If geography is prose, maps are iconography--Lennart Meri

I needed a minute. Distractions only take you so far and then you need to focus and make a plan. We all go through times of stress--the difference is how we manage these moments.

People overeat, play video games, take walks, smoke, and a wide variety of other positive and negative coping mechanisms. I try to lean in to behaviors that can better serve my goals.

I prefer to go out on long solo runs on the trails. I queue up a list of podcasts that reflect my curiosity in work-related topics, life in general, and creativity.

I have been studying spatial data science and cartography for a large project and I simply needed to clear my brain for the next round of analyses.

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I teach workshops examining the data layers contributing to poverty. This doesn’t happen in a vacuum. I read many books to influence where to look for data but I listen to podcasts like Code Switch. A recent podcast reminded me that when voting data was reported based on younger cohorts and racial categories--it wasn’t real.
We don’t have the data yet and it could be a minute before we distill the data to that level.

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Five quick lessons for improving your data literacy

Nobody cares that you are looking for a job. What are your unique skills and interests?

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Never stop learning. I am taking several MOOCs from ESRI.com. Geospatial analysis is more than just geocoding data onto a map. There is a rich dimensionality allowing data to better inform.

Use data for good. Capture metrics to find out what type of visualizations, topics, or stories resonate with the bulk of your subscribers.

In my case, the poverty data I was capturing from CENSUS data only used location for drop a pin in a spot on a map. I was leaving data on the table.

Exploring geospatial analytics allowed me to pursue suitability models--and learn new tools for spatial data science.

​What are some of your new tools?

LinkedIn

You are woefully underutilizing the latent potential of LinkedIn. I don’t take it too seriously. I have fun with it and use it as a portal for interested peers to reach me. Period.

​Look at the area under my photo. If you aren’t using it to display your personality or special skills, change that today.

​There is a saying out on the trails, especially if you are an ultra runner. When you fall, and you will fall, don’t blather about it--rub some dirt in it and keep going.

I am surprised to say this but I think I am in good company. Or a bad omen.
“The unexamined life is not worth living” quoted by Socrates before being sentenced to death does yield some truth.

I don’t know why my blogs trend so well in Metro Manila but there you go. Don’t write for likes but like what you write!

This could be putting a bullet in my own foot but in a world where everyone is an expert--err on the side of foundational learning.

​The type of learning that doesn’t become obsolete after the next release. Truths that can stand the test of time. Andy’s book is that for me. 

Your mileage may vary but the point is to embrace the tidal seasonality of learning.

We have the time right now and we can all benefit from careful thought and contemplation.

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