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Career Paths in Geoscientific Data: Information, Surveying, Investigation, Exploration, and Education (Communications and Service Provision)
Mapping, Cadastral Surveys, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Citizen Information, Warning Systems, Close-Range and Long-Range Surveying
While specialist journalism and science communication are open to all natural sciences, geography has developed its own unique form of communication: exploration and education. Exploration is based on information that first needs to be generated and collected, then processed into knowledge, and finally made available in an understandable form. Interestingly, in the field of geography, the people who generate the information are also often the same people who educate citizens about what it means for them. Even the most physically-oriented geographers often find themselves working at local government offices, at information centers, and for educational campaigns, where they collaborate closely with their peers from the political sciences. While information and education in the field of political science has a strongly persuasive and compelling character, geographers still view their communication efforts more as a service, just as a map can be used for different purposes. Some experience in the field and proficient knowledge of GIS, accompanied by elements of strategic communication (PR, marketing), pave the way for a career that can lead to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, or beyond.
Possible Tasks
- You create, for example, updated terrain maps using complex geographic information systems (GIS). The analysis and evaluation of geographical, regional, meteorological influences play an important role.
- You conduct surveys and calculations that will serve as the basis for creating maps.
- With the help of GIS, you generate information to aid decision-making processes. Fields of application include green space information systems, tree cadastres, playground cadastres, and environmental databases.
- For companies, you develop location hunting criteria and use this to search for suitable business locations.
- You develop new GIS or contribute to their continued development at software companies. In GIS sales, you communicate with customers, create manuals, install GIS on site, and train users.
Industries and Occupations
- Land surveying and cadastral offices
- Environmental agencies
- Local government administration
- Software companies
- Tourism industry
- Healthcare
Job Boards and Professional Associations
