Welcome to the blog for week one! Posting a comment and responding to one another's comments will give you 1% of the module marks per week. To gain the 1% you must post your comments by the Friday of each week. However, as this is week 1, you have until Monday next week (14th) to post your comments for the week 1 blog.
The campus based students will be discussing the same issue with the distance learners.
This week (for 1%) I simply want you to introduce yourselves.
Cover the following issues:
- Distance learner or campus student
- Name
- GIS Experience (particularly experience with databases)
- Current work / study
- Interests
- Hopes for after the GIS course.
My name is Paul McKenzie and I have been working/studying GIS for 16 years and teaching for 10 years. After completing my MSc I did a bit of e-tutoring before starting my PhD. I am currently teaching on the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in GIS. I love running and got the chance to do 2 ultramarathons last year! My running has been curtailed by a new daughter and a 5 year old son! I also like films, Johnny Cash and church activities (a weird mix I know)!
I look forward to reading your comments.
Paul
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Claire Lauder and I have been using GIS at work for 10+ years although had no formal training in it as a result I am absolutely loving this course. I have a PhD in ecology bit there isnt much work in that area at the moment. I worked for the RSPB as an ecologist and data manager for 10 years and my post was made redundant 2+ years ago so I decided to do this course and I have set up my own data management and GIS consultancy. Work has been slow but steady to date which helps with getting the course work done. Like Paul I am a keen runner, I run competitively for my club Kilcoole AC. I have 2 beautiful girls aged 10 and 8 and I am working and studying hard for them.
Paul, what ultra's did you do? I have a friend that did UTMB this year.
Looking forward to hearing everyone's story...
Claire
Hi Claire
ReplyDeleteThanks for getting things going! I did the Lost World's Causeway Crossing (50K) in May and the Causeway Coast in September (40m). UTMB is scary!! Did she enjoy the run? It looks beautiful. You doing much running at the moment?
Paul
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteThey sound magic! Niall loved it. He was in Chamonix 3 years ago on a hill-walking holiday with some friends and was completely inspired. Couch to UTMB in 3 years, he is amazing. Yes, I'm doing lots at the moment, we're in the thick of cross country season at the moment so I'm just on the short stuff at the moment. PB'd over 10k and 5m this year so still making progress which keeps me motivated. I am on the hunt for a sub 20 min 5k at the moment too. Once I get that and the PGDip in the bag I plan to up the mileage and go for some longer distances. My goal is a marathon or 2 in 2016, I'm thinking Edinburgh and Dublin.
Claire
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ReplyDeleteHi Paul and everyone,
ReplyDeleteJustin Senn here. I don't currently work with GIS, but do work with databases and SQL on a daily basis. I work for UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) focused on IT, especially applications and databases. Like Claire I have two young daughters, this makes finding time for the course challenging! I live in France, close to Geneva, and am looking forward to the ski season. The girls are excited too and keep asking when it will start snowing :-)
Cheers,
Justin
Hi Paul and everyone else,
ReplyDeleteI'm Laura and a distance learner.
I have an MSc in Environmental Mgt from the University of Ulster and decided to add a bit of GIS into the mix as well.
I had to take a leave of absence from the course, but am back now to finish off my last module. I do not have any hands on experience of databases.
I love pottering around in the garden and am hoping that this year I will actually get around to start growing my own veg.
Laura
Hi All
ReplyDeleteI'm Paul and I am a distance learner, originally from Northern Ireland but now living in Surrey and working at the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham where I manage the Local Land and Property Gazetteer, the Local Street Gazetteer and Street Naming and Numbering.
I originally studied GIS at Kingston Uni quite a few years ago....
I like hiking and cycling and good food and red wine :)
Cheers
Paul
Hello. My name is Elaine Wright and I am a distance learner and in the second year of the MSc course and this is my only GIS experience. I work in IT as a civil servant so have experience of databases but not GIS ones. I have a family and dogs so have a lot on. Am hoping to get into GIS work at some point.
ReplyDeleteHello. My name is Elaine Wright and I am a distance learner and in the second year of the MSc course and this is my only GIS experience. I work in IT as a civil servant so have experience of databases but not GIS ones. I have a family and dogs so have a lot on. Am hoping to get into GIS work at some point.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone.
ReplyDeleteI'm Kathryn and I am a campus student. I only started studying GIS in my last year of Geography at Queens and didn't know what I wanted to do when I graduated so I applied for this course. I have very little experience of databases so I'm looking forward to this module! I currently work part time at a hotel and I am a very keen hockey and cricket player. After I complete this course I hope to get a job in some form of GIS.
Kathryn
Hello everyone!
ReplyDeleteI'm Stephanie- a campus student. Like Kathryn I came from Queen's with some GIS experience (very little with databases). GIS was a new topic to me that held my interest, therefore I decided to apply for this Masters course. Currently I work part-time in Newlook which I do enjoy however I honestly prefer/ am interested in anything that keeps me outdoors; hiking and walking etc... After completing this course I want to go into the GIS line of work however I have not fully decided which direction to go yet!
Stephanie
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ReplyDeleteHi Paul and everyone!
ReplyDeleteI'm Rachel and I am an on-campus student who lives just outside of Coleraine. My experience in GIS comes from various modules during my Geography degree at St Andrews, Scotland and I wanted to develop the skills further. I don't have any experience with databases yet, so I am looking forward to learning something new over the next couple of weeks.
I also work part-time in a petrol station and, like Paul and others above, I enjoy running. I have ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon a couple of times and recommend Edinburgh for its flat route! I have recently joined a running club in Coleraine.
After this course I hope to have a job which uses GIS (and hopefully takes me somewhere exciting).
Rachel
Hello, all,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Colin and I am a distance learning student. I am currently living in a small town in the west of Ireland and work part - time in a local hotel. I studied Geography in UCD and came across GIS in a module called Geographic Research Techniques. This lead me to investigate more about the subject and I eventually found out about this course! When I'm not studying/working I look after my cat and absolutely love travelling to different cities across Europe. My hopes for this course is to learn as much as possible and to hopefully gain employment with an NGO using GIS skills.
Looking forward to working with everyone, and best of luck over the coming weeks!
Kind regards,
Colin.
Hi Colin, Let me know if you're interested in humanitarian work and would like to use related data for this module. I might be able to help, or at least point you in the right direction. Cheers, Justin
DeleteHi everyone, I'm Marcus and I'm the e-tutor for this module - supporting the distance learning students. I was a distance learning student myself on this course and I completed my MSc in 2010. I’m currently a full-time PhD student at the University of Southampton, and have just started my second year. My project topic is modelling railway station choice using GIS. The overall aim of the project is to explore the factors that influence railway station choice decisions made by passengers, and to apply this improved understanding to update methodologies used in the planning of new and existing railway services and networks. I’m using a lot of open source software/tools for my research (a topic that will be up for discussion in a later blog), including R, PostgreSQL, Open Trip Planner and QGIS. I live in East Devon, near Exeter (when I'm not in Southampton). I enjoy getting out into the countryside and walking whenever I can - on Dartmoor or the coast path around Devon and Cornwall. I've also done quite a few of the long distance national trails.
ReplyDeleteMarcus
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ReplyDeleteHi everyone,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Shanique Anderson, I am an on-campus student and I'm originally from Jamaica. I did my BA at the University of the West Indies, where I did a course in GIS but that was mainly just a general introduction to the subject area which peaked my interest. We vaguely touched on databases but there was no hands on experience with it, as such, I am looking forward to this course.
I enjoy anything that will get me active, running, swimming and tennis are my favorites however. I live in Belfast and work part time at a library in Finaghy.
After this course I'm hoping to secure a job in a GIS related field.
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteI'm Paul Montgomery an on-campus student studying this GIS course on a full-time basis. I studied geography at Queens University Belfast, in which I did a couple of GIS related modules. However I have no experience in databases. I am particularly interested in football in which i am a Manchester United fan! In addition I enjoy playing the drums in the praise band at church.
I hope that this course will help me gain the skills required to get a job in GIS related employment.
Hello all, I'm Stewart and I'm an on-campus student. I studied a few GIS modules during my undergraduate degree at Queen's but this will be my first experience of databases. I'm currently studying this course full time but other interests include most sports, especially rugby, as well as more relaxing activities such as watching films and reading.
ReplyDeleteI hope this course will help me find a job using the GIS skills I've learned.
Hi Everyone! I'm Kevin and I'm a distance learner. I currently work for a utility organisation as a GIS technician so decided to get qualified officially. This is my last module studying towards my PgDip and I have limited experience using databases.I hope to use my newly acquired GIS skills to maybe develop a cycling specific application as I'm a keen road cyclist and mountain biker.
ReplyDeleteI definitely have spoke to some of you other distance learners on other modules, Hi Claire and Justin!
Hi Kevin! Good to see your name here. All the best for your EGM713 poster if you (like me) haven't finished it yet :-) Cheers, Justin
DeleteHey all. I'm Vanessa and I'm a distance learning student. I currently live in Santiago, Chile but will be moving back to Ireland (County Wicklow) some time in the near future. I was first introduced to GIS in my Geography undergrad in Trinity, used some GIS in my dissertation and so then (several years later) decided to do this course. No previous experience with databases so looking forward to getting stuck into this module. At the moment I am teaching English here in Chile part-time but hope to work in GIS as soon as I finish the course. I'm into fitness and being active and outdoors/in nature whenever I can.
ReplyDeleteHi Again Everyone - I think this link may prove useful for some
ReplyDeletehttp://www.palinfonet.com/download/software2/DATABASE%20SYSTEMS.pdf
Maybe everybody already has it ??
Paul
My name is Maureen and I am a distance learner.
ReplyDeleteI first encountered GIS at Birkbeck College when studying for my MA (1990s) and more recently I participated in an online GIS MOOC supported by Penn State University. I use databases for various aspects of my job but I have no experience of GIS databases specifically.
I teach at a university in the NW of England I teach quite a bit of geography but I also have responsibility for general professional development of my students as they move towards employment.
I like travel, walking, dancing and generally being active. Although I was born in London my family are from Ireland, and I travel there often to visit relatives. I enjoy walking in the Peaks, Lakes and North Wales but I do miss the bright lights of central London.
I am hoping to add to my skills, and there is the possibility of teaching some aspects of GIS as part of my usual teaching.
Hi everyone, my name is Ben. Im a full time campus student, I work part-time as a waiter in Shed Bistro in Belfast.
ReplyDeleteI first started GIS as a second year student in Cornwall, we mapped the rain forest biome as a project which was interesting to get some first hand experience in collecting primary data and loading it into data bases. I really dont have any experience wit SQL but im really interested in getting to grips with it.
In terms of GIS my primary interest is in peatland habitats, other than that I like fishing and playing video games (though I dont have much time for any of that anymore!)
I'm hoping to find work in Ireland though im not sure in what particular area i want to go into yet!
Hi all!
ReplyDeleteI'm Kerrie, studying full time on campus.
I completed my BSc Geography at UUC in 2011. I undertook a couple of GIS modules and used it heavily in my dissertation - I've always had a keen interest in GIS since then and always intended on doing this MSc course. The only experience I have with databases is what we may have touched on in the BSc modules.
I haven't used GIS since my undergrad so I'm finding it challenging getting back into it. In the last 4years I've been travelling, and managing restaurants in Canada and, more recently, back home in Belfast. I'm currently working part-time waitressing to help me through this course.
When I get free time I'm either supporting the local rugby team or taking my Beagle puppy on hiking adventures.
I'm definitely hoping to go into a GIS position after this course, I would love to eventually focus on the use of GIS in healthcare.
Hi everyone, my name is Alice Murphy and I am studying part-time as a distance learner. Before starting the course I had only a six week module in GIS experience from when I studied BA Urban Planning. However, after starting the PgDip I got offered a job as a GIS Project Officer for a renewable energy developer, Gaelectric. In my job I use very basic databases, keeping records of data on licence, wind farms in Ireland etc.
ReplyDeleteMy interests include walking, playing/coaching GAA, travelling and upstyling furniture!
I hope to achieve the PgDip in June 2016 and use it to further my career in the renewable energy sector.
Hi all,
DeleteMy name is Anita and I'm from Poland. I have just got a Bachelor degree in Geodesy and Cartography at University of Warsaw and I am really keen on completing this course so that in the future I could find a job in the field of GIS. Right now I am on maternity leave as 2 months ago I gave birth to my son. In my free time (which I hope to have again some day) I like cycling, mountain climbing, swimming and above all - playing basketball.
Nice to meet you all and wish you good luck!
Anita
Hi all,
DeleteMy name is Anita and I'm from Poland. I have just got a Bachelor degree in Geodesy and Cartography at University of Warsaw and I am really keen on completing this course so that in the future I could find a job in the field of GIS. Right now I am on maternity leave as 2 months ago I gave birth to my son. In my free time (which I hope to have again some day) I like cycling, mountain climbing, swimming and above all - playing basketball.
Nice to meet you all and wish you good luck!
Anita
I'm a distance learning student. Name Fiona McHardy.
ReplyDeleteI have some GIS experience in data collection of habit and animal surveys. I have limited experience of databases, only with making databases or working on them in Excel.
I currently work on cereals, testing and growing varieties for information to be given to farmers.
After the course I hope to get a job working in GIS either in the company I'm in or somewhere else, but would like it to be desk based due to recent changes in my life.
Hi
ReplyDeleteMy name is Ilva and I am doing this module as a part time distance learner.
At the moment I am living in Co. Down in Northern Ireland. I got interested in GIS when we were introduced to it in high school and i got experience in it while I was studying geology. The first time I was working with GIS was for the environment agency where I was organising and manipulating spatial and raw data for groundwater quality calculations. Also for a short period of time I was using ArcMap to produce maps for local heritage presentations and promotional use. I don’t have much experience in database use except what we were taught in high school about MsAccess software and some understanding gained along the way while working and studying. Skills gained in this module as it was mentioned in the first lecture are very transferrable and wanted in the job market.
Whenever I can find time I go hiking, enjoy an outdoor lifestyle, bird-watching, gardening, arts and crafts, reading scientific literature. At the moment I am working in a laboratory environment but I hope to have a career within a GIS related field eventually.
All the best to all of you
Ilva