SFEI GIS Internship Opportunity - Delta Aquatic Resource Inventory Mapping
Sep 17, 2019
The San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) is one of California’s premier aquatic and ecosystem science institutes. Our mission: provide scientific support and tools for decision- making and communication through collaborative efforts. We provide independent science to assess and improve the health of the waters, wetlands, wildlife and landscapes of San Francisco Bay, the California Delta and beyond.
SFEI is currently seeking industrious students and early-stage professionals to train and help assist with the Delta Aquatic Resource Inventory (DARI). DARI is a project to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS) dataset of surface waters, their associated riparian areas, wetlands and other aquatic resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This dataset is critical for establishing a consistent approach to wetland classification and mapping to support multiple current efforts in the Delta. DARI is needed to establish a baseline of aquatic resources, guide the prioritization of management actions, increase the ability to assess and track the amount and distribution of aquatic resources, increase the capacity for comparable assessments for tracking net change in the future, and coordinate wetland monitoring and assessment in the Delta-Suisun region.
Interns will have an opportunity to learn wetland mapping from expert SFEI GIS staff, build mapping expertise, and help to develop a significant geospatial dataset, which will be integrated into a statewide data visualization tool: EcoAtlas (https://www.ecoatlas.org/). The dataset will also be used for regional watershed restoration planning, tracking, and reporting. Interns will map wetlands and other aquatic features using geo-rectified digital imagery, LiDAR data, and a host of other ancillary environmentally relevant datasets.
SFEI GIS interns may also get exposure to other ongoing GIS processes such as cartography, spatial analysis, watershed analysis, and UAS/drone flights. This unpaid academic internship opportunity with an expectation of each intern committing between 6 to 12/hrs a week, which will be determined with the applicant depending on availability and project need.
Prospective interns should be familiar and interested in:
- GIS
- Remote Sensing
- Digitizing Features
- Wetland Ecology
- Data Management
For those interested, please reach out to [email protected] with your resume and contact information.
Associated Staff:
Programs and Focus Areas:
Environmental Informatics Program
Geographic Information Systems
Delta Science & Management
Related Projects, News, and Events:
California Aquatic Resource Inventory (CARI) (Project)
The California Aquatic Resources Inventory (CARI) is a Geographic Information System (GIS) based map of wetlands, streams, and riparian areas within California that is hosted online through EcoAtlas.
EcoAtlas: New CARI Editor and Modern Delta Habitat Types (News)
An accurate basemap is fundamental to watershed planning and assessments. The California Aquatic Resources Inventory, or CARI, offers such a basemap for aquatic resource identification and classification. But to keep it current and enhance its details, SFEI-ASC must leverage local knowledge. The new CARI Editor promotes regional stewardship and allows users to submit updates, deletions or new features for streams and wetlands.
New Delta Habitat Map! (News)
The Delta Aquatic Resource Inventory (DARI) is a map of surface waters, wetlands and other aquatic resources in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A similar mapping approach used to create the Bay Area Aquatic Resource Inventory (BAARI) was applied to complete a consistent map across the larger San Francisco Estuary. Both DARI and BAARI are integrated into the California Aquatic Resource Inventory (CARI), which serves as the basemap in EcoAtlas.