Dr. Reis Thomas is a Senior Geospatial Architect and Developer at the California Department of Transportation, where he is a technical lead for ArcGIS Enterprise solution development and system enhancements. Reis was an academic for over a decade before beginning his professional career as a Physical Scientist at the Department of Homeland Security, specializing in GIS projects aimed at analyzing impacts to our nation’s critical infrastructure from natural hazards.
Reis discovered his interest in GIS early in his undergraduate work in Environmental Science and Meteorology. He continued to develop his geospatial skills over the course of many classes and research projects as he continued into graduate school. His Master’s thesis involved researching water resources across Arizona using spatial analyses to correlate precipitation events with factors like human utilization, climatology, and regional biomes. His Doctoral research focused on using satellite data and hydrologic models to define a novel hydrological drought classification metric. He enjoys mentoring both current and aspiring GIS professionals and has previously taught GIS at the undergraduate level.
Often seen as a “jack of all trades”, Reis never stops trying to learn and develop new skills, welcomes the challenge of integrating geospatial systems with other technologies, and any projects involving spatial analyses and data visualization. He has been a member of the California Geographic Information Association (CGIA) for several years and joined the board this year, where he serves under the “Awards” and “Member Engagement” sub-committees.
“Downtime” for Reis includes working on projects around the house, building his DJ brand, attending music festivals and concerts, jogging, and trivia nights.