Principal Software Engineer – Geospatial Center

The Center for Spatial Data Science at the University of Chicago is a research center where we think spatially about research problems. We develop state-of-the-art methods for geospatial analysis; implement them through open source software tools; apply them to policy-relevant research in the social sciences; and disseminate them through education and support to a growing worldwide community of over 330,000 spatial analysts. The US COVID Atlas project presents a county-level visualization tool that enables interactive exploration of COVID case data and community indicators across the United States from multiple sources, from the beginning of the pandemic to today. In a quickly changing pandemic landscape, access to county-level data and regional insights is crucial to understanding needs and supporting planning efforts. In the summer, more datasets will be linked to the Atlas with a more robust infrastructure. The surveillance tool will also be applied to develop research blogs/papers that delve into various aspects of local community contexts affecting the pandemic, including local social, economic, and health factors. The web application is made using Libgeoda as a lightweight C/C++ library that acts as a wrapper to the core features of GeoDa, an open source spatial analysis software developed by the Center. For the application, Libgeoda customized and compiled to WebAssembly and bound to the geo-visualization module via Javascript, implemented using deck.gl, d3.js, and Mapbox. This position can be full-time or part-time for one year. It is grant-funded, and therefore grant dependent for a renewal period.

Responsibilities

The job leads and provides expertise to the development of programs for activities relating to software support and/or development. Analyzes, designs, develops, debugs, and modifies computer code for end user applications, beta general releases, and production support. Manages development and implementation of applications, web pages, and user-interfaces using a variety of software applications, techniques, and tools. Solves complex problems in administration, maintenance, integration, and troubleshooting of code and application ecosystem currently in production.1) Leads in the development of new systems, features, and tools. Solves complex problems and identifies opportunities for technical improvement and performance optimization. Reviews and tests code to ensure appropriate standards are met., 2) Utilizes in-depth technical knowledge of existing and emerging technologies, including public cloud offerings from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud., 3) Acts as a technical consultant and resource for faculty research, teaching, and/or administrative projects., 4) Leads or coordinates teams or projects for activities relating to software support and/or development., 5) Performs other related work as needed.

Unit-specific Responsibilities

1) Performs various activities relating to the existing Atlas application.

2) Including development, debugging, and modification of computer code to maintain and further develop the application.

3) Develop and enhance front-end features for the existing Atlas web application.

4) Provide support and maintenance for the existing Atlas web application.

5) Provide appropriate written documentation of project development and programming code.

Unit-preferred Competencies

1) Ability to work in a collaborative team used to minimal supervision and oversight and ensure accountability for deliverables and outcomes.

2) Ability to prioritize and manage workload to meet critical project milestones and deadlines.

3) Proven debugging and troubleshooting skills.

4) Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Education, Experience, and Certifications

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Education

1) Bachelor’s degree in computer science or GIS related fields

2) Master’s degree in computer science or GIS related fields

Experience

1) 4+ year experience in front-end web development

2) Comprehensive knowledge of JavaScript, HTML/HTML5, CSS and JSON.

3) Experience with javascript profiling tool (e.g. Chrome Developer tools or similar).

4) Experience with interactive visualization front-end libraries like d3.js.

5) Experience with relevant front-end mapping libraries like Mapbox.js is required, Deck.gl, or Kepler.gl is a plus.

6) Git version control experience.

7) Working knowledge of Node.js, React, Python and AWS.