People don’t need a degree to use the apps on their phone, why should they need a degree in GIS?
As organisations move IT to the cloud, Ming’s deep technical expertise in Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure is in great demand. His experience spans a broad range of organisations: Central and Local Government, insurance companies, transport infrastructure providers and many more.
Ming’s energy and passion for geospatial technology are relentless. “For me the greatest buzz is when a customer has that lightbulb moment and says, ‘I can do this!’. My response is invariably, ‘Yes, you can!’ and in that moment a real difference is made”. He readily admits that his enthusiasm can sometimes get the better of him. A customer once explained, “Ming didn't want to leave the office, but eventually we insisted he check into his hotel and come back tomorrow!”
Ming is a long-standing member of MapAction, the charity that maps disaster areas; helping medics, humanitarians and rescuers reach people in distress. The opportunity to use his GIS skills to help others save lives is something he is continually grateful for.
He discovered GIS at Durham university, using ArcInfo to model the feeding patterns of birds in Africa. “This gave me the chance to use my love of maps and tinker with really some cool stuff.” From then on, he was hooked.
In Ming’s vison of the future, the term GIS will disappear as geospatial technology becomes embedded in everything from self-driving cars to AI enabled robots. End users will become geospatially empowered, he evangelises.
Experience:
- Managed design and delivery of Datahub, a managed service that provided geospatial data in easy to use formats, enabling customers to buy just what they need.
- Architected and delivered a data portal for XL Catlin, giving re-insurance agents better access to data so they can operate faster and at lower cost.
- Advised a major UK engineering company on deployment of GIS to support HS2, Cross Rail and other strategic infrastructure projects.
Skills:
- Designing, delivering and running highly available, resilient cloud-based enterprise GIS.
- Problem solving - able to root out infrastructure issues and create solutions.
- Automating and streamlining GIS workflows.
Professional Style:
- Flexible – rapidly adapts to changing circumstance.
- Optimistic – will charm the whole team with his infectious enthusiasm.
- Unflappable – Calmly deals with crises, even when others panic.
Qualifications/Training:
- MSc International Development Management, The Open University
- MSc Geographical Information Systems, Edinburgh University
- BSc Environmental Management, Durham University
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate