Remote Sensing Analyst

Remote sensing is the practice of using information gathered from sources like satellites and high-altitude aircraft to create maps. In the world of remote sensing, the Remote Sensing Analyst is top dog. In this position, you have the most experience, knowledge, and training.

You help set up mapmaking projects, and work with a Remote Sensing Scientist to coordinate how the team will deal with its mission. And when they’re finished, you check, recheck, and sign off on these projects.

Your employers can be anyone: a government agency, a mapmaking company, or a private business that has remote sensing needs. You may have heard of a little company out of California called Google. Their Google Earth product makes extensive use of remote sensing technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to craft a usable item (a map) out of raw data. Somewhere at the top of the development chain, there was a Remote Sensing Analyst making sure that everything came together just right.

If you look at something like Google Earth and marvel at its beauty, complexity, and function, and you want to create something just as awesome, then a job as a Remote Sensing Analyst might just be for you.

As a high-level player, you’ll be a resource for your subordinates and employers alike. People will turn to you for help solving a programming problem or figuring out a new way to interpret a data set to display what the client wants to see. Being an Analyst is like being at the top of a mountain—you share your wisdom with those who need it, but you also always seek to improve yourself and your skills.