Bring your Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) expertise and landscape ecological understanding into our team environment where you will be a valuable asset to the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), in ensuring that resources are protected, valued and being used to their maximum efficiency. This position is designed to provide remote sensing, geomatics and ecological/terrestrial mapping support to a dynamic and integrated multi-disciplinary team of foresters, remote sensing specialists, database/modelling specialists, ecologists, biologists, and policy specialists engaged in an innovative LiDAR based Area-based Assessment inventory process as well as other major feature extraction projects supporting land and resource mapping across Ontario.
About the job
In this role, you will:
• provide geoscientific/ecological expertise for geospatial analysis using remote sensing and GIS procedures through digital image interpretation, object based image analysis, programming and database development in support of landscape analysis and reporting
• create spatial data layers by conducting advanced image interpretation of terrestrial ecological features using high resolution imagery and point cloud data
• provide expertise for relational database (RDBMS) and other database designs
• employ information management strategies and methods to help create a publicly accessible multi-scale integrated database
• update ArcGIS geodatabases with contextual information that describe ecological features and/or landscape changes
• provide continual collaboration with colleagues and senior staff
• produce robust product metadata and project documentation/manuals as required
What you bring to the team
Remote sensing and geomatics knowledge:
• You have knowledge of remote sensing theory and applications (i.e. false colour image composites, the electromagnetic spectrum, image enhancements, land cover classification methods, change detection, vegetation indices and elevation/terrain indices).
• You have extensive knowledge of GIS, statistical and remote sensing software (proprietary and open source).
• You have knowledge of geomatics theory and practices including, programming, python scripting, model building and analysis, geospatial referencing systems, spatial data integration, SQL querying and reporting, statistical sampling techniques, error analysis, spatial data models and database design, quality assurance, visual representation for map and graph production.
• You have knowledge of GPS, mobile field technologies and their application as tools to display and collect geospatial data in the field.
• You have knowledge of Cloud-based storage and computing technologies.
Ecological and geoscientific knowledge:
• You have knowledge of geoscientific and ecological principles in one or more of the following disciplines: physical geography/ecology/biology/forestry.
• You have knowledge of descriptive statistics (e.g. frequency distribution, mean, median, mode, range, standard deviation), correlation and regression.
• You have knowledge of natural resource management programs and related inventory, monitoring and assessment frameworks.
• You have knowledge of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques used in remote sensing.
Organizational and analytical skills:
• You can trouble shoot software technical issues and provide alternative solutions, so that project methodology can be applied.
• You can determine complex landscape changes by analyzing multi-date imagery and consulting with experts and authoritative data sources.
• You can determine boundaries of ecological features that are a best fit of geoscientific principles, orthophotography signatures and the incorporation of existing data products, such as GPS collected field data and other contextual spatial data sets.
• You can develop multi-tiered spatial data models providing ecological mapping at coarse and fine scale mapping that accurately describe land scape changes and/or ecological features by updating ArcGIS geodatabases records adhering to topological data standards and other quality assurance and quality control standards.
Project management skills:
• You have proven time management skills to ensure project tasks and interpreted map products are completed on-time and documented via project status reports.
• You have work experience that demonstrates your ability to work on a variety of project tasks simultaneously.
Interpersonal and communication skills:
• You have well developed interpersonal skills to work effectively in a team environment.
• You have communications skills to provide team and partners with project updates showing reports, maps and/or statistical trend analysis.
OPS Commitment to diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and anti- racism:
We are committed to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve and to promote a diverse, anti-racist, inclusive, accessible, merit-based, respectful and equitable workplace.
We invite all interested individuals to apply and encourage applications from people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black, and racialized individuals, as well as people from a diversity of ethnic and cultural origins, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.
Visit the
OPS Anti-Racism Policy and the
OPS Diversity and Inclusion Blueprint pages to learn more about the OPS commitment to advance racial equity, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in the public service.
We offer employment accommodation across the recruitment process and all aspects of employment consistent with the requirements of Ontario's
Human Rights Code. Refer to the application instructions below if you require a disability-related accommodation.