RYAN COOPER

Employment

• Technology AnalystJuly 2017 - Present

  City of Raleigh Parks, Recreations and Cultural Resources - Raleigh, NC

  • Worked with PRCR planning staff to further develop and refine the department's GIS-based level of service and land acquisition models
  • Cleaned up core departmental data and collaborated with IT to ensure updateable and findable
  • Developed custom static maps and interactive data tools using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online to support planning and administrative decision-making
  • Served as primary administrator and point of contact of PRCR geospatial data
  • Developed SQL queries to standardize and speed up reporting on key park and greenway system statistics for reporting to the City Manager, City Council, and Trust for Public Land
  • Delegated responsibilities between myself and part-time staff member to match tasks with strengths of the PRCR GIS team

  PlannerMarch 2017 - July 2017

  City of Raleigh Parks, Recreations and Cultural Resources - Raleigh, NC

  • Collaborated on the Neighborhood & Community Connections project, a policy plan involving the development of a data-driven approach for the prioritization of connectivity enhancing projects throughout Raleigh's parks and greenways system
  • Created Python scripts and Model Builder models to combine disparate Raleigh street and sidewalk data into a single dataset for network analysis
  • Performed data transformation and manipulation for further GIS analysis using Python and pandas
  • Created custom print and web maps for presentations using ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, and Leaflet

  GIS TechnicianApril 2014 - February 2017

  Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission - Georgetown, KY

  • Created maps and maintained data using ArcGIS, ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, Leaflet, Mapbox, and Carto
  • Updated parcel boundaries based on surveyor’s COGO descriptions
  • Managed addressing for local E911 database
  • Serviced data requests
  • Collaborated with staff in a variety of local public departments to create custom print and web mapping solutions
  • Provided data analysis and visualization support for planning staff for grant applications, county-wide Bike/Pedestrian plan, and the 2016 Comprehensive Plan
  • Acted as staff support and participant in developing the forthcoming 2016 Scott County Comprehensive Plan
  • Produced project templates, basemaps, and scripts to increase project efficiency
  • Attended and interacted with public planning commission and public meetings
  • Developed departmental logo and brand identity
  • Created graphics for print documents and web content
  • Managed the GSCPC’s web and social media presence
  • Designed, built, and maintain the departmental and Comprehensive Plan websites
  • Presented at state and national planning and GIS-related conferences
  • Sought and integrated Open Source software into Esri-based workflows

• Asset Information TechnicianDecember 2013 - April 2014

  Kentucky Utility - Lexington, KY

  • Mapped the installation and removal of electrical distribution services for the Lexington and Midway services areas.
  • Field-checked existing services to for quality assurance.

• Teaching AssistantAugust 2011 - May 2013

  Department of Geography, University of Kentucky - Lexington, KY

  • Led weekly discussion sections and provided individual support for introductory GIS/digital mapping courses.
  • Provided technical support for undergraduate/graduate students involved in GIS-based community partnerships.
  • Developed and coordinated course curriculum in cooperation with fellow teaching assistants and professors.

Projects

• Leadership Scott CountySeptember 2016 - February 2017

  Leadership Development

  • Participated in monthly field trips with classmates to learn from various community leaders.
  • Led information gathering and writing of the class project proposal.

• Lexington Housing ProjectJuly 2015 - January 2017

  Civic Activism

  • Provided data extraction and visualization support for a group of Lexington citizens analyzing local property development and its implications for the local social, economic, and political landscape

• maptimeLEXSeptember 2014 - January 2017

  Outreach

  • Founded, organized, and contributed to regular, beginner-friendly meetups targeted at helping those interested in learning cartographic concepts, tools, and techniques.
  • Led a collaboration with OpenLexington to import Lexington’s building footprints into OpenStreetMap.

Education

• University of KentuckyAugust 2011 - May 2013

  Master of Arts, Geography

  Thesis: Re-Placing Sprawl: Mapping Place in an American Suburb

  Research Focus: GIS, place identity, digital mapping technologies

• Ball State UniversityAugust 2010 - May 2011

  Geography

  Research Focus: Critical GIS, GIS in Community-University partnership

• Indiana UniversityAugust 2009 - June 2010

  Institute for European Studies

  Research Focus: Post-WWII Dutch history, culture, and geography

• Ball State UniversityAugust 2005 - May 2009

  Bachelor of Arts, Geography

  Bachelor of Arts, German