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Hello, I'm

Johic Mes

Geomatics Professional
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About Me.

I'm a geomatics professional with a background in computer engineering and a passion for leveraging technology to address environmental challenges. My journey has taken me from developing firmware for prosthetics in Iceland to designing data visualizations for public health in Canada, and to UBC's Master of Geomatics in Environmental Management program. My goal, combine my technical expertise in programming and GIS with my love for the outdoors, maps, and conservation.

When I'm not working or studying, you can find me hiking, restoring vintage audio gear, or exploring new interests. My career mission? To combine innovation and environmental stewardship, and yes, finally get to "touch grass."

Education

Experience

  • Developer Public Health Agency of Canada 2018 — Present
  • Firmware Developer Rianta Solutions 2020 — 2021
  • Software & Firmware Intern Össur 2019

Highlighted Projects.

Plant Suitability Modelling

Identified suitable planting locations for Musqueam plants at UBC using climate modeling. Generated future climate data with ClimateBC, selecting SSP 2-4.5 and SSP 5-8.5 scenarios. Derived categorical variables, including shade, slope, and aspect. Standardized, reclassified, and formatted the data for MaxEnt to predict plant suitability. Optimized model parameters using ENMevaluate. Created suitability maps in QGIS, clipping results to exclude unplantable areas like roads and buildings. Produced a clear visual representation of optimal planting locations under future climate conditions.

Chinook Salmon Stream Map

This project involves analyzing salmon spawning habitats on Vancouver Island using GIS tools in ArcGIS Pro. Hydrology, Network Analyst, and Linear Referencing toolsets were employed to derive hydrologic layers and model stream networks from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). Key tasks included calculating flow direction, flow accumulation, stream order, and slope, along with modeling barriers and evaluating salmon habitat suitability using linear referencing. The approach highlights the importance of DEM-based methods for creating topologically correct stream networks while acknowledging limitations, such as artifacts from raster resolution

Alex Fraser Reaserch Forest CHM

Leverage lidR package to create a canopy height model (CHM). The lidar data was first normalized by subtracting a digital elevation model (DEM) from the raw elevation data to isolate surface features above ground. Normalization involved filtering outliers (points below 0m and above 65m) using the LAScatalog engine. The CHM was generated from the normalized data using the rasterize_canopy function with the point-to-raster (p2r) algorithm and a 2m resolution, balancing computational efficiency with data accuracy. The final CHM provided a 2D raster representation of the highest vegetation heights, as expected, with no significant artifacts or outliers.

Health Infobase API

Developped a custom Flask API (Python based) designed to deliver better performance to 25+ data products within the Public Health Infobase portfolio. This project streamlined project delivery and reduced load times by up to 50%.

Health of People in Canada Dashboard

Lead developpement of a D3.js based dashboard released in conjunction with the anual Cheif Public Health Officer of Canada annual report. Dashboard showcases HTML, JS, CSS skills as well as accessibility considerations.
5 +
Years of development experience

Experienced in web, software, and firmware development, specializing in data visualizations, interactive maps, and APIs using Python, JavaScript, Flask, and D3.js. Skilled in, streamlining data pipelines, and improving user interfaces. Proficient in solving complex problems and delivering efficient, user-focused solutions.

1 +
Year of geomatics experience

Versed in Landscape Ecology and Management, Remote Sensing for Ecosystem Management, Geographic Information Systems for Forestry and Conservation, Geospatial Data Analysis.

EEE
Second Language Test Results

Fluently bilingual in both French and English.

25 +
Trees Planted

Volouteering with a quarry restoration project at Thousand Island National Park.