EnviroAtlas Data Support Associate

Organization
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Reference Code
EPA-SSP-0027-11R-12-5-17
How to Apply
  • Submit application and supporting documents by clicking on Apply Now button.
  • For more information, contact EPAjobs@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly.
Description

The EPA Environmental Research and Business Support Program has immediate opening for an EnviroAtlas Data Support Associate with the Office of Research and Development at the EPA facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

The Office of Research and Development at the EPA supports high-quality research to improve the scientific basis for decisions on national environmental issues and help EPA achieve its environmental goals. Research is conducted in a broad range of environmental areas by scientists in EPA laboratories and at universities across the country.

EPA’s National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) supports EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment by developing and applying innovations in exposure science. Exposure science sets the context for understanding and solving real-world problems. A major component of NERL’s research portfolio is the EnviroAtlas (www.epa.gov/enviroatlas). EnviroAtlas provides interactive tools and resources for exploring the benefits people receive from nature or "ecosystem goods and services". Ecosystem goods and services are critically important to human health and well-being, but they are often overlooked due to lack of information. Using EnviroAtlas, many types of users can access, view, and analyze diverse information to better understand the potential impacts of various decisions.

The selected candidate shall provide data management, data curation and data analysis support for the EnviroAtlas project. He/she shall provide database management, file management, data curation and extraction, quality control, as well as performing qualitative and quantitative data analysis. The candidate will be a member of a multi-disciplinary research team and shall support the development, maintenance, and analysis of EnviroAtlas data, tools, and web applications for both national and community scale ecosystem service indicators.

Data Development and Analysis responsibilities shall include: 

  • Developing meter-scale urban land cover data from aerial photography and lidar data using ENVI, Genie Pro, and/or eCognition image classification software,
  • Analyzing land cover maps for ecosystem services and sustainability,
  • Processing GIS (Geographic Information System) data layers,
  • Performing quality control of geospatial data,
  • Creating metadata and fact sheets supporting the data products, and
  • Performing literature reviews.

Communications-related responsibilities shall include:

  • Participating as a member of a multi-disciplinary research team,
  • Interacting with other members of the development team as well as EPA scientists,
  • Documenting code, methods and land cover development efforts, and
  • Presenting work performed at a scientific conference as required.

 

Location: This job will be located at EPA’s facility in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Salary: Selected applicant will become a temporary employee of ORAU and will receive an hourly wage of $28.14 for hours worked.

Hours: Full-Time

Working Conditions: This position will involve work in an administrative setting and is not expected to involve exposure to hazardous elements.

The selected candidate shall be supervised by a mentor who will provide day-to-day direction, as well as coach, advise and counsel them, and review their work. 

Travel: Occasional overnight travel may be required.

Expected Start Date: The position is full time and expected to begin January 2018.  The selected applicant will be a temporary employee of ORAU working as a contractor to EPA. The initial contract period is through May 14, 2018, followed by two (2) additional 12 month option periods.

For more information, contact EPAjobs@orau.org. Do not contact EPA directly. 

Qualifications

Eligible applicants must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age and
  • Have earned at least a Master’s degree in the fields of geospatial science, geography, ecology, environmental science, geosciences or a related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months and
  • Be a citizen of the United States of America or a Legal Permanent Resident.

EPA ORD employees, their spouses, and children are not eligible to participate in this program.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

Successful candidate shall:

  • Demonstrate education and/or experience in GIS (geographic information systems), geospatial data compilation and analysis,
  • Working knowledge of remote sensing and image processing, and
  • Strong written, oral and electronic communication skills.

Desired Knowledge, Skills, Work Experience, and Education

  • Experience programming in Python and R or other scripting languages, and
  • Experience using ENVI, GeniePro and/or eCognition software.
Eligibility Requirements
  • Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
  • Degree: Master's Degree or Doctoral Degree received within the last 24 month(s).
  • Discipline(s):
    • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
    • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
    • Life Health and Medical Sciences (45 )
    • Physics (16 )
    • Social and Behavioral Sciences (1 )
Affirmation

I certify that I am at least 18 years of age; a recent graduate with at least a Master’s degree in the fields of geospatial science, geography, ecology, environmental science, geosciences or a related field of study from an accredited university or college within the last 24 months; a citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States of America; and not a current employee of EPA ORD or the spouse or child of an EPA ORD employee.

ORAU is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability); visit the ORAU website for required employment notices.


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