Editor’s note: Thank you for joining us for this podcast edition of GeoInspirations. Today our distinguished columnist, Dr. Joseph Kerski, talks with Stace Maples, Geospatial Manager, Stanford University Libraries.
Stace’s self-dubbed position description on his website says it all about him—“Geospatial Swiss Army Knife”. He has been involved in fascinating projects and programs over his career, and has collaborated with colleagues across such a wide ranging set of disciplines. He is the Geospatial Manager at The Stanford Geospatial Center, where he provides support to the Stanford research community. Yet his influence extends far beyond his own campus; as an example, the trailblazing work he does in setting up geospatial data portals and services has advanced the entire open data movement. His work has taken him from the “beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, to Kurdish Northeastern Syria, to the most remote areas of the Mongolian/Chinese border.” As an “archaeologist by training and a technologist by temperament,” Stace is interested in and has expertise in all aspects of mapping, including aerial imaging of archaeological sites using kites and balloons to the development of platforms for the gathering of volunteered geographic information. In my interview with him, he kept coming back to “where matters”. In the nearly 15 years that I have known him, I have always been impressed by his unique perspectives and fascinating background. He’s not afraid to “tell it like it is” – and his straightforward manner is exactly what we need in the field of GIS. It is my sincere pleasure to introduce Stace Maples to the readers of Directions Magazine.
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Stace's Favorite Map: https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/r0os35
“It cannot be wisdom to assert the unique truth of one faith over another. The wise person makes justice [their] guide and learns from all. Perhaps in this way the door may be opened again whose key has been lost.” – Akbar the Great
- Evaluation of a Smartphone Decision-Support Tool for Diarrheal Disease Management in a Resource-Limited Setting Haque F, Ball RL, Khatun S, Ahmed M, Kache S, et al. (2017) Evaluation of a Smartphone Decision-Support Tool for Diarrheal Disease Management in a Resource-Limited Setting. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 11(1): e0005290. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005290
- Why your mapping and data platform should cater to university research and teaching. https://medium.com/@stacey.maples/why-your-mapping-and-data-platform-should-cater-to-university-research-and-teaching-cd8768c9e7b6
- Stanford’s Earthworks Spatial Data Discovery Platform: https://earthworks.stanford.edu/