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Madeleine Seehaber

from Retail Sales Assistant to Data Scientist
I help analyse satellite imagery and other spatial data to gain insights
Industry
Geospatial
Company
FrontierSI
Job Level
Entry

Ask me about

  • What geospatial means
  • What other roles are available within my industry
  • What to do when you're unsure about your career after school

About me

I am a Data Scientist in the Spatial field. As a high school student, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I graduated. All I knew was that geography by far was my favourite subject. From establishing this, I did a bit of research into university courses that related to geography. I came across a Bachelor of Science (Geospatial) at RMIT and figured I’d give it a go. I wanted to at least get my foot in the door and then if needed, explore my options. Fortunately, I ended up really enjoying the broadness of what my course covered – I was in geography heaven!

As a part of the work experience required for my course, I entered the RMIT Activator Challenge which was collaborating with FrontierSI at the time. Coincidentally, FrontierSI were a spatial based company that I ended up following up for further work experience. From being an intern, to getting a graduate role straight out of university, and to now being a full time Data Scientist at FrontierSI, I can say that I’ve been very fortunate for the support I’ve received along the way.

About my role

  • Flexible
  • Independent
  • Observant
  • Practical
  • Sociable

Data science broadly involves extracting information from large datasets and using that information to solve problems across various domains. As a data scientist in the Earth Observation field, this can involve identifying trends, changes, and anomalies in satellite imagery, GPS data, or other spatial datasets. To do this, analysts gather, clean, manage, and analyse spatial data using a combination of techniques, including statistical analysis, machine learning, and GIS tools. Spatial data scientists rely heavily on data visualisation to communicate insights and understand the specific field they are working in, such as environment, agriculture, government, health, infrastructure, or natural resources.

Education

  • High School VCE
  • Bachelor of Science Geospatial (Hons) RMIT

Subjects

  • Biology
  • English
  • General Mathematics (Maths A)
  • Geography
  • Legal Studies

Hobbies

  • Gardening
  • Hiking
  • Pilates
  • Seeing family and friends
  • Travel

Pets

  • 1 Dog

15 year old me!!

“Pursue what you enjoy, don’t feel obligated to do what everyone else is doing!”

My career journey

Curious to know how I got here? Here’s a snapshot of my career pathway.
  1. Finished VCE
  2. Started studying geospatial science
  3. Pursued work placement
  4. Graduated university
  5. Offered graduate position at FrontierSI

My typical day

My employer

Through our SheMaps partnership we have been able to welcome GeoSpacial Advisors from FrontierSI, a social enterprise focused on bringing the best people together to anticipate and solve large problems using space and spatial expertise. Through government, research, and industry networks, FrontierSI helps bring innovative ideas through to real-world products and services with a focus on creating both commercial and public good impact. With a network combining space and spatial expertise including positioning and geodesy, data analytics, and spatial data management, this expertise can assist any sector, from space to health and resources, to improve location-based information and increase data accessibility for improved decision support and service delivery.