How to Succeed as a GIS Rebel: A Journey to Open Source GIS

Get up to speed quickly on the core topics and career paths that open source GIS has to offer.

Are you new to open source software and how it can be applied to GIS? Avoid the guesswork and learn from the decades of experience that Mark brings to the table in How to Succeed as a GIS Rebel. This new book is definitely a departure from the typical Locate Press technical focus but is still very much geared toward the technical concepts of geospatial topics. Instead, Mark leads you through the common concepts of GIS, how he discovered open source GIS, and how he took the initiative to apply it to his career and professional development.

So many books only talk about the technology of GIS, this one looks at the more personal side of the equation. How do you build knowledge without experience? By learning from the mistakes of others and adopting new tools and techniques.

Mark's been through a lot and is ready to help show any willing Padawan the way. This includes learning the terminology, processes, and workflows for success. And not only for getting stuff done, but looking ahead to building a set of tools and skills that can be your lifelong toolkit.

He explains it clearly and succinctly in an informal, conversational style that is approachable and down to earth.

At nearly 300 pages, it is not for the faint of heart - this book shines a light into the dark corners of the industry, GIS education, and the importance of software licensing to either encouraging your growth or stifling your abilities. Will you take control of your career or let others define it for you? As you'll see, the chapter outline below covers it all, in a timeline matching the typical GIS analyst moving through two and a half decades of development.