Intern at USGS (Reston, VA)

Cartographer/Geospatial Data Analyst, USGS Science Information and Library Services

I. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is engaged in the conversion of printed topographic quadrangles to an electronic format. The goal of this project is to scan all scales and all editions of the more than 250,000 topographic maps published by the USGS since 1884. The Historic Quadrangle Scanning Project (HQSP) is accurately cataloging and creating metadata to accompany high resolution georeferenced digital files representing the lithographic maps. Scanning will be accomplished through a combination of in-house work and collaborative partnerships. Partnerships will facilitate scanning and eliminate duplication of effort. The HQSP will scan the complete collection of paper topographic maps at a minimum of 400 pixels per inch and in 24-bit color. The archived files will be GeoTIFF images with embedded metadata. The HQSP will follow priority areas as documented for the US-Topo production.

The Historical Quadrangles Scanning Project (HQSP) will be done using a combination of hardware (commercially acquired scanner and computer) and software (scanning software as supplied by the scanner manufacturer, operating system for the computer, two Microsoft Access database files and the USGS HQSP.exe software for metadata confirmation or updating).

II. SKILL OR RELEVANT EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

1. Ability to work with minimum supervision on performing routine procedures
2. Knowledge of map interpretation, cartography and various graphics formats.
3. Working knowledge of GIS, especially on spatial data capture (scanning) and compilation.
4. Working knowledge of database, such as MS Access will be desirable.
5. Knowledge of spatial metadata standards.
6. Background knowledge of geology and/or physical geography is helpful.
7. Majored in Geography, Geology/Earth Science, Environmental Science, or closely related disciplines.

III. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE AND WORKLOAD:

• Starting on December 1, 2009 or earlier. Contingent on funding, the project is expected to last from 18 to 24 months.
• 16-32 hours per week.

IV. APPLY:

Selected student will be hired by USGS through the Student Educational Employment Program (STEP). Therefore candidates have to be U.S. citizens. Interested students should apply to Professor David Wong (dwong (at) gmu.edu) with a CV or resume.

Geospatial Analyst and Paid Internships at CIA

CIA Information Session
Date: Monday, October 26, 2009
Time: 12:30 – 2:00 pm
Place: Research 1, Room 302

Are you currently a geographer looking for creative, challenging, entrepreneurial work?

CIA’s analytical division has a unit that specializes in using the power of quantitative analysis to improve US policymakers’ understanding of international relations and national security issues. We are a technical group, bringing together specialists from several fields (including geographers, statisticians, network analysts, modelers, and technical support staff) who investigate a wide variety of substantive topics, ranging from terrorism to humanitarian crises and energy security.

Our analysts use diverse data sources and industry-standard tools in a vibrant intellectual atmosphere that encourages collaborative problem solving and learning new techniques. This job is ideal for go-getters who can network with topical experts to spot opportunities where quantitative techniques could help solve problems. The ability to clearly communicate results and methods to a nontechnical audience is highly valued. We strongly support continuous learning and foreign language training over the course of your career.

In addition to full-time permanent staff positions, the CIA offers paid internships for undergraduate and graduate students.

*All students are welcome to attend but applicants must be US citizens and willing to relocate to the Washington, DC area. A demonstrated interest in foreign languages and international relations or area studies is desirable.*

GIS Specialist at Distributed Information Technologies (Arlington, VA)

Job Description:
Distributed Information Technologies currently has an opening for a GIS Specialist to support a fast growing GIS consultancy focused on public sector clients.

Primary Responsibilities:
Work with our software development and Enterprise Asset Management teams to produce spatially enabled applications that support scenario modeling and impact analysis on a national scale. We are searching for exceptional talent to join software architects and Web developers in creating applications using the latest Web 2.0 mapping toolsets including, Adobe Flex, AIR, Google Maps/Earth, ESRI, Javascript and Flex APIs.

As a GIS specialist at DIT your contributions will have a direct impact on the products and services we provide. You will be responsible for GIS modeling, geo-database development, and spatially enabled web services using ESRI's ArcGIS platform and other OGC compliant software. You will be responsible for setting up and maintaining ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Server resources. You will work with a small team to develop mobile ArcPad and ArcMobile enabled solutions for field assessments and surveys.

You will work with a growing, highly accomplished, multi-disciplinary team that adheres to the principles of agile software development. Our staff works in a creative and challenging team setting where new ideas are encouraged and welcomed. We are looking for well-rounded GIS professionals who have the skills and the mindset to thrive in a diverse, cutting-edge environment.

Secondary Responsibilities:
You will be an integral part of our software development team and as such you will need to be comfortable understanding customer business requirements and be able to translate those requirements into use cases and system requirements that can be measured, tested and evaluated against quality assurance metrics. You will be expected to demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

As a GIS Specialist you will be expected to be comfortable using the major RDMS platforms including Oracle, MS SQL Server as well as MySQL and other open source databases. You will need some experience writing programs and macros in VBA. You will need to demonstrate the ability to install and configure the ESRI ArcGIS suite.

Desired Skills:

• Experience installing and configuring ArcGIS platform
• Experience using ArcMap to produce spatially enabled web services
• Experience using Oracle and MS SQL including writing and executing SQL scripts
• Experience configuring and extending ESRI's Flex and JavascriptAPIs
• COTS application support
• Experience in utilizing Geographic Position System (GPS) technology, coordinate systems to develop spatial models and maps
• Experience developing mobile GIS applications using ArcPad

Required Education/Skills:

• Bachelors degree in GIS, Geography, Engineering, Computer Science or other related field
• 3-5 years professional working experience in GIS techniques and methodologies
• Expertise in the ESRI platform suite of software including ArcGis/ArcInfo, ArcServer
• Working experience in GIS application development and programming utilizing ArcObjects and .Net
• Windows Operating Systems environment experience
• Knowledge of industry standard data models for municipal government agencies

Corporate Description:
Distributed Information Technologies, Inc. (DIT) is a small, fast-growing IT Services company specializing in state of the art enterprise applications. Based in northern Virginia, DIT designs, builds and implements cutting-edge IT solutions for federal and state government clients. DIT enjoys great success by combining nimble management, a top notch technical staff, and eye-to-eye customer service.

Salary
Career Level Required: Experienced (Non-Manager)
Experience Required: 2+ to 5 Years
Education Required: Bachelor's Degree
Job Type: Temporary / Contract
Job Status: Full Time
Hours/Shift

Contact Distributed Information Technologies for more information.

Science Data Engineer at ERT, Inc. (Silver Spring, MD)

Position Description
Support information systems development of specialized science data access utilities and their integration into operational systems to enable efficient and open access to the National Oceanographic Data Center’s archived oceanographic data streams and metdata. Communities served include scientists, managers, decision-makers, educators and the public. This includes development of tools to automate/streamline processes and performance of the following functions:

• Configure and optimize interoperable data servers and web services
• Implement OGC Web Mapping and Web Coverage Services)
• Setup and configure OPeN DAP and OGC servers, including OPeNDAP’s Hyrax and the THREDDS Data Server
• Support migration of files from one format to another (HDF, netCDF and others)
• Translate metadata to standard-compliant formats such as FGDC and ISO 19115 using XSLT
• Support the integration of geophysical products in NODC web portals, databases and other data management systems
• Support integration of software and systems and the related databases which support ingest, product generation and access of data.
• Support the implementation of processes, methods, tools, and systems to improve both product generation/archival/access and the completeness and quality of the data and of the metadata.

Required Skills
4 years in software analysis, software engineering, code development, and integration supporting geophysical research, and the science data systems for product generation, archiving and accessing. Experience working with geophysical data. Knowledge of and experience implementing OGC Web Mapping and Web Coverage Services and setup and configuration of OPeN DAP and OGC servers, including OPeNDAP’s Hyrax and the THREDDS Data Server. Experience with file format migrations (HDF, netCDF, and others) and metadata extractions to/from FGDC and ISO 19115 compliant standards using XSLT. Computer skills must include Linux shell scripting, PERL, python, relational database queries (SQL) and management. Climate and Forecast (CF) file-level metadata attribute conventions familiarity useful. Knowledge of other current mechanisms for finding and serving geophysical data and associated metadata such as: Search and Retrieval via URL (SRU), Catalog Services for the Web (CSW), and/or Sensor Observation Service (SOS).

Education
MS or higher in Physical Sciences (Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography, Remote Sensing), Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Engineering, or related discipline.

Submit resume to ERT’s Career Opportunities Web Page.

Earth Resources Technology, Inc. (ERT) is an equal opportunity employer.

Satellite Oceanographer at ERT, Inc. (Silver Spring, MD)

Position Description
Will support the development, ingest, archival, access/usage and sustained quality of satellite-based observational data products. Will support generation and reprocessing of space-based Climate Data Records (CDRs), which as a goal, assures scientific stewardship for Sea Surface Temperature (SST) products and other ocean products such as ocean color, ocean surface topography, and marine winds. Specific duties will be to:

• Integrate related in situ data and match-up databases into CDR product generation systems; develop and implement processes, methods, tools, and systems to improve CDR product generation and the completeness and quality of the data and of the metadata.
• Support the integration of the CDR products in NODC web portals, databases, and other data management systems including content management and updates.
• Work with data consumer s and providers to understand community requirements for data and data systems and work to optimize usage of the data amd efficiency in archive operations; ensure that user requirements and recommendations are factored into next generation CDRs.
• Document and describe product and product generation systems on web sites, in user manuals, and in other related forms.

Required Skills
5 years knowledge, understanding, and experience with the generation of satellite-based SST products such as AVHRR Pathfinder SST, MODIS SST (Terra and Aqua), and products from the international Group for High Resolution SST (GHRSST). Need an understanding of the oceanographic phenomena related to satellite CDR product generation and match-up database implementation and experience designing and implementing workflow processes to manage the production of large volume satellite datasets.

Knowledge of metadata including ISO19115 and FGDC standards w/remote sensing extensions; familiarity with netCDF-3 and 4, and HDF-4 and 5 formats, and the Climate and Forecast (CF) attribute conventions; and experience in time series analyses and other statistical analyses. Computer skills should include UNIX/Linux environment; Workflow management, C/C++, MATLAB, Java.

Good communication skills and demonstrated team effectiveness required.

Education
MS in Physical Oceanography, Marine/Ocean Science, Remote Sensing, Atmospheric Science, Engineering (fluid dynamics), Physics or Mathematics, or related discipline.

Submit resume to ERT’s Career Opportunities Web Page.

Earth Resources Technology, Inc. (ERT) is an equal opportunity employer.