Inês Vilas Boas – Spotlight on a Younger Geospatial Professional
Inês Vilas Boas provides the next interview in the Lidar News Spotlight on Younger Geospatial Professionals from around the world. Congratulations to Inês for a great start on her career.
- 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?
I’m graduated in Geomatics Engineering (bachelor and master) in 2016. During the master I worked in a topographic/photogrammetric company. When I finished my master’s thesis I start working in Esri Portugal, where I’m currently working. After 6 months of working in Esri Portugal I received my first certification in ArcGIS Desktop Associate 10.5. Recently I start a postgraduate program in Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence. I’m also a member of Young surveyors Network (FIG) and the chair of Young Surveyors network of my country (Portugal)
- 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?
I chose my degree in university without knowing anything about it. Over the years I start liking the subjects and the type of work that I was able to do with the tools and knowledge I was receiving. I decided to take a year after the bachelor to work in the field, more specifically topography and photogrammetry, to see if I really liked that type of job and if I had taken the right degree. I liked it so much that I decided to take my master the year after to learn more. After I finished my master I started working in Esri Portugal.
- Can you provide a timeline with description of the positions you have held in the surveying profession to date?
2013 – 2016 : Trainee during 9 months and then Geomatics Engineer in Artop – Aero-Topográfica Lda.
2016 – present: GIS Technical Consultant in Esri Portugal
- Please describe some of the technology that you have become skilled in using and any challenges associated with using it on a daily basis.
ArcGIS – The challenges in this technology are to keep up with all the updates and new applications.
Lidar – Worked with this in my previous job and the challenge was always trying to clean the point cloud.
- Do you think this will be a long term career for you? Why or why not?
I hope so, because I really like what I do. But the intention of taking my postgraduate program is to step further and become better in my job or, maybe, in another.
- What are a couple of ideas that could attract more young people to the surveying profession?
Try to pass the message that this profession can help people in different ways, either in the cadastre of lands or in the prediction of events. More technically, I think the field work with drones and attractive maps about some interesting subject are great ways to attract young people, because young people like to be outside and be connected with cool stuff.
- Any further thoughts or comments, perhaps how you see all of this technology changing the world?
I can speak regarding my work field, GIS. I think GIS is becoming a powerful tool to predict things with the geography perspective, predict accidents for instance or even terrorist attacks, all this is becoming a new reality with the power of Artificial Intelligence applied in GIS.
Inês Vilas Boas Inês Vilas Boas Inês Vilas Boas
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