Dallas Hoffman    Geospatial Data Scientist   (GISP '25)

Hoffman Resumae

Mission-oriented, keenly dynamic GIS and data analytics professional who thrives on challenges demanding adaptability and fortitude. Over two decades work experience in myriad roles, realms, industries, and geographical locations. Passionate autodidact,* lifelong learner - dedicated to maintaining mastery in geospatial information sciences, including environmental analysis, imagery and photogrammetry, cartography, data management, web services, and LiDAR point cloud processing techniques, in addition to programming and development of blended data analysis solutions using free, open source software (FOSS).

About
Languages
English (Native)
German (Intermediate CEFL)
Russian (Basic)
Skills
ADVANCED
  • ArcGIS Online
  • ArcGIS Pro
  • ArcMap
  • ArcServer Manager
  • CSS
  • Database Management
  • GitHub
  • GRASS GIS
  • HTML
  • Jupyter Notebook
  • JupyterLab
  • ModelBuilder
  • MS Office (Excel, etc.)
  • Python
  • WebApp Builder
INTERMEDIATE
  • Anaconda/conda
  • ArcGIS API
  • ArcGIS Image
  • Binder (docker)
  • Enterprise GDB
  • Git
  • JavaScript
  • JSON
  • Markdown (R,Q)
  • MS Access
  • pgAdmin
  • PostGreSQL
  • QGIS
  • R
  • REST
  • Slack
  • SQL
  • VB
  • Visual Studio
  • XML
FAMILIAR
Interests
  • Kayaking - both whitewater
    & flatwater
  • Carolina Hurricanes Hockey
  • Philosophy
  • Painting
  • Climbing
Places Lived
  • United Kingdom
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Virginia
Formal Education
2020 — 2023 M.G.I.S.T., Master of Geospatial Information Science
and Technology
Special Designation P.S.M., Professional Science Masters†

North Carolina State University
Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources
Yield Monitor Data Analysis for Soybean Producers: a tutorial course using F.O.S.S.
Committee: Dr. Eric Money (chair), Dr. Sheila Saia (co-chair), Dr. Jason Ward (co-chair)

2019 — 2021 G.C., Graduate Certificate, Geographic Information
Systems (G.I.S.)

North Carolina State University
Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources

2016 — 2016 S.C., Specialization Certificate, Geographic Information
Systems (G.I.S.) and Cartography‡

University of California, Davis
Continuing and Professional Education

2009 — 2012 B.A., Bachelor of Arts, International Studies
Concentration in EU and Environmental Affairs

University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Department of Global Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Minors in Political Science, History, German Language and Culture
Germany as a World Leader in Renewable Energy Policy: an example for global efforts in climate change mitigation
Committee: Dr. Garth Green (chair), Dr. Harry Chernotsky, Dr. Charles Houck

2007 — 2009 A.A., Associate in Arts, General Liberal Studies

Central Piedmont Community College
Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) Transfer Program

Certifications & Training
2017 •   Geospatial Information Systems Specialist (GISP)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security | FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

2017 •   Applications of GIS for Emergency Management

U.S. Department of Homeland Security | FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

2020 •   Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) Platform

U.S. Department of Homeland Security | FEMA Emergency Management Institute (EMI)

2021 •   Incident Response Management: Ransomware Attack Mitigation

U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

2021 •   Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure: Protection 101

U.S. Department of Homeland Security | Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

2022 •   Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program

N.C. State University Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity

Professional Experience
Sep 2024
Oct 2023

N.C. State Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering - Coastal Hazards Research Lab

Geospatial Data Scientist, Research Lab Manager
Raleigh, NC

  • Generated dozens of geostatistical intel datasets, graphs, charts, and map layouts to support critical coastal hazard, erosion mitigation, and shoreline engineering operations for the NC Department of Transportation’s Coastal Monitoring Program (CMP).
  • Collected and analyzed aerial photogrammetry datasets (.sid files) of the Oregon Inlet Terminal Groin provided by the NCDOT resulting in quarterly+ updated shoreline and dune volume temporal change data that was integral to the CMP and annual reports.
  • Engaged in strategic, focused, near-monthly meetings with the CMP project consulting engineer to QA/QC data analysis outputs, photogrammetry interpretations, and feature creation to ensure data accuracy and precision.
  • Innovated automation tools such as consolidated geoprocessing tasks in Arc Model Builder and Arc(Py) Notebook that led to streamlined data analysis workflows, improved efficiency, and reduced the potential for introduction of human error.
  • Updated all outdated ArcMap procedures to ArcPro compatibility throughout the CMP project ops manual because I had intel that NC State ArcMap licenses would terminate in June; I achieved this goal in rapid time which resulted in eliminating the department’s need to purchase costly individual licenses for CMP.
  • Managed and maintained the Coastal Engineering Research Lab on Centennial Campus of roughly ten graduate students and visiting scholars.
  • Planned and led bi-weekly meetings to present project progress and technical details to the lab’s principal professor, Dr. Anarde.
  • Resigned, amicably, on good terms due to not finding the job to be a good fit for my expertise, education, and experiential needs, nor I a good fit for the lab.
Oct 2023
May 2023

N.C. State Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Extension Data Science Academy

Data Science Engineer, Project Architect
Raleigh, NC

Promoted to serve as principal project engineer and manager. Structured new goals, new tech solutions, production value, and rounded out the polished product deliverables.

  • Managed the late-stage development phase of the public-facing course tutorial deliverables.
  • Learned, authored content, and produced new, responsive e-learning courses using Articulate360's Rise360 online workplace training creation platform.
  • Revamped existing Extension Data Science Academy tutorial courses for adaptation and format consistency upgrades to the Rise360 delivery system.
  • Integrated the previously developed data analysis tutorials.
  • Project reached the end of its research timeline and grant funding.
May 2023
 Data Analysis Engineer
Graduate Research Associate Dec 2022
Oct 2022

Approached by the Associate Director of the N.C. State Climate Office to develop from the ground up an open source, cloud-based data analysis tutorial component for a U.S. Soy/United Soybean Board funded research project.

  • Researched and knowledge-gathered on the subject of yield monitor data and precision agriculture, as starting from a no-prior-knowledge basis.
  • Engaged in strategic consultation with Extension Specialists for needs-gathering operations leading to project goals determination.
  • Authored and deployed both a statistical and geospatial data analytics interactive, cloud-based, live-coding environment package utilizing a unique poly-glot "script of scripts", multi-language kernels notebook framework and code+content+configuration repository docker image in JupyterLab and Binder.
  • Forked, adapted, and applied a bioinformatics, polyglot Jupyter coding notebook environments framework package to be able to program using coding languages R, Python, and Bash — interchangeably/interoperatably — resulting in a uniquely high FOSS-integration solution proferring enhanced precision ag data analytics.
  • Staged yield monitor data geovisualizations in a public-facing ArcGIS web map application with data analytics dashboard which established user-friendly access and presentation.
  • Incorporated external data layers through REST services which provided further contextual information to gain valuable insights.
Oct 2023
June 2019 Research Analyst
Zonda Home (formerly Hanley Wood Meyers Research, Metrostudy, Inc.)
Remote | HQ: Newport Beach, CA

Served as the sole GIS and Geospatial subject matter expert on an 11+ member research team within the Data Intelligence department covering all 50 states.

  • Conducted research using state, county, and local GIS open data resources, database systems, satellite imagery, property records, deeds, plats, maps, consolidated real estate, and assessor tax roll data.
  • Updated the proprietary national database of dozens of specific real estate market growth performance metrics and data intelligence points for some 20+ major industry development and builder clients in 50+ counties among 10 states.
  • Developed to fill a previously undiscovered void in internal research project management, a semi-programmed methodologies and resources system for efficacious temporal project performance, progress, and productivity tracking for project metrics of 50+ counties in ten states.
  • Accomplished — with the implementation of the aforementioned — a significant increase of ~50% in output productivity with a simultaneous decrease of similar amount in input operations.
Jan 2019
 Geospatial Consultant, GIS Data Analyst
Oct 2016
Apr 2016 GIS Technician
Theorem Geo Associates
Charlotte, NC

At the time of joining Theorem Geo Associates, the company was a private Engineering and GIS/Geospatial Consulting firm with contracts in the energy, environmental, and utilities industries - Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) and Southern Company (NYSE: SO) being the central clients.
Began at Theorem Geo as an entry-level (and only just recently self-taught) GIS Technician. Hired for the specific role of what essentially was project manager, and quickly ascertained the overall scope, goals, and needs of this particular assignment, which actually necessitated its official development.
After six months, was promoted to Geospatial Consultant and assigned to consult as a GIS Data Analyst on various other projects.
Left the company after being accepted into the MGIST graduate program at NC State University, thus moving up to the beautiful City of Oaks!

Principal Project Developer and Manager
Duke Energy Land Strategy and Real Estate (RE)

  • Consulted with client - Duke Energy GIS Director - to define scope and effort for contract project to address business needs.
  • Independently designed and developed from the ground up, deployed, and maintained a sustainable collaborative online data management system for major, continuous RE project involving complex acquisitions, QA/QC tasks, organization, and processing of quarterly updated geospatial parcel data for Duke Energy’s seven-state, 260+ county service territory
  • Established sustainable and automated workflows, standards, practices, and processes. As a result, a $250,000 four-year contract with renewal option was awarded by Duke Energy to the project, as its value was realized to internal enterprise mapping operations utilized company-wide from RE and capital projects to utility corridor vegetation management and easements mapping. Deliverables included GDBs, SDEs, and other spatial data layers as requested by clients utilizing project outputs.

Geospatial Data Analyst
Duke Energy Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)

  • Synthesized, performed QA/QC tasks, and organized large amounts of tabular data and GDBs from the NC Department of Natural Resources - Natural Heritage Program, which comprised myriad attribute information collected over 100+ years on every endangered and threatened elemental occurrence of species of plant, animal, and natural community.
  • Prepared map layer deliverables to Transmission Vegetation Management Department for Best Management Practices (BMP).

Geospatial Data Analyst
Georgia Power (Southern Company) Emergency Storm Services (ESS)

  • Assisted with the preparation and QA/QC processes of different aspects of spatial data and relational databases relevant to four Storm Staging Sites for Georgia Power’s ESS.

Data Project Designer
Duke Energy Transmission Vegetation Management (TVM)

  • Performed major data synthesis, organization, and joining of historical annual Transmission Line Work Orders to a web map app and relational database I established to drastically help improve TVM record cohesion and gaining valuable performance insights from the information created.
Awards
May 2023 First Place, MGIST Graduate Poster Competition

Center for Geospatial Analytics
Voted "Best Poster Presentation" at the Master of Geospatial Information Science and Technology Graduate Student Capstone Project Poster Presentation Symposium out of the class of '23 MGIST graduates cohort. The poster showcased my Graduate Capstone project, "Yield Monitor Data Analysis for Soybean Producers: a tutorial and course using only F.O.S.S.".

Spring 2021 Distance Education Grant

NC State Institutional Grant
Awarded this institutional grant based on academic performance in a Distance Education (DE) program and financial need. Award Amount: $2,000.

Fall 2020 Academic Enhancement Grant

NC State Institutional Grant
Awarded this institutional grant based on academic performance and financial need. Award Amount: $400.

Spring 2020 Distance Education Grant

NC State Institutional Grant
Awarded this institutional grant based on my academic performance in a Distance Education (DE) program and financial need. Award Amount: $1,724

Fall 2019 Academic Enhancement Grant

NC State Institutional Grant
Awarded this institutional grant based on academic performance and financial need. Award Amount: $350

Projects
Open Source Data Analysis
Yieldworkr — An R-based JupyterLab MyBinder deployable docker build & Notebook (ipynb, utilizing IRkernel), written in R for statistical and geospatial analysis of raw crop yield monitor data. It is one module of the cloud-based data analysis tutorial course.
Grasspyield — A Python-based JupyterLab MyBinder deployable docker build & Notebook (ipynb), written in PyGrass for GRASS GIS vector and raster geospatial anaylsis. It is a (supplemental) module of the cloud-based data analysis tutorial course.
Open Source Geospatial

In addition to the above projects, I have plans for a QGIS and GeoServer based open source web mapping application, the prototype/proof of concept for which I developed in and using ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcServer Manager, ArcGIS Javascript API, pgAdmin, and PostGreSQL RDMS.

Affiliations & Memberships

Professional

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
GIS Certification Institute (GISCI)
University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)

Special Interest/Hobby


American Whitewater
Geospatial Graduate Student Organization
The Great Raleigh Cleanup!
Lake Johnson Water Stewards
The National Map Corps – USGS Citizen Scientist Volunteers
NC ArcGIS Users Group
Sierra Club, NC Chapter
USA Hockey, Southeast

 
* Self-taught in GIS; (Devoted four months to learning; the equivalent of an ESRI Technical Certification in Desktop Associate).
† The Professional Science Masters is an innovative graduate degree designed to combine advanced STEM education and training while simultaneously developing highly valued professional technical and workplace skills.
‡ Completed online.


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