Unpaid Internship: GIS Data Officer

IMPORTANT:  This Advertiser has requested that applicants MUST be National Residents / Valid Work Permit-holders.  Other applicants need not apply.

 

 

An excellent opportunity to join a large and exciting project within the Kew Tropical Important Plant Areas project team. A crucial part of the TIPA project is the collection and analysis of digital geographic data for each of the TIPA project study countries.

As a GIS Analyst and Data Officer you will play a key role in the collation and creation of Geospatial data, working with many different GIS products, including country specific raster and vector data layers.

 

Duties/Responsibilities:

 

• Collate data for each country project and manage databases, maps and raster data (e.g. vegetation maps, climate data).
• Create and supply GIS-based maps and data, and meet other queries upon request by Kew TIPA staff, and Global project collaborators.
• Work with GIS supervisor to analyse data for: species status assessment relevance, monitoring potential, policy-guidance for use and dissemination.
• Complete full metadata for each data resource acquired
• Various other duties as defined by the GIS supervisor and Principal Investigator.

 

Qualifications:

 

GIS and ecology, environmental science or a similar spatial subject background, or be able to demonstrate substantial equivalent experience.

 

Person Profile The required person will ideally have:

 

• Good ArcGIS skills, ideally with experience of other GIS software (e.g. QGIS)
• Good experience and familiarity with MS Office programmes, especially Access, Excel, Word etc. and other database software
• Excellent report writing skills
• Awareness of contemporary spatial modelling techniques, such as species distribution modelling/connectivity analysis
• Some experience of working with statistical/data analytical skills, preferably using R
• Exceptional organisational skills
• The confidence to work on allotted tasks with minimal supervision
• An interest in tropical plant science
• An interest in expanding existing skills and staying up to date with contemporary approaches to conservation data collation and analysis

 

GIS Data Officer:

 

An excellent opportunity to join a large and exciting project within the Kew Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) project team. A crucial part of the TIPA project is the collection and analysis of digital geographic data for each of the TIPA project study countries: Guinea, Cameroon, Uganda, Mozambique, New Guinea (Indonesia), Bolivia, UK Overseas Territories

 

As a GIS Analyst and Data Officer you will play a key role in the collation and creation of geospatial data, working with many different GIS products, including country specific raster and vector data layers.

 

Placement:

 

• UK resident or relevant work visa/permit.
• An ideal candidate would be able to commit 6-9 months to this project.
• A minimum commitment of 4 months would be considered.

 

Start Date: ~ Feb 2016
Applications open

 

Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs)

 

TIPAs assessed and mapped in seven tropical countries by 2020

 

One in five of the world's plant species is threatened with extinction; many of these occur in the tropics, where species extinction continues due to destruction of natural habitats for agriculture, industry, energy and other development. We will identify concentrations of threatened species in the tropics, designating them as Tropical Important Plant Areas (TIPAs) and enabling national authorities to prioritise their protection. Many tropical countries lack the data and resources to demarcate their TIPAs, and Kew seeks to remedy this on a global basis, initially in selected countries where we have strong partnerships and robust data sets. The Important Plant Areas initiative, established by Plantlife International, provides an effective model using simple but scientifically sound and verifiable criteria. By 2020, Kew and our local partners will have completed the first phase of TIPA analysis: delimitation and mapping in seven countries throughout the tropics with information on the component species available through the Plants of the World Online Portal. Information from this output will feed directly into conservation prioritisation for delivery of on-the-ground conservation actions by our partners.

 

Countries currently included in the TIPA project: Guinea, Cameroon, Uganda, Mozambique, New Guinea (Indonesia), Bolivia, UKOTS

 

To apply please send CV and covering letter to SpatialAnalysis@kew.org