Job Posting: GIS Assistant

Organization: National Park Service
Position Title: GIS Assistant with Scienctists in Park (SIP) Program
Position Type: Seasonal Staring May 2021 for 20 Weeks
Location: Denali Park, AK
Closing Date: January 24, 2021

Job Announcement

Land use in and around Denali National Park and Preserve has changed since the inception of the park 100 years ago - from Gold Rush-era mining to proposed visitor services' facilities, the ebb and flow of development and restoration is obvious at multiple temporal and spatial scales across the landscape of the park and surround areas. As the park moves into the next 100 years, many park management decisions will be related to land use. Documenting the historic, current, and proposed land uses from existing geospatial data, historic aerial and oblique photos, oral histories, satellite imagery, and proposed project documents into a concise geospatial dataset, along with producing map products and written reports, will allow managers both a visual and quantitative assessment of land use trends.

Participants will assist with documenting changes of land use in and around Denali National Park and Preserve by:

• Organizing and/or collecting existing data (e.g., aerial photos, satellite imagery) for scanning, georeferencing, and digitizing
• Assisting in creating primary (e.g., flight lines and orthomosaics) and secondary mapping products (e.g., 3D models from stereo-pair compilations, kernel density maps) to assess the change over time
• Providing metadata and writing standard operating guidelines for data creation and access

Additionally, participants may have the opportunity to assist in field surveys to establish ground control for structure-from-motion photogrammetric products produced by both historic and future fixed wing and small unmanned aerial systems flights. Shorter cartographic projects requiring immediate attention may arise throughout the season, such as support for pressing management issues or incident response. The participant may also have the opportunity, in conjunction with the Alaska Geographic/Murie Science and Learning Center, to work with and lead small groups of youth (middle and high school students) through the concepts of GIS or cartography during field days and holiday events.

Answering historic and current land-use questions often drive management decisions related to park policy, regulations, and guidelines. SIP participants will assist in providing the best data available to managers for making these decisions.

This position is offered through the National Park Service's Scientists in Parks (SIP) Program in partnership with Stewards Individual Placement Program (Stewards) and The Geological Society of America (GSA).

The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent legal resident (“green-card-holder”) between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, inclusive, or veterans up to age 35. Prior to starting this position, a government security background clearance will be required. Please see additional Qualifications in the Job Announcement.

Park housing is available and will be provided at no cost to the participant. Please see additional Housing details in the Job Announcement.

AmeriCorps is a program that engages individuals in intensive community service work with the goal of “helping others and meeting critical needs in the community”. The SIP Program is supported through AmeriCorps by providing a Segal Education Award in addition to the SIP’s living stipend and relocation allowance. Upon successful completion of the SIP position, the SIPs (AmeriCorps members) are eligible for a $1,638 - $6,195 pre-tax education award that can be used for paying back student loans or for continuing their education. The amount of the education award is based on the length of the position. AmeriCorps limits the number of terms an individual can serve to 4 terms. If an applicant has previously completed 4 SIP or other AmeriCorps positions, they will not be eligible to apply for an additional SIP position.

For questions regarding the duties of this position, please contact Britta Schroeder at (907) 683-6243 or via email at britta_schroeder@nps.gov.