Carline Amsing – Younger Geospatial professional

Our next Younger Geospatial Professional Spotlight Interview is with Carline Amsing who is located in the Netherlands. What strikes me is the high level of professional geospatial opportunities that she has been taking advantage of.

1. Please provide a recap of your post high school education and training. Do you have any licenses or certifications? Are you a member of any organizations?

Carline Amsing with Jack Dangermond

After high school I enrolled at Utrecht University in a Bachelor program: Human Geography and Planning. During my Bachelor my interest in GIS grew so I signed-up for the master’s program in Geographical Information Management and Applications (GIMA). This is a two-year masters program co-organised by four universities: Utrecht University, Technical University of Delft, Twente University and Wageningen University. The program focusses on acquiring advanced GIS skills and also covers the management of geo-information and spatial data infrastructure in organizations. I fulfilled my internship at the Netherlands’ Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency. For my thesis I researched a new surveying method, smart sketch maps, which can be used in developing countries.

During my studies I got involved in our national geo-association, GIN. I became an active member by joining a regional committee (GIN-East) and setting-up a committee for students and young professionals (YoungGIN). Both groups organize all sorts of activities for professional engagement. From November 2018 onwards, I fulfill a volunteer position on the board of our national geo-association as regional coordinator.

Through my national association I learned about the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and the FIG Young Surveyors Network in 2016. Since there was a European meeting scheduled in Amsterdam in the same year, I was easily able to join. The meeting got me excited to contribute to the network and stay involved. This has brought me many opportunities. I got to organize and join FIG meetings in Helsinki and Istanbul. And together with three other Young Surveyors we organized four Young Surveyor Sessions during the Esri User Conference in 2018. During the Conference we even got to pitch our network and ideas to Jack Dangermond, which was really exciting!

2. When did you become interested in the surveying profession and what are some of the things that made it a career that you wanted to pursue?

During my Bachelor I followed some courses in GIS. I discovered a way to use spatial information in decision-making. That was one of the things which inspired me. There is so much data available with a spatial component, this provides many possibilities. I want to be a part of that so therefore I decided to make a career out of it. And besides that, who doesn’t love maps?!

3. Can you provide a timeline with description of the positions you have held in the surveying profession to date?
After my studies I started a traineeship at the Dutch government (September 2017). This is a rotation program for young professionals in IT. In two years’, time you fulfill three assignments at different government agencies and receive additional courses in IT. I am currently working at the Defense Geographic Agency on geo-data supply and analyses. I really like the dynamic environment. Defense uses countless geospatial applications which brings many opportunities. However, the size and hierarchical structure of the organization brings its challenges as well.

Carline and Friends

4. Do you think this will be a long term career for you? Why or why not?

Definitely, I have started a traineeship in IT in order to broaden my horizon. However, my geo-roots will never leave me. I do think the geospatial business should not separate itself from other fields of work, but rather integrate and show the added value of the geospatial approach to current challenges.

5. What are a couple of ideas that could attract more young people to the surveying profession?

I think the surveying profession should be highlighted from early on. In the Netherlands we have some primary schools which teach short projects on surveying and geospatial analysis. It would be great if this topic would be incorporated into the curriculum in primary and high schools as well. This way, the profession becomes more known to young people.

6. Any further thoughts or comments, perhaps how you see all of this technology changing the world?

We are working in a growing geospatial business, so many new challenges and opportunities will arise in the near future. We should use this for the betterment of society and to make our own positive impact, big or small!

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