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Maps + Information = GIS
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Posted on Jun 25 2008
[B]By LEOVITA QUITUGUA CABRERA[/B]
[I]Special to the Saipan Tribune[/I]
Hi, my name is Leovita Quitugua Cabrera and I am 17 years old. I am the Geographic Information System’s intern at the Coastal Resources Management Office. You are probably scratching your head right now, huh? That’s what I did at first, but with the right hardware, software and data, you can see really cool things like land cover, elevation, population density, bathymetry, satellite imagery and more.
The two projects that I am assigned to this summer are to update the GIS catalog and to create a metadata template for the GIS data layers. Metadata is basically information about the data, who created it, the purpose and accuracy of information. These are all important information when sharing data. During my first week of work, I was introduced to the ARCGIS software. My mentor, Julie Ann Duenas, started me off with a book from ESRI titled, Getting to Know ARCGIS, which is a hands-on exercise. After completing the entire book, I was able to make my first map. It was a thematic map of all the conservation areas on Saipan. I was really excited!
My second week was even more exciting: I made four more maps, three based on Saipan and one on Rota. However, it’s the little things I do like going out in the field or attending simple meetings that enable me to truly appreciate the importance of having and understanding GIS. I am very fortunate to have been given this opportunity. My working environment so far has been great. I’ve always wanted to be a part of something that would help protect our environment and look, here I am!
I am currently enrolled at the Northern Marianas College as an undergraduate student. My major is Liberal and Elementary Education. I also plan to pursue a degree in Natural Resource Management. However, I am growing fond of becoming an Environmental Science teacher, so who knows? Despite our economic problems, I would be honored to teach on Saipan.
