, design skills, and progamming technical ability to do cart now, and I'm fairly dubious that the necessary training-plus-connections is gonna happen through self-directed learning (and I am generally in favor of self-directed learning!).

Off the top of my head (as I have a family function), I'd start by talking to graduate or certificate programs at Kentucky, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. They're all well known. I'm sure there are other good ones out there as well.
posted by migrantology at 2:05 PM on January 2, 2016

Where are you in Canada? I suggest taking a look at the Centre of Geographic Sciences, Sir Sandford Fleming, and Algonquin College. UofT also has a distance ed certificate in GIS for Environmental Management.
posted by avocet at 9:32 PM on January 2, 2016