Ed Copony

Software Developer & Mapmaker

Building software for 25 years. Making maps because I can't stop.

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About

Software developer based in the Pacific Northwest with a passion for maps, data, and understanding the world through geography.

By day, I build software. By night (and weekends), I create maps. I earned my Master's degree in Geographic Information Science in 2023, and I've been exploring the intersection of code and cartography ever since.

I'm particularly interested in terrain visualization, watershed analysis, and using code to generate beautiful, data-driven maps. I write about my mapping adventures on Medium.

Maps

A selection of cartographic work from my ongoing exploration of GIS, terrain visualization, and data-driven mapping.

Relative Elevation Model

Relative Elevation Model

REM visualization of river confluence

Crater Lake with Ambient Occlusion

Crater Lake, Oregon

Terrain with ambient occlusion layers

Beaver Restoration Opportunities

Beaver Restoration

Hexagonal tessellation analysis

Vintage Topographic Map with Hillshade

Vintage Topo + Hillshade

USGS quad enhanced with modern hillshade

Watershed Restoration Opportunities

Restoration Opportunities

Watershed series analysis

PNW Forest Loss H3 Visualization

PNW Forest Loss

Interactive H3 hexagon visualization with deck.gl

Experience

Work

Principal Software Developer ExecOnline
2015 - Present

Leading development of enterprise learning platform. React, TypeScript, Ruby, Python, AWS.

Software Engineer Fidelity Life / Jama Software / Others
1999 - 2015

Full-stack development across fintech, enterprise software, and startups.

Education

M.S. Geographic Information Science Northwest Missouri State University
B.A. History University of Virginia

Skills

Python TypeScript Ruby React ArcGIS Pro QGIS GeoPandas PostGIS AWS PostgreSQL

Writing

I write about cartography, GIS techniques, and the intersection of code and maps on Medium.

Geospatial + AI

Exploring Claude Agent SDK and MCP servers for geospatial workflows

Watershed Series

Deep dives into watershed analysis, REMs, and restoration planning

Terrain Visualization

Hillshade techniques, ambient occlusion, and beautiful terrain maps

Python + Maps

Generating stylized maps programmatically with GeoPandas and Matplotlib

Read on Medium