Has anyone successfully off-boarded their company/organisation from Esri/ArcGIS Online to a fully open source stack for web apps and maps?

Specifically I'm interested to hear from users who used AGOL primarily for hosting public facing web maps (Experience Builder etc), then switched to something like GitHub pages for simple web mapping solutions (javascript maps with simple layer control, zoom, address search etc).

The cost and admin burden of ArcGIS doesn't seem worth it for web map hosting. The item hosting 'Content' often becomes a graveyard or dumping ground of layers, and the annual renewal, switching, or purge of licensing is a headache I don't need.
Sure, you can privately share web maps and items with external partners, but only if they also have an AGOL licensed presence (which in my experience, most of our partners don't use AGOL).

I'm thinking of binning most of our ArcGIS tooling in favour of full Open source stack, but with a minimal presence in AGOL for the rare occasion we do need it (Survey123, existing cross-org shared content etc).

NetCDF has added a lot of compression features in the last few years, including zstandard, quantization, and LZ4 (with the NetCDF Expansion Pack).

For an up-to-date description, here's Chapter 12 — Compression from The NetCDF Developer's Handbook: The Authoritative Guide to Writing High-Performance Programs for Scientific Data Management, Second Edition.

Keep on NetCDFing!

Storm water, distribution, transmission, services…you know all the utility stuff from gas to electric.

A small part of the GIS department I’m with was let go. They mainly focused on data entry and some SQL stuff.

Surely the connectivity jobs are safe? I mean, just from a basic standpoint of having to even digitize the assets in correctly would require cross checking pictures and as-builts to ensure it’s correct.

Just that workflow alone could be enough to stop the AI from replacing a job, right? At that point the more high level statistical raster and vector analysis could be handled by or improved with an AI, but the job should still be safe because the connectivity of the system could not be drawn in by the AI?

I moved to the US a little over three years ago and have been trying to continue my GIS career since then, but I still have not secured a position.

I have about 15 years of GIS experience, including spatial databases, data modelling, ETL, data migration, QA/QC, data governance, CAD-to-GIS, system implementation, automation, requirements gathering, testing, and coordination across technical and business teams. Project managment stuff s well.

Most of my experience is with open-source GIS and custom enterprise systems. I understand that ArcGIS is essential in the US market, but ESRI ecosystem is broad. I have a general understanding of many Esri tools and related experience from open-source systems, but limited direct production experience with specialized products such as Utility Network.

I am now trying to choose one direction for deeper study. The main options I see are:

• ArcGIS Utility Network and utility migrations
• ArcGIS Enterprise
• Traditional data engineering + Geospatial data engineering
• Another GIS specialization?

Utility Network appears in many job postings, especially for migrations from legacy network models. At the same time, data engineering may be a natural extension of my ETL, database, integration, and data architecture experience.

Which direction would offer the best combination of hiring opportunities, long-term demand, salary growth, and fit with my background?

Would you focus on Utility Network, ArcGIS Enterprise, geospatial data engineering, or something else?

I would especially appreciate advice from GIS hiring managers, utility GIS professionals, geospatial engineers, and people who entered the US market with international experience.

I'm a junior at Rutgers University and I have a decently sized portfolio of projects. I am having trouble finding GIS Internships for the fall, and a lot of job postings are fake. Does anyone know how to find one that's real? Thanks!

Portfolio Links:

Non-profit projects: https://rutgers.box.com/s/vmi2mjf2jzpz9hsqj5zhwss5o7h2axnk

School projects: https://rutgers.box.com/s/3rpby6w9bibcux2djnus4ijxrvahtqhp

Hey GIS peeps ... I have been working on a little GIS data engineering python library, mostly just with functions I have found myself looking for or needing to build myself constantly on projects.
I'd appreciate any feedback, particularly on my technical approaches, plus my choice of underlying libraries.
Thanks!

https://github.com/ChelseaH93/geoengine-utils

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Hi everyone,

I'm looking for part-time, remote, paid opportunities in GIS field.

I'm interested in freelance projects, research assistance or any flexible online GIS-related tasks. Even small or short-term projects would be great.

If you know of companies, platforms or individuals hiring for remote GIS work, I'd really appreciate any recommendations. Feel free to comment below or send me a DM.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone, looking for some career advice.

I recently landed a GIS Tech position making a good salary after being an intern for 2-3 years. I’m super grateful, but I'm honestly dealing with major imposter syndrome since I don't have a degree yet, and I’m a bit lost on what my next move should be.

Side note: to make my job faster, I’ve actually been creating my own Python scripts and I'm currently working on writing more.

Here’s my current school timeline:

• AS in Science: Expected late this year or Spring '27
• GIS Certificate: Could finish by Fall '27
• BA in Software Dev: Expected late '28 (already taking classes for this)

My 2-year goal is to either move up to a GIS Analyst, pivot to a Junior Dev role, or just keep moving up at my current company.

My questions:

1. With my goals (and the fact that I'm already writing Python scripts), should I bother getting the GIS cert in '27, or just put all my energy into finishing the Software Dev BA?
2. Besides Python, what specific skills should I focus on learning at my current job to prepare for an Analyst or Dev role?

Appreciate any advice you guys have!

Hey there! So I’m at the UC, this is my first time going before I start my masters program to get into the field in the fall. Does anyone have tips on how best to use my time other than networking and visiting the hands-on learning lab? I’ve been enjoying it but I feel like the conference sessions are mostly going over my head lol

We built an interactive street-level map of 711,553 traffic incidents recorded by Dubai Police between August 2018 and July 2026.

Rather than showing hundreds of thousands of overlapping points, we matched each collision and breakdown to the street where it happened. Users can browse the road network, compare streets, explore hourly and daily patterns, and locate concentrations of serious incidents.

The source data comes from Dubai Police via the Data Dubai API. Each record includes coordinates, a timestamp, an incident description, incident type and severity level. The map is updated daily as new records are published.

Project link: https://traffic-incidents.mrdn.world/dubai

• you can type what to segment ("buildings", "trees", "cars") or draw multiple examples object.
• It tiles the zone under the hood, so it holds up on big areas, a full city in one run. Tweak the result with a few sliders, or fix any polygon by hand with Manual mode option

To install it: Open QGIS → Plugins → search "AI Segmentation" → Install

• It's free for everyone, and works on QGIS 3 & 4, hope you finds value in it, there also a full tutorial linked in the qgis plugin

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Hi everyone,

I have a BSc in Disaster Management and I'm planning to pursue an MS in the US. I'm trying to choose a field that offers good career prospects after graduation.

At the moment, I'm leaning toward a GIS/Geospatial Science-related program because it seems to have applications in disaster management, environmental planning, climate resilience, and many other industries.

I have a few questions:

Is GIS/Geospatial Science a good choice in terms of job opportunities and long-term career growth in the US?

What are some other master's programs that would be a good fit for someone with a Disaster Management background? (e.g., Emergency Management, Environmental Science, Public Health, Data Analytics, etc.)

Which of these fields has the strongest job market and the best salary potential?

Where do employers in the US typically post jobs for these fields? Are there any websites besides Indeed and LinkedIn that I should be following?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has a similar background or works in these fields. Thanks in advance!

Live incident map fed by transcribed scanner audio. The interesting problem is turning what a dispatcher says into a point. "1500 block of Market" is easy, cross streets are fine, but landmark references and anything with a direction of travel get messy fast. Then I have to dedupe the same call arriving on two overlapping feeds.

Currently doing LLM extraction into a geocoder. How would you structure the pipeline? Output's at phlpulse.com.

A while back I made Heatpeaks, a map of France's May 2026 heatwave turned into relief: each weather station becomes a peak, its height set by how far temperatures deviated from the 1991-2020 baseline. (Some of you may have seen the original map on r/dataisbeautiful and r/gis.)

After I shared it, friends suggested turning it into a physical object. Since I'd rendered the whole thing in Blender, I already had a 3D file that was basically print-ready. A friend with a multicolor Bambu printer helped me run it, and the print layers ended up matching the strata of the original render beautifully.

I've also got plans for a night version, an interactive one, or simply updating it with the two heatwaves that followed.

Hope you like the approach! :-)

Not really a discussion as much as a general vent/statement lol

Last year, I was sharing some GIS project examples from work on the ESRI GIS Forum - someone sent me a DM telling me that their organization was wanting to do a similar project and asked if I would be able to collaborate with them.

I'm typically pretty slammed at work (I'm the only GIS admin for an org of about 1600 users), so I declined saying that I didn't have the bandwidth to accommodate other projects.

Over a YEAR later - he sent me another DM yesterday with a link to a project that had nothing to do with mapping (it was a VR project in Meta) saying "Imagine [my name] noting her limited bandwidth"

I did get a little amusement out of the fact that they decided to message me a year after the fact, but it's also annoying. I just deleted the message and didn't respond back, but it's really boggles my mind how some people don't understand that they are not entitled to other people's time.....

Hi everyone. I need some advice . I am currently working as a fraud analyst but I am having burnout in my job . I want to pivot into something else . After my research I found i am quite curious and interested about GIS . What can I do to get me started . ? All your advice will be appreciated.

I want to pursue mapping and it’s been tough to look for GIS internships. I am a Civil Engineering student and it would be of great help if any one of you knows a company that allows interns in their GIS department. I was hoping to intern in NAMRIA but they haven’t responded in my email.

I'm considering applying for a geospatial internship with the NGA but I frequently dye my hair with obviously unnatural colors. Are they very judgemental about dyed hair or do they not care

accessX is an open-source Python library for accessibility and equity analysis using open data.

It pulls and processes the data for you, so there’s no need to hunt down and pre-download a bunch of datasets before getting started.

You can use it for walking accessibility, different time thresholds, equity analysis, co-accessibility, maps, and summary indicators.

GitHub: https://github.com/TransformTransport/accessX

Curious to hear what the GIS crowd thinks.

Built an AI agent that generates explainer motion graphics videos — this is one I made with it experimenting, walking through how Google Maps picks the fastest route: Contraction Hierarchies plus the traditional pathfinding algorithms (Dijkstra, A*) it builds on. Would appreciate any feedback.

Hello,

I know this is extremely unlikely but is anyone going to the Esri UC early tomorrow morning? I’m a student so I signed up for the free day and the 5k tomorrow morning (it starts at 6:30am). My ride fell through and don’t think I can make the last train. I’m in Long Beach and am just looking to go tomorrow.