My name is Brianna Shannon, and I’m in my final year at Dalhousie University, located in the beautiful city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here at Dalhousie, I am currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Ocean Science, with a minor in Geography and an undergraduate certificate in Geographic Information Sciences (GIS). My academic background has enabled me to bridge marine science and spatial analysis, and has inspired me to pursue a graduate certificate at the Centre of Geographic Sciences with NSCC.

Just a couple of photos of myself doing some things I love!

My high school in Ontario didn’t offer any classes in geomatics or spatial science, so I wasn’t introduced to GIS until my 2nd year of university. However, that all changed when I met an upper-year Ocean Science and Marine Biology student who was completing a GIS certificate. Hearing him talk about his maps and data analysis immediately sparked my interest. After learning more about the GIS certificate, I decided to take a summer SEASIDE course to test the waters. I was hooked. My career trajectory shifted. I now want to pursue a spatial analysis-focused job rather than traditional laboratory work.

I have always had a keen interest in understanding complex patterns and systems, which led me to GIS. Instead of doing data analysis with tables and graphs, I like how GIS allows me to visualize patterns, relationships, and change that is occurring through space and time. Since that first SEASIDE course, I have taken almost all the GIS courses available to me. And most recently, I enrolled in an environmental remote sensing course here at Dal, where I am further developing my skills with satellite imagery, spatial analysis, and environmental change monitoring. In the upcoming year, I plan to apply these skills to my capstone research project (stay tuned for updates!).

Throughout my GIS adventures, I have fallen in love with suitability mapping (especially habitat mapping), environmental change monitoring (I am currently quantifying glacial retreat in the Swiss Alps), and coastal mapping!

I am really looking forward to learning from everyone in this community and growing my skill set through the Esri Canada GIS Centres of Excellence program. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/brianna-shannon-7a601b1b9) or reach out by email (Brianna.Shannon@dal.ca)!