So...what do you do for a living?

Otherwise known as the "cocktail" question.  I'm sure you've been to a social gathering where you're familiar with some individuals, less so with others.  During the course of the evening, eventually "the question" is asked what one does for a career.  For many, it's an easy answer - I'm a doctor/lawyer/engineer/etc...  For me, my response is generally met with a blank stare of confusion.

Me:  "I'm a Instructor for a GIS company."
Other person:  "GIS what?"
Me:  "I work for a Mapping Software company."
Other person:  "What's that?"
Me:  "It's a company that writes software to work with maps and the data behind maps."
Other person:  "Uh....."
Me:  "Have you seen Google Earth?"
Other person:  "Oh yes, I've used that many times - is that what you do?"
Me:  "No, not really.  Google Earth is just the beginning of what one can do with imagery and maps."
Other person:  "Excuse me for a moment...honey can I get another drink."

In reality, it's not that blunt but most individuals do not understand that most if not all mapping, whether it's for climbing, navigating, a pretty wall map, is created using software that is designed for designing maps.  Of course, the map is the front end that people see but the reality is that there's a lot more going on behind the scene of the map.  The attributes of the data - thinks roads or lakes for example.  The coordinates of the data - GPS units collect point or line data using a Geographic Coordinate System called WGS84.  The maps designed for the Internet all require software to visualize and analyze the vast amount of data out there.

But why talk about it when I can show you.  Below is a map that I quickly created from http://www.arcgis.com/ and then shared out as a bit of code to imbed into my blog.  It's a map of Quandary Peak - one of the many 14ers that I've climbed.


View Larger Map

Of course, this is but one small example of the infinite number of Geographic Information System (GIS) maps that have been created over the years whether with our software or the host of other software's on the market.  For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.esri.com/

But back to the "cocktail question" - what do you do for a living?  I teach cartography, database design, software extensions, parcel management, basic introductory classes and more to people from all disciplines of life.  Whether you work for the public sector or the private sector, the military or the non-profits, the K-12 teacher or the university professor, the person who wants to save the world or the person trying to determine where vital natural resources are located - your path may cross mine and we'll chat about how GIS can be that tool to aid your job.  It's a rewarding profession and I'm pleased to be involved with GIS for 18+ years now.

Climb On my friends...

A sporting climb...

For about 2 years now, two of my coworkers at ESRI and I have discussed rock climbing and the plethora of routes "near" the office.  As I've advanced my mountaineering and rock climbing skills through CMC classes and am now an assistant instructor for Basic Mountaineering School, my rock skills are slowly getting more solid.  And I'm getting more comfortable with exposure as well.

Earlier this week, Kevin Hodson approached me and asked if I was interested in some rock climbing before work on Thursday morning.  Seeing how my week has been chaotic at best with beta testing of updated course materials for ArcGIS 10, I was ready to get something in this week.  My running has been sidelined - mostly due to schedule and summer activities - so I said YES!

The plan - be at the base of High Wire Crag in Clear Creek Canyon by 5:45 AM to have a 2-2.5 hours to climb.  The routes we were looking to do was "Stone Cold Moderate"  (difficulty 5.7) and "Ace in the Hole" (difficulty 5.10a).  As these were sport climbs (bolts placed in the rock every 8-10' for protection), we did not have to worry about bring trad gear (cams, nuts, etc.) to place our protection.  Kevin has done some leading in this canyon before so I belayed him on both routes so he could set the top rope for my climbs up/down.

The first route, Stone Cold Moderate, was an enjoyable climb to warm up on.  The route follows a crack to chains 100' above the belay station.  We both climbed this route twice playing around with different handholds and footholds.  The second route, Ace in the Hole, was much more of a challenge both in rating and smaller handhold/footholds.  Kevin led this route again and it pushed his leading skills.  When I lowered him down to the belay station, he was pumped about doing the route and at the same time, glad to be down.  My turn now...this route was one of the harder routes that I've climbed this year but I was looking forward to it.  The handholds/footholds are a bit smaller and you have to look around for them but they are there.  It took me about 10-15 minutes to climb the 100' to the top but what a climb!  After being lowered, we packed the gear and drove the office to begin the work day.

This weekend was supposed to be our BMS Grad Climb to Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park but heavy rains/snow in the northern and central mountains as well as the Front Range, has put the kibosh on our plans.  Currently, the instructor team is quickly planning a day trip for Sunday morning but nothing solid as of yet.  Regardless, the weekend is here and for that I'm happy!

Next weekend, heading down to ABQ to see my girl and enjoy the warm New Mexico desert!  Climb On my friends!