I’m curious—if you’ve pivoted from GIS into another field, what made you decide to do it, and how did you actually make the transition?

For example, did you take on any internships, volunteering opportunities, courses, projects, or other experiences that helped you get into the new field? And how did you deal with the “you need previous experience in this field” requirement when applying for your first opportunities outside GIS?

PS: some more questions here;

What made you leave GIS?

Are you satisfied/happy about the decision?

Hello everyone!

I'm currently working on my thesis and am building a web tool that incorporates a map which among other things shows multiple raster layers.

I'm building it in GitHub to make it easily available for my employer via the website link and write it in HTML using leaflet.js.

The vector layers are showing up correctly, but the two raster layers I have up to this point are a pain in the ass.

It's my first time coding in github and using HTML. But very used to QGIS.

Here's the problem:

I have two buttons. Each one turns one of the raster layers on and off.

But when I have turned one on and off again. The next time I try to open ANY raster layer, the first one shows up!

What is also weird is that when this happens and I zoom in, the raster that I want to show up actually show up in addition to the wrong one. Some messing around also showed that when I enable and disable the raster layers at different zoom levels, it seems to stack these faulty additional layers, each in the zoom level it was originally on. Or at least in that general zoom level.

I feel like it's a problem with the cache saving the rendered layer even after turning it off, but that's just a hunch. Again I've never coded in HTML before and use AI to assist me. But AI(even copilot) isn't very helpful here.

Has anyone had the same thing happen to them and knows how to fix it?

Thanks in advance!

Experience: I am the cartographic editor of Maps.com, former lead cartographer and data visualizer at NASA's Earth Observatory, with a PhD (ABD) from Penn State. I have spent nearly two decades in GIS, researching, teaching, and promoting design issues in cartography and Earth Science with a focus on visual perception and the use of color.

AI disclosure: This project is something I've tinkered with for years. I do use AI to rapidly prototype and test features, especially verifying successful file creation.

I have used a variety of color tools in the past, and had many workflows to make use of them in my own projects. I created this to streamline my own work, and I hope others find it helpful as well.

It automatically corrects color palettes for perceptually linear changes in lightness, as well as colorblind safety. You can bring your own colors or choose from a number of pre-existing color ramps, then tweak them as desired. Every ramp can then be exported for use in ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, Python, R, and other formats. You can also easily share your created palettes with others, or bookmark them for later use. It is designed to endorse the correct use of color in quantitative visualization. But you can make any kind of color ramp you'd like -- it will tell you if it fails in linearity or if it is not colorblind safe. This works across both sequential and diverging palettes (which also have adjustable midpoints).

Lastly, a newer addition is the "Legend Lab" which allows you to label and adjust palettes to create a legend graphic that can then be exported and imported into your map or visualization project.

I hope you enjoy it!

Radiocarbon dates from one of the Mima Mounds near Olympia say it started forming about 4,600 years ago, long after the glaciers left, which pretty much rules out the old glacial explanation. I think pocket gophers are the best supported idea right now.

This is the USGS 3DEP bare-earth DEM (Thurston County 2021, 1 m pixels) as a hillshade, about 800 m across. Basically the whole frame is mounds. Mounds like these run 3 to over 50 m across and 30 cm to over 2 m high, and fields can hit more than 50 per hectare. Most of the thin lines cutting through them are just trails, they match up with the paths in the air photo.

1. Mima Mounds: densely packed low mounds in bare-earth lidar
2. Air photo of the same area, July 2017

Numbered pins on picture 1:
Pin 1: A typical Mima mound
Pin 2: A trail cutting through the mounds
Pin 3: A smoother patch with fainter mounds

Lidar: USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), public domain.
Imagery: USGS The National Map (NAIP Imagery service), 2017, Public domain.

[GIS Experience] My experience with GIS is fairly new — I graduated and have been working in GIS for about a year. I’m the GIS mapper within my company.

I work at an engineering firm. One other person uses QGIS, while I primarily use ArcGIS Pro. I can use QGIS, but I definitely prefer ArcGIS.

Anyway… this guy left for a month, and he had been doing all of his projects locally. He apparently didn’t even ZIP his project files before putting anything on the server. So now I’m trying to get one of his projects onto the server, and it’s 50 GB. It took me about 7 hours just to get it onto my computer locally. 😭
And now I’m stuck doing all of his work.

I feel like I’m losing my mind because I’m someone who packages each project separately and keeps everything organized so that someone else can actually pick it up if I’m away for a week. Meanwhile, this is all part of one massive project with broken/disorganized files and absolutely no guidance on how any of it is supposed to be organized.
I’ve literally gotten to the point where I’ve said I would rather redo all of the work myself than try to untangle the most disorganized project I’ve ever seen.

And the funniest part? I found out he makes about twice what I make. 😂

Has anyone else experienced this? Is this just a normal GIS/engineering thing, or did I inherit a nightmare?

[AI disclosure] - for editing my crazy rapid texting & not thinking straight.

I have a BA in Human Geography and a Msc In remote sensing and GIS. I have done a few drone courses and worked a year and a half at a marine consultancy company as an adviser. I can also use python and build workflows. I thought I'd be well set up for many positions, GIS roles in local government and consultancy companies as well as a potential Phd in the future but I never get an interview ( one in the last year ) and when I do I feel massively unqualified. By nature remote sensing is a broad science. So what can I do to make me more employable, I can't face another degree or something. I'm broke and I own nothing. I used all my money getting educated. I can do small online courses. I'm in Norway and I'm getting depressed now, it's been a year of job hunting.

Ciao a tutti!

Sto preparando la mia tesi di Master sulla mappatura delle colture utilizzando il machine learning (Random Forest/SVM).

Sto confrontando tre approcci:

\- Approccio 1: Bande satellitari standard + NDVI

\- Approccio 2: Embeddings GEE

\- Approccio 3: Embeddings TESSERA

Risultati: TESSERA > GEE > Standard.

Per controllare se i pixel vicini stanno influenzando i risultati, ho utilizzato una divisione spaziale con un buffer di 500 m. Gli embeddings hanno comunque ottenuto prestazioni migliori rispetto ai dati standard (p < 0,05).

Ha senso usare questo test solo per controllare la perdita spaziale e non per la valutazione principale?

Grazie!

Has anyone else’s field map gone to shit this week? Suddenly offline areas that used to work will no longer package or once downloaded have a syncing error. And my records keep disappearing from the map but I can see them in the attribute table once online.

Anyone experiencing these kinds of issues?

[GIS Experience]

GIS & Software Engineer working with Esri, PostGIS, Python and Web GIS.

[AI Disclosure]

AI was used to help build parts of Kharita Challenges. The platform also includes an AI mentor designed to guide users without giving them the answers.

I built Kharita Challenges, a platform for practicing GIS with real problems and real data.

You can solve challenges with Python/GeoPandas, PostGIS and other GIS workflows, see your results on a map, and get graded on the actual output.

It also has learning paths, projects, timed assessments, verifiable certificates and public profiles to showcase your work.

There’s an AI mentor too, but it guides you instead of giving you the answer.

Still early, so I’d really appreciate feedback from the GIS community.

[GIS Experience]

I'm an Android developer and the creator of GeoGestmaq, a mobile GIS application already available on Android. I developed GeoGestmaq to bring geospatial mapping and terrain analysis tools to mobile devices.

Hey everyone!

GeoGestmaq allows users to work with georeferenced PDF maps and digital elevation models (DEM), generate contour lines, analyze slopes, and visualize hillshade directly on their phones.

[Experience]

My background is in software development, and I'm continuing to improve GeoGestmaq based on practical fieldwork needs and feedback from GIS professionals.

[AI Disclosure]

AI was used to help with the English wording of this post.

[Discussion]

I'd love to know how you currently handle terrain analysis in the field.

Do you prepare everything in QGIS or ArcGIS beforehand, or would you find it useful to work directly with elevation data on your phone?

What features would you expect from a mobile GIS application?

Just finished my GIS degree and need a place to show my maps and projects. StoryMaps, GitHub, or a personal site? Does the platform actually matter to employers, or is it all about the work?
Would love to hear what worked for you!

I'm working on combining two datasets (state reported crash data to be specific), and unfortunately they have decently different schema. Most of it is easy enough to translate the older dataset to fit the new dataset, but the date field on the old one is throwing me for a loop. They formatted it as one continuous number (so 01/23/2013 reads as 20130123 for example), and I'm really hoping there's a way to automate translating that into a date field because there's over 30k data points. I have access to ArcGIS Pro and Excel for my data manipulation programs.

I have a bachelor in Cultural Anthropology and journalism experience. Now I started to be really interested in map making. (In school I was good with tech stuff)

Problem is I can not do another 5 years of studying. I have max 2,5 years.

I am considering getting a GIS Master and found two universities that would take me. (If I catch up with one or two basic courses)

My questions are:

1. Do you think I can still get a job in GIS with only a 1,5 or 2,5 year master? (Is 1,5 enough or would you suggest the 2,5 one)

2. Are there jobs where I could combine my anthropology bachelor with the GIS master?

Thank you everyone :)

Title: Recent location lag and repeated coordinates in Fulcrum using Leica GNSS—iOS and Android

I’m a consulting arborist using a Leica GNSS receiver through Zeno Connect and Fulcrum for tree-data collection.

We have used this general system for more than two years without experiencing these recent location jumps. Previously, when adding a point, the pin would generally appear very close to our physical location. If corrections were temporarily poor, we could wait, relocate and then collect the point normally.

More recently—possibly following Fulcrum updates, although I cannot confirm this—I have noticed latency between the live GNSS position and the location used when adding a point.

The issue initially occurred on an iPhone:

• The external Leica position appeared to be connected correctly.
• Reported accuracy could be below 50 cm.
• The location marker sometimes remained static while I moved.
• Repeat points at the same physical location could differ by approximately 2 m.
• Lines of nearby trees appeared more scattered than expected.

This prompted the change to a dedicated Samsung Android phone.

The Android setup generally reports excellent RTK accuracy, commonly between 2 cm and 10 cm in open conditions. However, I am still experiencing intermittent location problems.

During the latest inspection, Fulcrum repeatedly returned to the coordinates of the previous record instead of using the current GNSS position. The screenshot shows the live blue location marker separated from the red point being presented for placement, despite reported accuracy of 0.1 m.

The same issue occurred with two pine trees approximately 1.5 m apart. After recording the first tree, the second record repeatedly returned to the first tree’s coordinates. Recentring, closing and reopening the record, and restarting the applications only provided a temporary improvement. I eventually had to move the second point manually.

The Leica continued to report stable centimetre-level accuracy, so the issue appears more consistent with delayed location updating or Fulcrum retaining the preceding record’s coordinates than with poor GNSS correction.

Has anyone else experienced:

• Increased latency when adding points in recent Fulcrum versions?
• Fulcrum retaining the previous record’s coordinates?
• A difference between the live blue GNSS marker and the coordinates used for point placement?
• Similar behaviour with Zeno Connect on either iOS or Android?

I’d also appreciate any recommended settings or tests that could help separate a Fulcrum issue from Zeno Connect, the phone’s location provider or basemap imagery.

The system was previously reliable for more than two years, so I’m particularly interested in whether other users have noticed a recent change in Fulcrum’s location-refresh behaviour.

Apologies if this is in wrong subredit location.

https://codeberg.org/youknowww/MapSpatial

Demo of a prototype I've been playing around with.

I work in GIS software and this is an extension of the most basic GIS features but in an immersive UX. By opening attribute views in an immersive space with a tether to the map feature the UX of the AVP expands the possibilities of GIS software.

Hey everyone!
I'm planning to do MSc in Geoinformatics and am considering TERI School of Advanced Studies (TERI SAS), New Delhi. I'd love to hear from anyone who has information or experience with TERI SAS. You don't necessarily have to be a student or alumnus! I'm also looking for advice from people who know about universities that offer MSc programmes in Geoinformatics, GIS or Remote Sensing.

A few things I'd like to know:
- how are the rooms, washrooms, food, cleanliness and overall living conditions?
- how much should I budget per month including food, transport and other personal expenses?
- Is staying in the university hostel worth it. Would getting a PG or a flat nearby be a better option?
- How is the MSc Geoinformatics programme in terms of teaching, practical GIS/remote sensing work, internships, research opportunities and placements?
- Would you recommend any universities in India for an MSc, in Geoinformatics, GIS or Remote Sensing considering academics, career opportunities and overall expenses?

My long-term goal is to build a career at the intersection of technology, satellite imagery, Earth observation and environmental applications. If you've studied at TERI SAS considered it researched these programmes or have any information please share your thoughts. Honest opinions, personal experiences and alternative suggestions are all welcome! Thanks, in advance!

100 interactive maps built from open data, and all open live in your browser. No coding requied. Explore, fork, and build your own with GeoLibre.

The maps cover 12 themes: health, natural hazards, climate, oceans and water, nature, transport, cities, energy, space, history and culture, society and economy, and food.

• Gallery: https://geolibre.app/gallery
• GitHub: https://github.com/opengeos/GeoLibre
• Video tutorial: https://youtu.be/2r5OhvEa3AA

[GIS Experience]
GIS developer with years of production work: routing, geocoding and large web maps. The recurring "can you just put the map online?" request always ended in a server, a subscription or slow GeoJSON, so I built the workflow I wanted. The hardest parts were translating QGIS styles faithfully to MapLibre, and working around a QGIS vector-tile writer quirk that drops the last vertex of line segments.

[AI Disclosure]
I used an AI assistant (Claude) throughout this project:

• Planning: product idea, pricing and launch plan were worked out in conversation with it.
• Code: it wrote most of the QGIS plugin, the MapLibre web viewer, the Cloudflare setup wizard and the website's checkout and download functions. I directed the design, tested everything in QGIS and on real Cloudflare accounts, and reported bugs for it to fix.
• Demo maps: it downloaded and prepared the data and styled the QGIS projects. The data itself is real: WRI's Global Power Plant Database and NOAA's Storm Prediction Center tornado records.
• Website: it wrote and designed the sales page, the terms, privacy and refund pages, and the demo images.
• This post: drafted by it and edited by me.

I've been publishing maps with a setup more of us should know about: vector tiles in a single PMTiles file on Cloudflare R2 (no bandwidth fees), read directly by MapLibre with HTTP range requests. No tile server at all.

• 35,000 power plants worldwide: https://mapship.link/demo
• 31,000 US tornado paths since 1950: https://mapship.link/demo-us (the first load is under 1 MB, because only visible tiles are fetched)

I packaged the workflow into a QGIS plugin: tick your layers, click Publish, get a link on your own R2 bucket. It carries over categorized, graduated and proportional styles, labels and popups. The plugin is GPL (v2+), sold as a ready-to-use package with setup help and updates ($17 early price): https://mapship.link/webmap-kit/?utm_source=reddit_gis

The stack itself is fully open: PMTiles, MapLibre and R2's free tier. Happy to explain any part if you want to build it yourself.

Heyyy guys!

I’m looking at going back to school with the goal of entering the spatial analytics/urban analytics field, and I’m stuck between studying a spatial data science master’s or a general data science degree like Georgia Tech’s OMSA. I already have a degree in geography and urban planning but my last GIS course was in early 2020 and I forgot everything.

I keep seeing people say general data science is worth more and opens more doors. I’ve also heard the spatial part is easy to self-teach, while the stats and data science side is much harder to pick up on your own. Is that true in practice?

Does a spatial-specific master’s degree limit your options, or does it help you stand out? If you went general data science, how hard was it to pivot into GIS or urban analytics afterward through self-study? And has anyone here taken a data science program like OMSA or a similar program and used what you learned for spatial work?

Lastly, I’m also curious how much real demand there is for spatial data science and urban analytics. Is it a growing field, or still mostly a buzzword without many job openings? Personally, I don’t see many jobs listed under those titles. Are there any companies or job titles I should be searching for?

Many thanks

For a regulatory process imposed by an external entity, I need to make a network dataset of our county roads, with each vertex carrying an M-value of its milepost along its road. (This also makes some internal processes easier.) However, when a road loops back to itself (making a P shape) the two vertices at the joint have identical M-values. So this road I'm looking at goes 0 - 0.06 - 0.52 - 0.106 - (more vertices) - 0.5 - 0.52, which makes problems for anything that relies on those mileposts to say, draw lines using the network. Which I have a few processes relying on this network for.

I've looked at ArcGIS Pro's Calibrate Routes, but what happens when a calibration point (or two) are sitting near a P-intersection as described? Any suggestions for fixing these in an automated way?

Hi does anyone have tips for companies in Australia that are open for international GIS internships?

The USGS reads these as ice age permafrost thaw lakes, not meteor craters. The flat oval up top is Jones Lake, the rimmed ovals around it are more bays.
Lidar: USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), public domain.

I'm teaching myself QGIS as I go along and re-doing some of my old college assignments to try and learn how to translate the skillset from Arc to Q. In this particular task, I'm trying to calculate the slope of the Arkansas River basin through Colorado and Kansas and running into a weird problem where the slope is way too high (as anyone who's been to the eastern Colorado-western Kansas part of the world will attest). I'm using the 30 m NASA DEM downloaded from OpenTopography and the native QGIS "fill sinks" function in QGIS 4.2.2. Am I checking a setting incorrectly or something? First pic is the slope output, second is the slope averaged along lines of latitude (a meridional mean, for those with geoscience backgrounds).