10 Question GeoGeek Rapidfire – Scott Carter @ScottCarterGIS

Once again, time for another GeoGeek rapid fire, this time I have Scott Carter, Creative Director, Creative Map Solutions, Firestone CO. A great connection and go-to guy for all things about Geo Data, webmapping, and GeoTech in Colorado.

10 Question GeoGeek Rapidfire – Scott Carter @ScottCarterGIS

I’m pleased to introduce you to Scott, in case you don’t know of him and his company. If you do business in Colorado then you’ve no doubt encountered Scott, if not, I’m sure you will in the near future. Scott’s Company, Creative Map Solutions has been around for some 20 years now (albeit with a name change along the way) and of interest, Scott did some scanning work for yours truly way back in the late 1990s, our first introduction!

And so, meet Scott and enjoy this brief Q&A:

Q {Glenn}: PC or MAC?

A {Scott}: PC

Q {Glenn}: Coffee or Tea & Beer or wine?

A {Scott}: Coffee, Beer (sometimes too much of each).

Q {Glenn}: ArcGIS or QGIS (or other)?

A {Scott}: ArcGIS. I downloaded QGIS to play around with, but I have been too busy to install the software.

Q {Glenn}: iOS or Android?

A {Scott}: Android

Q {Glenn}: ESRIUC or FOSS4G?

A {Scott}: ESRIUC. I hope to make it out next year, sharing a booth with my Business Partner, Contex.

Q {Glenn}: If I was to look on your bed table or coffee table, what are you currently reading? (Sorry of this sounded creepy!)

A {Scott}: It’s only creepy if you are actually under my bed or coffee table. “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson and “The Prize” by Daniel Yergin

Q {Glenn}: On the job front, is your company hiring or have you recently made a hire? Also, are there any challenges you face in hiring Geotech talent?

A {Scott}: I just started my new venture “Creative Map Solutions” in January of 2015. This is after serving as President and CEO at “Digital Data Services, Inc.”, a company I helped form in 1998 with my brother Dave Carter. So although I have extensive experience in the GIS industry, I am a relatively new company. I have not made any new hires (sans my wife), but I do plan to expand Creative Map Solutions at some point. As it sits right now, I am very content taking a break from hiring and managing personnel…

Q {Glenn}: Scenario, I’m a College student wanting a career in “GIS” what words of wisdom can you give me? Also, I often get people asking what courses or prof. development can I suggest. Is there a short course through Coursera or code academy etc… that you would suggest for a geogeek?

A {Scott}: If you truly want to pursue a job in GIS then I would recommend that you determine two things- what interests you the most about GIS and which industry(s) seem the most intriguing for you to enter. Every company and every industry has some sort of spatial component that is critical to their operation. So if you are passionate about GIS and Marketing then focus your attention on how you can utilize your GIS skills in a marketing environment (e.g., analyzing geospatial demographic data to seize new market opportunities). Your GIS skills would be of most value if you pursue a career that excites you.

I also strongly recommend that all GIS students (and GIS professionals) really understand the various data types and formats, and the importance of data conversion. If you do not understand the difference between raster and vector or how to manipulate the data properly (whether it is file to file conversion, scanning, georeferencing, digitizing, attribution, etc.), then I don’t believe you can be effective as a GIS professional. All of your processes have a cause and effect, so if you muddle up one of those processes, your entire analytics is tainted.

Q {Glenn}: I’m a bit of a skeptic regarding the economy at the moment and don’t view things as being completely rosy. How do you see the current business climate unfolding?

A {Scott}: Our need for information has increased dramatically over the past 10 years. Companies and individuals want quick and reliable information, so this is where I see the business climate unfolding. Those individuals and industries that are involved in providing information to the consumer will continue to thrive for many years. I believe that we are just at the tip of the iceberg with GIS as more and more companies are realizing the importance of GIS as it relates to their business model. Web-based mapping is also part of this growth as it empowers all individuals within an organization (both technical and non-technical) to quickly and easily query and analyze spatial data.

Q {Glenn}: Can you share a snippet of what’s exciting and/or on the horizon for you or your company?

A {Scott}: I am thrilled about my new venture, Creative Map Solutions because I have been working on more presentation and graphic design (cartographic) related projects. Our primary focus is on film and media, providing map graphics for television, motion pictures, web, and print…which are always exciting projects to work on!

Thanks for taking part Scott!

You can connect with Scott via:
Twitter: @creativemaps or @ScottCarterGIS
http://www.creativemapsolutions.com/