Join the Oregon URISA Young Professionals for a social and networking event at Apex Bar on Thursday, September 13 from 5:30 to 8pm. Here is your chance to get involved in an exciting group geared towards developing a robust network of emerging geospatial professionals in Oregon. 

Who: GIS professionals, both current and aspiring.
What: Brainstorming, networking, informal planning for GISPro Conference and OpenStreetMap State of the Map, both to be held October 2012 in Portland, Oregon
When: Thursday September 13 5:30 - 8pm
Where: Apex Bar, 1216 SE Division Street  Portland, OR 97202
Why: OR-URISA YP is a newly-formed interest group within OR-URISA, the Oregon chapter of URISA, a professional association for the geospatial community. Check out our mission statement below. OR-URISA YP cabinet members hope to have a strong group presence at the 2012 URISA conference, GISPro, to be held September 30 - October 4th in Portland, Oregon. Cabinet members are also active in planning OpenStreetMap State of the Map, going on October 13-14 in Portland. We are hosting a social to informally plan for these events, reach out to prospective members, network, and brainstorm how to support and advocate for the continued development of a robust geospatial community in the great State of Oregon. Although we are specifically focused on the needs of young professionals (under 35 years of age or <10 years in the industry), all are welcome to get involved!

Feel free to drop in anytime between 5:30 and 8pm. Apex is cash-only so be sure to bring a few bucks for a drink. Please email Betsy Breyer [email protected] with any questions.

OR-URISA YP Mission Statement:
The mission of the OR-URISA Young Professionals is to provide the young professional geospatial community with the resources to develop and maintain outstanding careers. Chief among these resources is interaction with industry leaders through mentorship, internship opportunities, and workshops. In addition, the group aims to share its knowledge of emerging GIS technology and techniques with the broad geospatial community, industry professionals, and the public.

In case you haven’t heard yet, URISA’s Annual Professional Conference,  GIS-Pro, has teamed up with the annual Northwest GIS User’s Conference for a joint educational extravaganza September 30 through October 4, 2012. 

The conferences have been combined to offer, for the first time, the outstanding technical workshops you are accustom to attending the NWGIS User’s Conference along with the variety of international GIS policy and visionary sessions found at the GIS Pro Conference.  All for the cost of just attending one of these conferences.

Along with the workshops and educational sessions, featured speakers will include Jack Dangermond, ESRI founder,  Professor Michael Goodchild, the University of California Santa Barbara, andJohn Sanderson, Microsoft’s Cloud Evangelist. 

This will be URISA’s 50th Anniversary Conference!

For more information and to register please go to http://www.gis-pro.org/ and click on the GIS-Pro 2012 tab.

The APCG offers travel grants of $200 ($50 for locals) to help defray the expenses of student presenters. Awards will be made by random lottery, up to a maximum total of $4000.

There is a student paper/poster competition that is a great chance for students to be recognized for excellence in research and presentation. This year we have nine awards, including the two new Christopherson Geosystems Awards for Applied Geography/Earth Systems.

Information and application forms for both of these are available on the APCG site at http://www.csus.edu/apcg/awards12.htm

Please note that both the travel grants and the paper/poster competition require that separate applications be sent directly to:

Dr. Gregory S. Bohr
Associate Professor of Geography, Social Sciences Department
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
(805) 756-1322, Building 47 - 12C 

The paper/poster competition also requires an extended abstract for all entries (including posters). The due date for all of these forms is September 14, 2012.

OpenStreetMap, the free wiki world map, is hosting its annual US national conference October 13th and 14th in Portland, OR. If you’re not familiar with OpenStreetMap (OSM) it’s one of the most comprehensive world maps in existence, but what makes OSM really cool is that is owned by the people who create it – thousands of volunteers all over the world – and anyone can become a contributor to or consumer of the data for free. OSM is a great resource not only because of the high quality of its map data (which is superior to its  proprietary counterparts in many regions of the world, including the Portland area), but also because of the open source, supplementary tools that have been developed by the OSM community that allow us to utilize, convert, and manipulate OSM data for everything from map tiles, to routing, to spatial analysis and more. 

This conference will bring together people contributing to all phases of the OpenStreetMap project as well as those aiming to learn about OSM, and will look to the future of where the project is going and how to continue to generate map data and tools that challenge competitors like Google, Bing, and Apple. State of the Map US is a part of a month of October in Portland that will be packed with geo conferences: starting with URISA’s GIS-Pro September 30th through October 4th and concluding with the NACIS cartography conference October 17th through 19th. We’re right between the two and will be integrated with WhereCampPDX, so if you’re an out-of-towner it’s a great time to visit and if you’re a local you should take this opportunity to hone your geospatial knowledge and skills without having to leave the comfort of your home town!

Event Details: 
State of the Map is a community-based conference, and there's an open call for session proposals – which are due **Friday, August 31**. If you're working with OpenStreetMap – whether on a project, in an app, contributing to the dataset, or in any other way that you’d like to share – we’d love for you to submit a session.

Registration for the conference is open and the two-day event costs $80. You will receive a $30 discount if you are a member if the OpenStreetMap US Chapter, which costs only $20 for a one year membership (and $15 for students). If you’re interested in volunteering for the conference please contact Bonnie Bogle at [email protected] 

For more information visit the conference website at http://stateofthemap.us. 

GIS Data Services Specialist – Forest disturbance and carbon cycling
Location: Newton Square, Pennsylvania (U.S. Forest Service Northern
Research Station)
Employer: University of Florida
Supervisors: Richard Birdsey (http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/people/Birdsey/)
and Jeremy Lichstein
(http://biology.ufl.edu/People/faculty/jlichstein.aspx)

Overview:
This position is located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania at the U.S.
Forest Service Northern Research Station (Climate, Fire, and Carbon Cycle
Sciences Research Work Unit) and is part of a collaborative effort with
the University of Florida, Department of Biology. Main duties are to
provide Geographic Information System (GIS) and data management support
for developing spatial databases that summarize current and historical
forest disturbances: wildfire, insects, timber harvesting, wind, etc. Data
sources include forest inventory data, aerial surveys, and existing
spatial databases that need to be merged into a single, consistent
database. We seek a candidate with expertise in managing very large data
sets and in applying analysis techniques and models within a GIS
framework. A Master’s or PhD degree in biological or environmental
sciences with a strong emphasis on GIS and data management is preferred.

Geographic Information Systems Applications (40%):
Plan and execute complex projects involving digital image processing on
data acquired from both space and airborne imaging platforms, such as
Landsat, SPOT, AVHRR, RADARSAT, airborne digital camera, and LiDAR.
Responsible for managing natural resource data, both spatial and tabular.
Work closely with staff in developing management interpretations and
applications using GIS data. Provide technical support for various natural
resources databases, including management of spatial data and related
information structures. Develop applications using both spatial and
relationship database queries and report writers as needed. Work with
staff specialists in developing interpretations and applications of GIS
data for natural resource modeling. Apply fundamental principles and
techniques associated with modeling and analysis procedures related to
geospatial and attribute data and products. Use spatial statistical tools
for modeling geospatial and attribute data to simulate, estimate,
interpolate, and predict ecosystem processes.

GIS Database Administration (40%):
Provide technical expertise and coordination in the design,
implementation, management, analysis, and use of spatial and attribute
databases. Develop policies and procedures to ensure geospatial and
attribute database security and to allow appropriate access to data.
Ensure consistency and quality of existing and newly created datasets.
Develop spatial database input and output standards and ensure that data
is in the correct format for data capture and data output. Coordinate
relationship of layer design, spatial information, and database so the
results of appropriate modeling techniques can be applied. Ensure
cooperation with other organizations and staff personnel.

Technical Analysis (20%):
Perform statistical analyses using established methods and procedures.
Assist senior staff in preparing integrated assessments of disturbance
processes and their effects on ecosystems. Prepare reports summarizing
analysis results and discussing their scientific, policy, and management
implications.

Duration and timing: One year, with an option to extend depending on the
availability of funds. Start-date is flexible, with a preferred start date
on or before January 14, 2013.

Preferred qualifications: Master’s or PhD degree in biological or
environmental sciences with a strong emphasis on GIS and data management.

Salary: $50,000-62,000 (commensurate with experience) plus benefits.

To apply: Send a single pdf including a cover letter explaining interest
in and qualifications for the position, CV, and contact information for 3
references to Jeremy Lichstein ([email protected]). Applications will be
reviewed beginning on Sept. 24, 2012, and the position will remain open
until filled.

Minorities, women and members of other underrepresented groups are
encouraged to apply. The University of Florida is an equal opportunity
institution.

The Port is currently seeking a new GIS/ environmental intern.  This is a great opportunity to support Port environmental work and initiatives, as well as work alongside the GIS Program in an enterprise GIS environment.
 
Candidates have until August 31st at 5pm PDT to submit applications (full position description and requirements linked below):
 
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/portofportland/default.cfm?action=viewjob&jobid=508071
 

Multnomah County’s Local Public Safety Coordinating Council (LPSCC) is a partnership of government and community groups working together to reduce crime, improve public safety, and promote an effective justice system. Among other functions, LPSCC integrates data from complex and interconnected systems to help guide policy and decision-making. LPSCC is seeking a part-time, temporary Research Assistant to support this work.
 
Primary Duties
 
Assist in production of a regular public safety trends report: Extract data from existing database, perform trend and statistical calculations, highlight trends for further analysis, proof and check data for errors.
 
Special research projects: Support LPSCC research projects by querying internal and external databases, performing statistical analysis/sampling, creating data collection tools, and developing research questions. Contribute to disseminating research through memos, reports, and presentations.
 
Attend and support meetings: Present data, create and distribute written meetings summaries.
 
Related duties as assigned.

This is a part-time, temporary position, with an estimated 10-15 hours a week for approximately 6-10 months, with some flexibility. 

For more about LPSCC, see: http://web.multco.us/lpscc

For full job description and application details:  http://agency.governmentjobs.com/multnomah/default.cfm?action=viewJob&jobID=511653

GIS TECHNICIAN (#PTL1202)

Parametrix, a premier Northwest-based engineering, planning and environmental sciences consulting firm works hard to create a fun, compassionate, supportive environment. Our PORTLAND office is looking for a Part-Time GIS Technician responsible for GIS mapping, data creation and analysis services for a variety of complex environmental, transportation and water projects.

Work responsibilities will include: acquisition and consolidation of geospatial data files, organization and maintenance of data catalogs, creation and attribution of GIS data, generation of production quality figures, and development and documentation of data analyses.  Candidates must be proficient in ESRI’s ArcGIS suite of mapping software, and those with professional GIS experience are preferred.  Candidates must understand principles, practices, and techniques of GIS data development, management, and analysis.   We are seeking candidates who are flexible and willing to work PT with potential to grow into a full-time position. 

The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, able to work independently on multiple tasks, and possess effective communication skills.  Attention to detail and the ability to provide high-quality products in a fast-paced service and quality oriented environment are essential.

If the above description sounds like you, please submit a letter of interest and resume through our website to requisition PTL1202.

www.parametrix.com

Parametrix
Inspired People… Inspire Solutions… Making a Difference

Equal Opportunity Employer    

The Freshwater Trust is looking for a motivated entry-level GIS Tech to join their team!

Position summary:
This is a full time position that reports to the GIS Manager. The GIS Technician is an integral part of the team that creates, maintains and utilizes GIS in support of conservation activities. The GIS Technician will collaboratively design and develop mapping systems and databases for staff and the public. This position interacts with a diverse mix of subject matter experts across various program areas within the conservation department.

For full job description and application guidelines: 
http://www.thefreshwatertrust.org/sites/thefreshwatertrust.org/files/pdf/the-freshwater-trust-job-posting_gis-technician_2012.pdf 

GIS Technician 1
Union Position
Engineering; Portland
Regular; Full-Time
Posting # 50082221

General Purpose: Maintains and updates engineering records through operation of a GIS, CAD, or computer graphics system.

For full job description and application details:
https://www.nwnatural.com/Careers/Details/50082221