Ed Copony | Software Developer, M.S. in GIS

About

I'm a software developer based in Arizona, and I make maps.

I build software for a living and make maps on my own time. I earned a Master's degree in Geographic Information Science in 2023, and my work since then combines code and cartography.

My main interests are terrain visualization, watershed analysis, and data-driven maps generated with code. I write about this work on Medium.

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Maps

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

The Sky Islands

Madrean mountain ranges drawn as an archipelago, with sea level at 1,600 meters

Luckiamute River Watershed

Administrative boundary map with terrain hillshade

Relative Elevation Model

REM visualization of river confluence

Crater Lake, Oregon

Terrain with ambient occlusion layers

Beaver Restoration

Hexagonal tessellation analysis

Vintage Topo + Hillshade

USGS quad enhanced with modern hillshade

Restoration Opportunities

Watershed series analysis

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

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 PostGIS AWS Bedrock PostgreSQL AI

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 Matplotlib

Read on Medium