Description:
Schedule: This is a full time internship, but may be adjusted if the student is in school.
Dates: 09-16-2020 - 01-29-2021
Agency: National Park Service
Location: Capital Reef National Park
Overview:
Accurate locational data remains a fundamental component to understanding and managing resources within the National Park Service (NPS). The goal of this internship is to provide operational support to Capitol Reef National Park (CARE) with the development and implementation of improved spatial data management and stewardship practices. The intern will work with CARE and NPS Geographic Resources Division (GRD) staff to review and update existing spatial data to geodatabases using standardized NPS templates and establish workflows for the creation and maintenance of future spatial data. The intern will be stationed at CARE in southcentral Utah and receive initial training and ongoing support from NPS GRD staff in Lakewood, CO.
Responsibilities:
The intern will be responsible for (1) reviewing legacy resource datasets for source accuracy and completing metadata as necessary, (2) standardizing datasets using NPS geodatabase templates, and (3) communicating progress and results with CARE staff. Existing datasets include location data for cultural resources requiring the intern to use secure practices while working with sensitive resource data. The intern will also make recommendations to CARE staff regarding best management practices, including workflows for the collection of new cultural resource data. Work will be completed using ESRI ArcGIS software providing the intern with training on NPS GIS data management practices and the opportunity to learn how high-quality data contributes to management decisions in a national park.
Qualifications:
A successful candidate will have a strong foundation in GIS, be familiar with basic spatial data standards, and must be comfortable managing and editing feature classes in a geodatabase. The candidate should be proficient using ESRI ArcGIS software. Completed coursework in anthropology, archaeology, or other historical discipline is preferred, but not required. Candidates should be comfortable working independently and reaching out to the core workgroup or outside specialists as needed. Although most of the work (ca. 80-90%) will be conducted in a climate-controlled office, field work for program support activities will take place in rugged, exposed, desert backcountry locations. Candidates should be generally comfortable living in a remote, rural, desert environment. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent legal resident between the ages of 18 and 35 years old. Prior to starting this position a government security background clearance will be required.