Kate Dougherty started working with the Gaia GPS team last year, both on stage, and behind the scenes. As of this week, she’s working full-time as the first Gaia GPS Cartographer, or maybe a better title is “Cartographer, GIS Specialist, and Technical Writer.”

So far, you may have read Kate’s technical writing on the blog, including “Map Your World with OpenStreetMap” and “How to Read a Topo Map”. If you are a hunter, you will also appreciate the GIS work Kate did the last couple of months, and ongoing, to build an open set of hunting and boundary data to improve Gaia GPS hunting maps.

To start her career, Kate studied physical geography in college, and earned a masters in library science at Drexel. Kate worked as a librarian for several years, and took up web design while working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After realizing how much she enjoyed learning about technology, she entered a graduate certificate program in GIS. She spent time volunteering with local land trusts, the Gulf Restoration Network, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Kate has also done a great deal of writing throughout her career. You can find her writing in Earth Island Journal Online, Entelligent, Civil Eats, Next City, and the American Society for Mechanical Engineers.

A lifelong nature lover and avid hiker, Kate considers herself a gypsy. She’s lived in Washington, D.C., Fayetteville, Arkansas, and New Orleans. For now she lives near her family in Philadelphia, but eventually plans to settle down in the beautiful front range area of Colorado.