Alex Tour-Sarkissian

37.7749° N · 122.4194° W

GIS Analyst focused on spatial analysis, remote sensing, and decision-ready geospatial systems.

I design and deliver GIS decision-support systems — using ArcGIS Pro, SQL, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, remote sensing, and web GIS — that help organizations evaluate risk, plan infrastructure, and understand complex geographic systems. Work supports infrastructure planning, transportation analysis, environmental risk assessment, and operational decision-making — built on structured spatial data, rigorous validation, and clear outputs.

40+ Mapping products delivered
7 Domains & industries
100+ Civil servants trained
View the Work ↓ Download Resume
Esri Platform
ArcGIS Pro ArcGIS Online Experience Builder Dashboards Survey123
Programming & SQL
SQL PostgreSQL PostGIS pgRouting Python ArcGIS API for Python Google Earth Engine
Spatial Methods
Spatial Analysis Raster Analysis Remote Sensing Network Analysis Cartography Georeferencing GeoAI
Design & Data
Adobe Creative Suite WordPress Salesforce GitHub

Background

About Alex

Before I knew what GIS was, I was spending hours with road atlases — tracing how routes connected cities, how rivers shaped where borders fell, how the geography of a place explained almost everything else about it. When I took my first GIS course in college using ArcMap, the connection was immediate: this was the discipline of turning geographic questions into decision-support systems — spatial tools that help organizations understand risk, plan infrastructure, and act on geographic data.

I've worked on problems across defense, conservation, international development, and civic tech — and what ties them together isn't the domain, it's the approach. Understand who the map is for. Get the data right before opening the software. Notice what's broken before it becomes someone else's problem. I want to work on spatial problems that matter — whether that's environmental analysis, infrastructure planning, transportation networks, or enterprise database workflows — with teams that take data seriously.

Some of my most important work I can't show here — three maps for the Armenian Virtual College covering infrastructure corridors in a geopolitically sensitive region. That data didn't exist publicly. It had to be hand-digitized from imagery, georeferenced, and spatially validated before it could be mapped at all. That kind of rigor is what I bring to every project, whether or not the stakes are classified.

Since 2024, I've focused on deepening expertise in raster analysis, remote sensing, and GeoAI — while also building toward enterprise GIS competencies in spatial databases, SQL, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, and network analysis. I've completed advanced Esri and Udemy certifications in Python-based GIS and agentic spatial systems, and stay actively engaged through CalGPN and BayGeo. The technical depth keeps expanding. The curiosity that started with road atlases never stopped.

Education

BA Geography + GIS Certificate
Cal State East Bay · 2018

Certifications

LLM Agentic GeoAI Mastery
Udemy · 2026

ArcGIS Online API for Python
Udemy · 2026

GIS for Climate Action
Esri · 2026

Target Roles

GIS Analyst
Enterprise GIS Analyst
Transportation GIS Analyst
Utility GIS Analyst
Spatial Data Analyst

Core Capabilities

Enterprise GIS
SQL & Spatial Databases
Web GIS & Dashboards
Spatial & Network Analysis
Remote Sensing
Python & Automation

Focus Areas

Environmental Risk & Climate Resilience
Transportation & Utility Infrastructure
Infrastructure Planning
Decision Support Systems
International Development
Geospatial Intelligence

Professional Memberships

California Geospatial Professional Network (CalGPN)
BayGeo
Toastmasters International
Kiwanis International

Location

San Francisco, CA
Open to hybrid, on-site, and select remote roles

How I Work

Three things that don't change,
no matter the project.

The domain changes — defense, conservation, transit, international development. The tools evolve. But how I approach a spatial problem has stayed consistent since my first GIS course. These aren't principles I invented. They're patterns I noticed by watching what goes wrong when they're skipped.

01

Structure before
software.

I don't open ArcGIS until the data is right. Every project starts the same way: research the domain, understand the organizing logic, build the attribute structure in Excel, verify field by field. The thing I see most often when GIS projects go wrong is that the structure was broken before anyone touched the software. Inconsistent fields. Unclear classifications. Missing metadata. That's where maps start failing — long before the symbology.

Seen in: Enterprise Road Network · Electoral Systems Dashboard · Caucasus Series · Every project

02

The map is for a person
making a decision.

Before I start any map, I ask: what decision is this person actually trying to make? Sometimes that means asking directly — what do you want to see? What are you trying to figure out? A map that's technically accurate but hard to read for the person using it hasn't done its job. Accuracy matters. But the goal is for the audience to understand something clearly that they didn't understand before — and then be able to act on it.

Seen in: Nepal Dashboard · DoD Analysis · Building Education

03

Notice what's broken
before anyone else does.

In GIS work, I catch data structure and organization issues that others miss — inconsistent attribute fields, unclear classification logic, boundary misalignments that only show up when you go feature by feature. I don't just flag problems. I work through them systematically before they become someone else's emergency. That instinct comes from years of working with data that didn't come clean — and caring whether the final product holds up to scrutiny.

Seen in: Caucasus Infrastructure Maps · Apple Data Validation · Wildlife Tracking

Selected Projects

The Work

Selected GIS work across environmental, enterprise, infrastructure, transportation, and geopolitical domains — organized by capability to demonstrate spatial analysis, SQL-based database workflows, decision support, and geospatial problem-solving.

Start Here — Key Projects

Climate Vulnerability Visualization — United States

Independent Project · Google Earth Engine · Completed 2026

Climate Vulnerability Visualization — United States

Climate risk assessment, coastal resilience planning, renewable energy siting, and conservation prioritization each require spatial analysis at the right geographic scale — and each asks a different question of the data. This six-part series addresses each one using Google Earth Engine remote sensing and raster analysis across California, Louisiana, Florida, and Rocky Mountain National Park, delivering exportable GeoTIFFs, CSV tables, and methodology documentation as decision-support outputs.

Google Earth Engine Remote Sensing Climate GIS Raster Analysis
View Case Study →
Electoral Systems Global Dashboard

ProRep Coalition · Nonprofit Volunteer

Electoral Systems Global Dashboard

Global electoral classification dashboard built for policymaker use. Each country verified against five to six independent sources, structured field-by-field, and validated country by country before publication. A wrong classification here isn't cosmetic — it's a policy argument. Delivered as a publicly accessible live dashboard on ArcGIS Experience Builder.

ArcGIS Experience Builder ArcGIS Online Adobe Photoshop
Armenia & Caucasus cover image

Armenian Virtual College · U.S. Government Training Initiative

Armenia & Caucasus Thematic Map Series

20-map thematic series for a U.S. training program reaching 100+ government, academic, and think tank participants. Data didn't exist publicly — ethnic boundaries manually cross-verified across six countries; three infrastructure maps hand-digitized from imagery and spatially validated. Python-automated georeferencing workflow saved ~20 hours of processing. The audience included regional experts. The data had to hold up to that scrutiny.

ArcGIS Pro Python Automation Georeferencing Government Training
View Case Study →
00

Enterprise GIS & Spatial Databases

In Progress

Independent Project · Enterprise GIS · In Progress

Enterprise Road Network Routing System

Structure before software

A flagship enterprise GIS project demonstrating how transportation agencies, utility organizations, and public-sector GIS teams manage network data within spatial databases. Using SQL, PostgreSQL, PostGIS, pgRouting, and QGIS, the system models transportation connectivity, validates network geometry, performs routing analysis, and generates decision-support outputs for infrastructure planning, service delivery, and operational workflows.

This project is designed to demonstrate practical enterprise GIS competencies including spatial databases, SQL querying, data QA/QC, network analysis, transportation infrastructure modeling, and database-driven decision support.

Supports routing, service-area analysis, infrastructure planning, and operational decision-making for transportation agencies, utility organizations, public works departments, and public-sector GIS teams.

Method SQL · PostgreSQL · PostGIS · pgRouting
Domain Transportation Infrastructure · Utilities · Enterprise GIS
Output Routing Database · Network Analysis Workflow · SQL Queries · QGIS Outputs
PostgreSQL PostGIS pgRouting QGIS Network Analysis Enterprise GIS Transportation GIS Utility GIS SQL
Case study in progress
01

Spatial Analysis & Remote Sensing

Climate Vulnerability Visualization — United States

Independent Project · Google Earth Engine · Completed 2026

Climate Vulnerability Visualization — United States

Map for a person making a decision

Climate risk assessment, coastal resilience planning, renewable energy siting, and conservation prioritization each require spatial analysis at the right geographic scale — and each asks a different question of the data. This six-part series addresses each one using Google Earth Engine remote sensing and raster analysis across California, Louisiana, Florida, and Rocky Mountain National Park, delivering exportable GeoTIFFs, CSV tables, and methodology documentation as decision-support outputs.

Method Google Earth Engine · Remote Sensing
Scale Multi-State · United States
Google Earth Engine Remote Sensing Climate GIS Raster Analysis
View Case Study →
TVDI East and West Harerghe Ethiopia drought

Remote Sensing Analysis · Ethiopia

TVDI — East & West Harerghe Drought Analysis

Map for a person making a decision

Drought in eastern Ethiopia is a chronic condition — it shapes land use, agriculture, and food security decisions across two of the country's most food-insecure zones. This TVDI (Temperature-Vegetation Dryness Index) analysis integrated land surface temperature and NDVI data from March 2015 to map soil moisture stress at high spatial resolution. Five-class output from Very Wet to Very Dry delivered the geographic specificity that regional drought response requires: not just that drought is present, but exactly where — and where it isn't.

Method Remote Sensing · TVDI Index
Scale Regional · East Africa
ArcGIS Pro Remote Sensing Drought Analysis
NDWI Rhode Island

Remote Sensing Analysis · Rhode Island

NDWI — Normalized Difference Water Index

Notice what's broken before anyone else does

Rhode Island's complex coastal and inland hydrological system requires spatial analysis to support watershed management, land cover assessment, and water resource planning decisions. This NDWI remote sensing analysis maps surface water extent, waterbody boundaries, wetland edges, and moisture gradients — producing a five-class output that communicates where water is concentrated and where it isn't, at the scale where planning decisions get made.

Method Remote Sensing · NDWI Index
Scale State · Rhode Island
ArcGIS Pro Remote Sensing Raster Analysis Water Resources
Vegetation Carbon Stock Distribution

Environmental Analysis · Southern Oregon

Vegetation Carbon Stock Distribution

Structure before software

Land managers and climate planners need to know where carbon sequestration capacity is highest before making conservation and land-use decisions. This analysis quantifies above-ground vegetation carbon stock across Lane and Douglass Counties, Oregon — mapping tons per hectare across temperate rainforest, mixed forest, and transitional zones to make carbon distribution visible at the scale where those decisions get made.

Method Raster Analysis · Carbon Mapping
Scale Lane & Douglass, OR
ArcGIS Pro Raster Analysis Climate
View Case Study →
San Francisco Solar Energy Potential

Environmental Analysis · San Francisco

San Francisco Solar Energy Potential

Map for a person making a decision

Urban energy planners and municipal infrastructure teams need to know where solar installation will generate the most power before committing investment. This analysis maps Global Horizontal Irradiance across San Francisco — using five-class raster classification to identify high-irradiance zones where solar generation is most efficient year-round, delivered as a decision-support product for urban energy planning at the municipal scale.

Method Raster Analysis · GHI Classification
Scale Municipal · San Francisco
ArcGIS Pro Raster Analysis Urban Planning Energy
View Case Study →
02

Decision Support Dashboards & Web GIS

Electoral Systems Global Dashboard

ProRep Coalition · Nonprofit Volunteer

Electoral Systems Global Dashboard

Structure before software

Most global electoral datasets are inconsistent or politically contested. This dashboard had to be right — it was being used to educate policymakers on democratic reform. Each country's electoral classification was verified against five to six independent sources and structured field-by-field before opening ArcGIS Pro. Attributes joined, topology validated country by country, custom pop-up imagery designed in Photoshop. Published as a publicly accessible live dashboard. When a wrong classification is a policy argument, the data workflow has to hold up to expert scrutiny.

Method Web GIS · Attribute Joining
Scale Global
Output Live Interactive Dashboard
ArcGIS Experience Builder ArcGIS Online Adobe Photoshop
School Construction Projects Dashboard — Nepal

Building Education · Web GIS Analyst & Board Member

School Construction Projects Dashboard — Nepal

Map for a person making a decision

Building Education operates 7 school construction sites across Nepal — a geographic program with two fundamentally different donor audiences. Data-driven donors need project counts, construction status, funding progress, and student numbers. Emotionally-driven donors respond to photography and personal narrative. This Experience Builder dashboard was designed so both audiences find what moves them in the same interface. Serves concurrently as board member and technical lead providing WordPress and operational support for 6–10 staff.

Method Web GIS · Data Visualization
Sites Mapped 7 Construction Sites
Region Nepal
ArcGIS Experience Builder ArcGIS Dashboards Nonprofit
View Case Study → Dashboard preview on request
California Solar Footprint

Independent Project · ArcGIS Dashboards

California Solar Footprint

Map for a person making a decision

California's renewable energy buildout requires infrastructure planners and grid investment teams to understand where solar capacity is concentrated — and where geographic gaps limit future development. This dashboard maps statewide solar capacity distribution, making production patterns and coverage gaps visible to support development prioritization decisions.

Platform ArcGIS Dashboards
Scale Statewide · California
ArcGIS Dashboards Energy Infrastructure Live
View Live Dashboard →
Statewide Power Outages — California

Independent Project · ArcGIS Dashboards

Statewide Power Outages — California

Map for a person making a decision

Emergency planners and utilities managing grid events need statewide situational awareness — not fragmented outage reports. This live dashboard maps active power outage locations, scope, and geographic distribution across California in real time, providing the single spatial view that grid response operations require.

Platform ArcGIS Dashboards
Data Live · Real-Time Feed
ArcGIS Dashboards Real-Time Energy Live
View Live Dashboard →
Medium & Heavy-Duty Hydrogen & EV Infrastructure

Independent Project · ArcGIS Dashboards

Medium & Heavy-Duty Hydrogen & EV Infrastructure

Map for a person making a decision

Fleet operators and transportation planners working on decarbonization routes need to know where infrastructure gaps prevent viable corridor planning — not just where stations exist. This dashboard maps publicly accessible medium- and heavy-duty hydrogen refueling and EV charging infrastructure across California, making coverage gaps visible at the scale where routing and infrastructure investment decisions get made.

Platform ArcGIS Dashboards
Domain Transportation · Clean Energy
ArcGIS Dashboards Transportation Clean Energy Live
View Live Dashboard →
03

High-Rigor Data Reconstruction & Analytical Mapping

Armenia & Caucasus cover image

Armenian Virtual College · U.S. Government Training Initiative

Armenia & Caucasus Thematic Map Series

Notice what's broken before anyone else does

A U.S. training program reaching 100+ participants in government, academia, and think tanks needed accurate thematic maps of a politically contested region where reliable data doesn't exist publicly. Ethnic boundary datasets manually cross-verified across six countries and source languages. Three infrastructure maps covering pipeline corridors and economic routes hand-digitized from imagery, then spatially validated feature by feature. Python-automated georeferencing workflow saved approximately 20 hours of processing. 20 thematic maps delivered; three covering sensitive corridors are not shown. The audience included regional experts — the data had to hold up to that scrutiny.

Maps Produced 20 (17 shown)
Countries 6
Data Sources ~30 Datasets
ArcGIS Pro Python Automation Georeferencing Government Training
View Case Study →
Afghanistan & Belt and Road Infrastructure Analysis cover image

Department of Defense · Geospatial Analyst (Contract)

Afghanistan & Belt and Road Infrastructure Analysis

Structure before software

Geospatial intelligence analysis supporting DoD-affiliated research operations. Over 13 months, delivered four analytical maps covering Afghanistan's mineral resource distribution, Belt and Road infrastructure corridors, and regional transportation network connectivity — executed under direct analyst tasking with precision standards appropriate to the operational context. Analytical scope and methodology are presented; operational outputs are not shown.

Duration 13 Months
Maps Produced 4 Analytical Maps
Region Central & South Asia
ArcGIS Pro Infrastructure Mapping Geopolitical Analysis
View Case Study →
04

Emerging Methods — GeoAI · Conservation · Geopolitical Analysis

Five AI-Powered Spatial Accessibility Systems cover image

LLM Agentic GeoAI Mastery · Certification Capstone

Five AI-Powered Spatial Accessibility Systems

Structure before software

Five spatial decision-support systems built using AI-augmented GIS workflows — covering school accessibility (Portland), weather vulnerability (Bristol), multi-hazard emergency response (Tokyo), healthcare accessibility (São Paulo), and urban accessibility gap analysis. Each system applies Python-based spatial analysis pipelines to deliver reproducible accessibility assessments across any geography, demonstrating how agentic GIS scales analytical capacity beyond what manual workflows achieve.

Systems Built 5
Cities 4 · 3 Continents
GeoAI Python Accessibility Analysis Agentic Workflows
Bobcat and Puma tracking — Bay Area Bobcat and Puma tracking — North Bay detail

Felidae Conservation Fund · GIS Volunteer

Bobcat & Puma Wildlife Tracking — Bay Area

Notice what's broken before anyone else does

The Felidae Conservation Fund had years of camera trap records across 520 square miles of Marin County terrain — but without spatial context, the conservation patterns were invisible. Mapped approximately 100 camera trap locations and scat observations for bobcat and puma across the study area, giving the research team a decision-support spatial layer: where animal presence concentrated, where habitat corridors likely ran between landscape features, and where monitoring gaps may have obscured actual wildlife distribution.

Method Point Feature Mapping
Coverage ~520 sq mi · Marin County
Data Points ~100 Camera Trap Locations
ArcGIS Pro Wildlife GIS Conservation
View Case Study →

Get In Touch

Open to the right role.

Looking for GIS Analyst, Geospatial Analyst, and Spatial roles in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a preference for hybrid or in-person teams.

Also open to select remote opportunities involving complex spatial analysis, environmental systems, infrastructure, or data-driven problem solving.

Experience across defense, environmental, infrastructure, international development, and civic tech.

If you're working on hard spatial problems, I'd like to hear about them.

LinkedIn ↗ Download Resume