Summary
Keywords
Full Transcript
If you've built your career in ArcGIS or traditional GIS tools, you already have the hardest skill: spatial thinking. What you might be missing is how to architect a modern, cloud-native geospatial infrastructure that actually scales. This video lays out a clear, opinionated 8-step roadmap for building a modern GIS stack from the ground up. No fluff. No vendor marketing. Just the architecture decisions that matter and why they fit together the way they do. 📊 FREE: The Modern GIS Skill Map The 5 skills that actually matter in modern GIS (and what you can stop learning). Based on a survey of 1,400+ geospatial professionals. ➡ Get the free training + PDF guide: https://forrest.nyc/go/training/ What you'll learn: - Why desktop GIS (QGIS or ArcGIS) is still the right starting point and when to move beyond it - How PostGIS replaces local files as your transactional system of record - When to introduce an analytical query engine like SedonaDB or DuckDB and why it's different from a database - How cloud storage and cloud-native formats (GeoParquet, Cloud-Optimized GeoTIFF, PMTiles) reduce cost and increase flexibility - What a spatial data catalog does (Apache Iceberg, STAC, IceChunk) and why it matters for data governance - How to automate data movement with orchestration tools like Airflow instead of doing it manually - How each layer connects to the others so you're building a coherent system, not a pile of tools Whether you're a GIS analyst ready to level up, a data engineer adding spatial capabilities, or a team lead evaluating tooling decisions, this roadmap gives you a mental model you can apply immediately. You don't need to build all 8 layers at once. The whole point is that you add them as your needs grow. Start with Step 1 today. 🚀 Join The Spatial Lab: Stop guessing at your career path. Get direct mentorship, advanced training, and a roadmap to these high-value roles inside The Spatial Lab. 👉 https://forrest.nyc/spatial-lab/ 📰 Daily modern GIS insights: https://forrest.nyc 🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos on modern geospatial data engineering, cloud-native GIS, and spatial analytics for professional practitioners. 0:00 Why Your GIS Skills Already Transfer 0:49 Step 1: Start With a Desktop GIS (QGIS or ArcGIS) 1:57 Step 2: Add a Transactional Database with PostGIS 3:31 Step 3: Scale Queries with an Analytical Engine (SedonaDB or DuckDB) 5:06 Step 4: Move to Cloud Storage and Cloud-Native Formats 6:21 Step 5: Add a Spatial Data Catalog (Iceberg, STAC, IceChunk) 6:57 Step 6: Automate Data Pipelines with Airflow CONNECT WITH ME 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt_forrest/ 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbforr/ 📧 Newsletter: https://forrest.nyc 🌐 Website: https://forrest.nyc
Continue this lesson in the app
Install CourseHive on Android or iOS to keep learning while you move.
