ryan cooper

gis - data visualization - web development

portfolio

interactive

cartography

dataviz & analysis

experiments

resumé

Providing more-than-spatial data analysis and visualization to help guide informed decision-making.

work experience

Wake County Public School System

Cary, NC - GIS Enterprise Administrator
February 2022 - Present

  • Supported data analytics requests for Office of Student Assignment staff
  • Developed automated processes to pull together disparate data sources into Student Assignment’s PostgreSQL and ArcGIS Online data stores
  • Produced documentation of mission-critical ETL workflows
  • Presented to various WCPSS teams on data analytics and visualization services provided by the GIS team in the Office of Student Assignment

Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department

Raleigh, NC - GIS Analyst
March 2017 - February 2022

  • Worked with PRCR planning staff to deveop the department's GIS-based models for evaluating the level of service of Raleigh’s parks system and informing land acquisition
  • Cleaned up core departmental data and collaborated with IT to ensure it was updateable and findable for both internal partners and the public
  • Built interactive dashboards and exploratory data tools using ESRI and open source GUI, JavaScript, and Python libraries to support planning and executive staff decision-making
  • Developed SQL queries and Python scripts 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
  • Served as administrator and point of contact of PRCR geospatial data

New Maps Plus, University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY (Remote) - Part-Time Instructor
October 2018 - April 2021

  • Led online instruction of an introductory mapping course for certificate and masters students in the New Maps Plus program
  • Provided one-on-one instruction with students seeking additional assistance with assignments
  • Updated and developed curriculum to ensure students kept up with the latest trends in mapping technology

Georgetown-Scott County Planning Commission

Georgetown, KY- GIS Technician
April 2014 - February 2017

  • Collaborated with various public departments and citizenry to create custom print and web mapping solutions
  • Updated and maintained Scott County geodata including parcel boundaries, E911 addresses, zoning, and transportation
  • rovided data analysis and visualization support for planning staff for grant applications, county-wide Bike/Pedestrian plan, and 2016 Comprehensive Plan
  • Produced project templates, basemaps, and scripts to increase project efficiency
  • Managed the GSCPC’s web and social media presence

education

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY - MA, Geography
August 2011 - May 2013

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

Ball State University

Muncie, IN - BA, Geography | BA, German
August 2005 - May 2009

technical skills

GIS

ArcGIS Pro, QGIS

Web Mapping

ArcGIS API for JavaScript 4.x, Leaflet, MapLibre GL JS, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Dashboards, ArcGIS Story Maps

Spatial Analysis

PostGIS, ArcPy, ArcGIS API for Python, GeoPandas, Valhalla, osmnx

Web & Development Technology

HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Bootstrap, jQuery, git/GitHub, PHP

Design

Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, GIMP