GIS Officer Job Description

What is the job description of a GIS Officer? What are the duties and responsibilities of a GIS Officer? What does a GIS Officer do?

Job description of a GIS Officer

Geographical information systems (GIS) officers capture and analyse a range of geographical data using GIS systems in order to help organisations make long-term plans. Geographical information systems officers carry out the collection and analysis of geographical data generated by geographical information systems (GIS). GIS data has multiple applications in various areas, such as defence, meteorology, oil, gas, telecommunications and transport.

This GIS Officer job description example includes the list of most important GIS Officer duties and responsibilities as shown below. It can be modified to fit the specific GIS Officer profile you're trying to fill as a recruiter or job seeker.

GIS Officer Duties and Responsibilities

GIS Officer job description should contain a variety of functions and roles including:

  • Use a range of GPS tools in the field to capture the location of 'assets' such as bridges, street lights, road barriers and flood defences
  • Undertake desk-based data capture (digitising) to convert paper maps to GIS datasets to, for example, record the location of telecoms cables or water pipelines from original maps.
  • Create and maintain the structures necessary for GIS data storage
  • Develop tools for loading/transferring GIS data between different systems
  • Manipulate, analyse and present geographical information by creating programs to convert GIS information from one format to another
  • Develop internet apps to present GIS data and tools on corporate websites
  • Use tools to join together different GIS datasets and create new information or investigate patterns, e.g. estimating the number of people potentially affected by flooding, using population growth figures and planning information to estimate increasing/decreasing demand for school capacity or calculating the number of potential customers for a new supermarket and predicting buying patterns based on socio-economic factors.

GIS Officer Requirements / Skills / Qualifications

GIS Officer job description should include these common skills and qualifications:

  • A degree or post graduate degree in computer science, environment and sustainability, geographical information systems, geography, maths or statistics, software engineering, surveying, urban planning.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills
  • IT skills, including the use and manipulation of complex databases and spreadsheets
  • Knowledge of specialised software packages such as ArcGIS or ESRI
  • Self-motivation and a proactive attitude to work
  • Attention to detail
  • Team working skills and the ability to work independently
  • The ability to work well under pressure.
  • Numerical skills with the ability to analyse data and statistics
  • The ability to translate client requirements into working solutions
  • Familiarity with Ordnance Survey mapping and digitising techniques
  • Presentation skills
  • Project management skills

As a hiring manager, recruiting an ideal GIS Officer starts with crafting a good job description. Use this GIS Officer job description template to save yourself time and help you attract the most qualified candidates. Feel free to revise it to meet your specific needs.

Job seekers interviewing for the role of a GIS Officer may also reference it in preparation for the interview.