You can never go wrong with completing the FEMA disaster response courses. Those are nationally recognized and often a requirement to participate in disaster responses. Each free only certificate is 2-4 hours. https://training.fema.gov/nims/


The standard required courses for disaster response are:

• ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System

• ICS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents

• IS-10.A: Animals in Disasters: Awareness and Preparedness

• IS-700: National Incident Management System, An Introduction

Hello Dr Levy,

I am hoping there is an updated schedule for this course.  Something in 2024 or 2025?

Original Message:
Sent: 12-22-2022 11:18 PM
From: Julie Levy
Subject: What Certifications can I receive to help advance my animal welfare career?

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

Thank you for that info! I wouldn't have thought of that.

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

This is an interesting area and one I haven't considered. I was "retired" last year from a very physically taxing but rewarding job as an animal care associate that I had for over 18 years due to osteoarthritis and chronic back pain. I've since been looking for less physical means of employment within the animal sheltering/animal welfare field as I still love it and miss being involved in the field.  I have several online certifications in editing but mapping and analysis work does sound interesting. I didn't know there was such a position in animal sheltering/welfare. How would one go about becoming certified and employed in this way?

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

ESRI has some certification exams you can work towards: https://www.esri.com/training/certification-find-exam/ You can take courses at many colleges to learn about GIS too. You can  find classes and certificate programs, or whole degrees if you want. Or you can study independently if you just want to try it out. ESRI has lots of resources for that too: https://www.esri.com/training

If you want to learn an open source/free program you could try QGIS tutorials: https://www.qgistutorials.com/en/

This is an interesting area and one I haven't considered. I was "retired" last year from a very physically taxing but rewarding job as an animal care associate that I had for over 18 years due to osteoarthritis and chronic back pain. I've since been looking for less physical means of employment within the animal sheltering/animal welfare field as I still love it and miss being involved in the field.  I have several online certifications in editing but mapping and analysis work does sound interesting. I didn't know there was such a position in animal sheltering/welfare. How would one go about becoming certified and employed in this way?

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

I just read this and had to respond: your work sounds absolutely fascinating, Maria! There are so many potential applications for what you do!

You mention that some people are using this software to map free roaming animal populations. Is that work you are currently involved in? Or do you happen to know anyone who is? I'd love to learn more about what is being developed here. 

Thank you,

Gary Evans

President, Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs

gary@acc-d.org

www.acc-d.org

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

I just read this and had to respond: your work sounds absolutely fascinating, Maria! There are so many potential applications for what you do!

You mention that some people are using this software to map free roaming animal populations. Is that work you are currently involved in? Or do you happen to know anyone who is? I'd love to learn more about what is being developed here. 

Thank you,

Gary Evans

President, Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs

gary@acc-d.org

www.acc-d.org

GIS is a whole field, not just a mapping program! :) I'm a full-time GIS Analyst doing mapping and analysis work, and in addition to my own everyday mapping tasks I help manage our organization's ESRI account. I use mapping to see where we are meeting clients and pets, identify new locations for outreach, mapping day to day outreach efforts, map the demographic characteristics of the people who live in communities, and we've done a variety of projects that involve mapping animal control field services data: where calls are coming from, what the calls are about, and the outcomes. Some shelters use GIS mapping to share the locations of where stray animals were found, see where their main sources of animal intake are coming from, and some organizations use it to map out donor locations to plan visits. We also research and map the locations of pet resources like veterinarians and pet stores to identify gaps and resource deserts. People also use GIS to track street dog populations and spay/neuter programs. And that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! You can use GIS mapping for many things! There's a lot of demand for it out there, way more than I can keep up with at my own organization.

GIS like the mapping program? Can you explain the connection? I'm not quite sure how mapping would help with animal welfare

Hello @Adam Whisman,

I'm just seeing your original post today and wondered how your career is going.  Were you able to find and take certification programs that help?  

Maddie's Fund just produced a webcast to help folks understand all the types and kinds of certification for animal behavior. If interested, you can watch it here: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/discussion/decoding-behavior-certifications-w-dorothy-baisley-thurs-jan-23-12-pm-pt3-pm-et-maddies-monthly-behavior-connection

Wishing you every success,
@Alison Gibson

Hi Alison, 

Thank you for reaching out, I definitely have found a few certifications to help advance my career, mostly in leadership and DEI focused areas. I am always looking for more!!

Hello @Adam Whisman,

I'm just seeing your original post today and wondered how your career is going.  Were you able to find and take certification programs that help?  

Maddie's Fund just produced a webcast to help folks understand all the types and kinds of certification for animal behavior. If interested, you can watch it here: https://forum.maddiesfund.org/discussion/decoding-behavior-certifications-w-dorothy-baisley-thurs-jan-23-12-pm-pt3-pm-et-maddies-monthly-behavior-connection

Wishing you every success,
@Alison Gibson