Throughout January xyHt.com will feature the young geospatial professionals who are making a name for themselves in everything from surveying to geographic information systems. xyHt featured all of them in the January issue. Here we will spotlight one each day.
Name: Josiah Burkett
Company: GeoTechVision Enterprises Limited
Current Position: GIS Analyst
Age: 28
Education: BS in Geology, University of the West Indies, Mona; Certification Project Management; Certification GIS
Biography: Josiah Burkett is a young professional with more than four years of experience in environmental management and geospatial technologies. In 2017 he graduated from the University of the West Indies, Mona with a Bachelor of Science degree and then went on to do an internship for two months at the Environmental Management Authority of Trinidad and Tobago. There he worked on projects including the environmental clearance certification process for companies.
He then moved on to a junior geologist position in 2018 at mineral exploration start-up, Geophysx Jamaica Limited. Here he explored the entire island of Jamaica collecting data, soil and rock samples and mapping different areas of interest.
In 2019 he was then provided the opportunity to move into a new industry where his passion and interest was Geographic Information Systems. He was offered a role with his current employer, GeoTechVision as a GIS analyst. Since joining GeoTechVision, Josiah has been involved in projects that especially focus on sustainable regional development. Some of these include the mapping of St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma (2017) devastated the island. Josiah was responsible for the collection and analysis of the drone imagery. Other projects include assessing the digital divide within the Caribbean region and Jamaica, training in the use of drones for disaster management and response and environmental management utilizing GIS and UAV technologies.
Through his job and professional affiliations, Josiah participates in many regional partnerships that seek to improve the education and awareness of GIS technologies. He has worked on various projects with organizations such as the UNGGIM Americas, Association of Caribbean States, ESRI, OECS, University of Technology Jamaica, University of the West Indies St. Augustine/Mona, and URISA. His passion is truly displayed in his involvement in professional conferences, webinars, workshops and networking events.
Josiah is a certified drone pilot and sits on the Vanguard Cabinet of Young Professional membership at URISA. He is a member of the Community Resilience Committee and Climate Change and Equity working group. Josiah was the 2020 recipient of the URISA GIS Pro Young Professional Scholarship and continues to show his involvement and desire for the use of technology in sustainable development especially in the Caribbean Region.