Our Volunteers

This was a wonderful opportunity for me. I was not only able to contribute my skills and build my teaching abilities through my project with GISCorps, but also add to my resume. Additionally, it was a great feeling to see my volunteer work assist the project organization in real-time. I will definitely be on the lookout for new opportunities that GISCorps may reach out about.

Raina Monaghan, USA – Kisatchie-Delta Regional Planning and Development District Phase 2

The opportunity provided through GISCorps really helped me stretch my skills, increase my professional contacts, and have fun applying my skills to real-world problems that make a difference. Thank you!

Shawn Morgan, Canada – ArcGIS Online Training for the Southern African Wildlife College

I believe in social responsibility, as do many people and organisations. However standing by something is a million miles from actually doing something about it, and GISCorps is one of the organisations that is actually making a difference out there. It was truly a privilege and honour to be part of such a mission.

Olinda Mombeyarara, South Africa – ArcGIS Online Training for the Southern African Wildlife College

The effects of natural disasters on local animal populations are difficult to manage. Animals are often left in abandoned homes, shelters, and out in public. Needing an effective strategy to respond to the aftermath of a natural disaster, Animal Search and Rescue (ASAR) reached out to GISCorps for a volunteer and I was fortunate enough to be selected for the position. During that time, I helped build an electronic survey for first responders and a dashboard ASAR can use to coordinate search and rescue efforts. It was a pleasure working with Eric at ASAR and I look forward to seeing this program in action!

Roger Jelinek, USA – ASAR Training and Response

My experience volunteering with the URISA’s GISCorps NASA Covid-19 HAM-SAR project was amazing! It was great to contribute to a project that can have a direct positive effect on the general public. As an added bonus, this project provided the opportunity to stay sharp with my GIS skills. I highly recommend anyone looking for GIS volunteering opportunities to consider GISCorps!

Jake Levin, USA – NASA COVID-19 HAM-SAR

Working with GISCorps and the Green World Campaign was an invaluable experience that I am very grateful for. I was able to apply my skills and knowledge in both GIS and remote sensing to provide guidance with monitoring and evaluating practices to the field team in Kenya, while also providing the team with a way to tell their story using ESRI’s Story Map.

Lauren Connor, USA – Green World Campaign

GISCorps offered me the opportunity to support an important mission and learn new skills. From the beginning, the mission was clearly communicated along with instructions on how to perform the work. Over time, improvements to the instructions were made and clearly communicated, which showed me that the project was actively and effectively led. I always felt like my work was appreciated and look forward to the next volunteer project I get to work on for GISCorps.

Andrew Laws, USA – COVID Testing Sites Data Creation

As a former GIS Manager for a state office of emergency services and a Plans Chief in an EOC, I really appreciated this effort. I’ve seen first hand how disparate GIS capabilities are across the nation and providing a situational awareness platform run by passionate professionals is a great value added to the EM community. It was an honor to be able to support this endeavor.

Stephen Lai, USA – #FireMappers

After losing my job as a result of COVID-19, I was able to put that newfound time into a valuable GISCorps volunteer project that I found to be personally rewarding while making some great personal and professional connections and getting a nice resume boost. Not to mention to value provided to the public by the work we were doing.

Chrissy Livergood, USA – #FireMappers

As a former GISS for wildfires, this allowed me to still be involved with wildland fires and helped me network and collaborate and share ideas that I have experienced in my current position as a state GIS coordinator and with this team or use some ideas in my work with other state agencies. I also share these types of projects when I talk to college students or present at local GIS conferences.

John Watermolen, USA – #FireMappers

I loved being part of this project! Being part of #Firemappers was a fun, challenging, and rewarding experience and something I am definitely glad to have had the opportunity to have participated in!

Tiffany Monicque Lee, USA – #FireMappers

I had heard of the GISCorps in the past, but never thought I could find the time in my busy schedule to volunteer. With Covid-19 shutting down all my hobbies, I finally decided to take the plunge and signed myself up. A few weeks later I was invited to take part in mapping disaster photos for Hurricane Isaias and ended up really enjoying the process and the camaraderie of the other volunteers via the Slack channel. I also love that I have the freedom to work only as many hours as life allows me, and am not tied to a specific schedule which makes it much easier. The work is also highly satisfying knowing that the outcome is having a positive impact on other people’s lives and making disaster response teams more effective.

Alyssia Church, USA – Hurricanes Isaias and Laura Crowdsourced Photo Mapping

This was my first project volunteering with GISCorps and I had a blast! That seems like an odd thing to say while mapping the effects of a natural disaster, but the other volunteers and leaders had such great spirits about the project that it was impossible not to have a good time. I only wish I’d had more time to dedicate, but I’m looking forward to the next project that I can participate in. Having the Slack channel for quick questions and updates was also a great help.

Rebecca Parsons, USA – Hurricane Isaias Crowdsourced Photo Mapping

I am so honored to have volunteered for URISA’s GISCorps to map COVID 19 testing locations across the country. It was nice to know that I was able to use my GIS skills to contribute to a cause larger than myself. If just one life was saved thanks to this project, then the entire effort was worth while! Thanks for the opportunity!

James Taylor, USA – COVID-19 Testing Site Data Creation

Involvement with GISCorps projects is always a meaningful experience, but this one in particular allowed us to engage our practical skillsets and provide a critical service in an otherwise very uncertain and confusing time in history.

Amanda Miner, USA – COVID-19 Testing Site Data Creation

I feel the GOARN ArcGIS training project experience was very valuable to me because I was able to study for teaching a real world issue that could help others display valuable information for the public to learn from. GISCorps and WHO (GOARN partners) professionals in charge of running the volunteer training project did a great job with clear communication on development, course content setup and feedback. I feel very grateful I was able to be a part of this work.

Lisa Silva, USA – GOARN Training

Teaching GIS classes on the WHO-GOARN project was a fantastic experience. GIS is a powerful tool that allows decision makers to make smarter decisions. Teaching these classes gave individuals the opportunity to learn new skills that they can take back to their organizations. These skills will help them fight this virus and save lives. I am thankful that GISCorps allowed me to participate in this project. It allowed me to meet/work with some wonderful people who are making a difference in the world. This was an experience that I will remember for a long time.

Noah Krach, USA – GOARN Training

This was an amazing opportunity. One Shared Story’s positivity and enjoyment for the cause made me feel great about what I was doing. The core committee’s support involved ensuring that each member of the project team were adequately supported and that we had solid communication and cooperation. I am looking forward to participating in more missions from GISCorps.

Bhanu Vedula, Canada – One Shared Story Hub Site Development

GISCorps provides on opportunity for GIS professionals to step outside of their everyday work and participate in projects of great meaning.

Dawn Misura, GISP, USA – South Carolina SAR QA/QC 

Volunteering my time for GISCorps was a rewarding effort. Communication from NAPSG, SCERTF, and GISCorps was excellent and made the process go very smoothly. I was also impressed with the use of ArcGIS Online to make all of these web applications that proved to be very useful in emergency response efforts. I’m glad there are resources such as the aforementioned organizations that make it easy for professionals like myself to contribute to a worthwhile effort.

Rachel Passer, GISP, USA – South Carolina SAR QA/QC 

I moved from Cookeville to Oregon last month. I had lived in Cookeville for the past 5 years and I still have family in the area. The GISCorps project gave me a way to remotely assist an area that had been a wonderful home to me after it had been devastated by a tornado. The entire project was handled very well and we volunteers were informed on the usefulness of the data we were providing.

Czarinna Clay, USA – NAPSG Tennessee Tornadoes

I am very happy that I had the chance to work on this project. It really surprised me how much that I actually learnt from it. I am looking forward to participating in more missions from GISCorps.

Maggie Peng, Canada – Serve Squad: Smartsheet Map Integration

Working as a GISCorps volunteer afforded me the opportunity to aid in relief efforts from a remote location. I feel that I truly made a difference in the recovery effort and would highly recommend signing up to help with this project.

Johnathan Clementi, USA – NAPSG – Hurricane Dorian 

GISCorps remains an awesome and dynamic platform for working towards a sustainable world via spatial intelligence. The experience is worth the time invested.

Imoh Engwoh, Nigeria – Hurricane Barry Situational Awareness

Apply geospatial knowledge to heal the world.

Kennedy Kiema Kandia, Kenya – WHO Kenya Data Cleansing

Volunteering with GISCorps is a great way to use and develop your GIS skills while contributing to a good cause and expanding your network of GIS professionals around the world.

Shannon Cox, Canada – Mountain Rescue Association User Support

It was awesome to use what I do to directly help people get what they need after such a huge disaster.

Konrad Hughes, USA – Camp Fire Damage Data Consolidation

This was a fantastic experience! Great people, fun problem solving, and to top it all off it was for a great cause. I’ll definitely be signing up to help out with more GISCorps projects in the future.

Tristan Damron, USA – Camp Fire Damage Data Consolidation

Teaching youth GIS empowers them with essential spatial skills that can be used to make a difference in their community, and the world. Volunteering on this project has been very fulfilling!

Haritha Vendra, USA – KidWorks K-12 Education Mission

The planning, preparation, training, and oversight were superb. Everyone who managed and constructed the project deserves immense praise and I feel honored to have worked alongside so many dedicated volunteers from such a wonderful variety of countries. Many thanks to everyone involved!

Andrew Bley, GISP, USA – Horn of Africa Cross-Border Mapathon

GISCorps provided me with the opportunity to apply my skillset in a setting I would have never thought possible.

William Ouellette, Belgium – Capacity Development in the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve

Its an amazing experience for me and I look forward to future engagements.

Elesho Abidemi Oladimeji, Nigeria – [UN]Cultivated Earth Application Testing

Thank you for providing opportunity to volunteer in remote assistance to those in need. Great that it was put together prior to the disaster so that assistance could be provided and risk assessment could be done ASAP. Great work.

Eleza Boban Kollannur, India – Hurricane Matthew HOT Mapping

GISCorps volunteers are awesome! We learn from each other, we collaborate, and we increase our knowledge and skills while striving to help deliver the best to the missions we are involved in.

Sami Snunu, Canada – OSM Data Processing, Burundi

Mon expérience pour ce projet a été formidable, car en le faisant, à distance mon apport a contribué à sauver des vies.

Abedje Nesit Berenger, Côte d’Ivoire – OSM Digitizing, Sri Lanka Floods

The GISCorps does a fantastic job at bringing together highly skilled GIS professionals to support vulnerable projects in delivering their objectives. Keep up the great work guys.

Jason Wadsworth, Australia – TerraWatchers Archaeological Crowdsourcing

A lot of people claim they have had life-altering experiences, and I can honestly say that working with the South Luangwa Conservation Society on a GISCorps assignment has been one of the best experiences of my lifetime.  I am honored and humbled to be able to dedicate some of my professional skills and apply my experience and talents towards the betterment of the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, Africa.  The month that I spent with Rachel McRobb and the SLCS team has been an incredible experience.  I am so glad that I found GISCorps and was matched up with one of my new conservation heroes, Rachel McRobb – and am proud to call Rachel McRobb and Shoreh Elhami my friends!  The world is a safer place for elephants because of these women.

Michelle Kinzel, USA – South Luangwa Conservation Society Training

Volunteered geographic support is very good to increase resilience. Keep going the right way!

Giedrius Kaveckis, Italy – Hurricane Sandy Aerial Damage Assessment

It was the most interesting philanthropy project I have worked on since College.  Although simple, it resparked a fire which had been missing.  I look forward to continuing with GISCorps as often as possible in the future.

Richard Monteiro, USA – USAID Crowdsourcing

Sharing our time and expertise in support of volunteer efforts worldwide is a professional development goal that all geospatial technology professionals should embrace.

Jason San Souci, GISP, USA – CartONG Vietnam

Cool feeling to sit alone but knowing there are others out there piecing together a puzzle. Hope this helped to also focus on people on forgotten islands afar the main roads.

Karsten Dax, Norway – UNOSAT Myanmar Project

“I feel so happy to work and collaborate with volunteers around the world and to give whatever I can to contribute to the program of disaster estimation after cyclone in Burma.”

Frank Hui-Kuo Yang, Taiwan – UNOSAT Myanmar Project

“It’s very rewarding to know you’re generating data that will be utilized to help so many people. GISCorps is a great way to gain experience in something you might not ordinarily do in places you would not ordinarily know much about. More agencies should take advantage of this impressive resource.”

Matt Pare, United States – UNOSAT Myanmar Project

Being able to help others in need on the other side of the world from my home. I felt like I was giving back to all the people that helped my state (Louisiana) after Hurricane Katrina.

Brad Lynch,United States – UNOSAT Myanmar Project

Helping communities by volunteering with the GISCorps is a great way to get valuable GIS experience. Not only are you communicating with GIS professionals around the world, you are assisting communities in need with valuable GIS information.

Tom Ponte, United States – UNOSAT Myanmar Project

Being in the control room at the State EOC, I experienced the heartfelt appreciation expressed by the Governor and leaders in the Coast Guard, National Guard, Army, Civilian Air Patrol and many others who felt the positive impact of GIS. URISA should be very proud; the GISCorps and local universities, especially Talbot Brooks, should be credited with delivering FEMA’s GIS mission in Mississippi.

Dick Kotapish, USA – Hurricane Katrina Relief Mission