Geospatial analysis and making information beautiful with Helen McKenzie

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Geographic information systems. There, I've lost a few of you already, but you're missing out because GIS is more than about where things are, but why they're there, and quite a few of those reasons are around why people do people things. Helen McKenzie is a cartographer, data visualiser, and geospatial advocate who is passionate about finding meaning in complex data and making information beautiful. We speak about Helen's love of maps and how we can use geospatial analysis to elegantly give us more meaning to the way we live in the world around us and keep our societies ticking away.

About Helen McKenzie

Helen McKenzie is a Geospatial Advocate which means her job is to get people excited about all things geospatial! She has been working in the geospatial industry for around 10 years and has recently made the move from consultancy to technical marketing, whether that’s through running live workshops or writing blogs about using GIS to choose the best venue for the Eurovision Song Contest.

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Show Notes

[00:01:32] How Helen found her way to geography and GIS.
[00:05:04] Helen’s dissertation combining Jane Austen and GIS.
[00:08:57] What does work in geospatial sciences look like?
[00:12:04] The depth of detail in understanding our communities.
[00:15:19] Michele talks about warm data again because warm data is cool.
[00:17:06] GIS is about engagement with the data and making those connections.
[00:21:00] Becoming a geospatial advocate.
[00:27:20] Understanding from geospatial data and its value to businesses.
[00:29:25] The cost and factors involved in opening a new store branch.
[00:32:29] Michele has too many bubble tea shops nearby. Her local area could have benefitted from some geospatial data.
[00:34:14] What does a geospatial advocate do?
[00:39:55] Finding your audience.
[00:41:46] What Helen doesn’t like about her work.
[00:42:48] The challenges of public speaking.

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