Working at 1Spatial

Will Ryan - Graduate Spatial Data Consultant

Hi, I’m Will.

I’m currently a Graduate Consultant in the Cambridge Consultancy Team at 1Spatial. I joined 1Spatial in September 2021, having graduated from the University of Brighton with a MSc in GIS and Environmental Management.

I write this piece just over seven months into my time at 1Spatial, and I can already say that I have learnt a vast amount over that time already and am increasingly finding my place within the team.

The team at 1Spatial has been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I have joined, ensuring that I am developing my skills in the direction I want, and encouraging me to look at my options and consider which direction I want my career to take. Within my first couple weeks I had already taken the Introductory Training Course for FME and the Basic and Advanced Concepts courses for our own product 1Integrate and had already begun helping on a project using FME straight after finishing the course.

During the first couple of months, I worked on a few projects, usually helping wherever I have been needed and picking up skills and knowledge along the way. Since then, I have primarily worked upon two projects.

The first project was replacing a customer's legacy mobile field survey application which required me to learn to use our 1Edit product. This project was the first time I had consistent contact with members of 1Spatial outside of the consultancy team and allowed me to get hands on with another of our products.

The second has been a major project focusing on utility data management, primarily using 1Integrate and PostgreSQL database. This project has been the best learning experience I have had at 1Spatial so far as I get to use 1Integrate daily, constantly growing my understanding of the product’s vast capabilities. In just a couple of months, I have grown my 1Integrate skills massively, and thoroughly enjoy the challenge that comes with errors and issues as these are often the best opportunities to learn and test my skills. The project has also enabled me to expand my skills, confidence and understanding of databases, and writing queries with SQL in PostgreSQL. Alongside my growing understanding of 1Integrate and PostgreSQL, I am also growing in confidence within the team and enjoy constantly collaborating, sharing knowledge, and helping (and receiving help) from my colleagues.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my first seven months at 1Spatial and feel like I have developed vastly in many ways. I am looking forward to continuing to grow and learn, and my future at 1Spatial.