Hi, I’m Aaron. I make maps and things. I’m a Florida native and currently work for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, providing enterprise GIS support to its many program areas. I try to learn something new for every project I do—whether that’s taking up a new skill, experimenting with new styles, or getting side-tracked in research material.
I’ve been working in GIS professionally since 2016 and have been goofing around with maps for even longer (going back to smudged, Tolkien-esque knock-off maps drawn on middle-school loose leaf). When not making maps, I sometimes make other things, like wooden furniture, linoleum prints, landscape photography, or written stories that never see the light of day. Kayaks are my transportation of choice, and I have a dog named Wedge, who is the best co-pup in the galaxy.
Work
- Florida Dept of Environmental Protection (2016–)
- GTM National Estuarine Research Reserve (2016)
- Unmappy things, like sweeping tennis courts and installing fire alarms (– 2016)
Education
- B.S. Environmental Science – Florida State University (2013)
- Graduate Certification in GIS – University of West Florida (2015)
Skills
- Cartography
- Python (Data processing and workflow automation)
- Assorted software
- ArcGIS (Pro | Desktop | Online | Mobile Apps | Drone2Map)
- QGIS
- GIMP
- Inkscape
- Blender
- Adobe (Photoshop | Illustrator | Premiere | Lightroom)
- Microsoft Excel
- Drones (DJI Phantom 3 Advanced)
- Generating sawdust
- Measuring twice and cutting once
- Setting off fire alarms, constructively
- Turning dials on a Pentax K-50
Other
- Atlas of Design Editing Team (2021–)
- GISP Certification (2021–)