UK: Ordnance Survey (OS) has announced that two of its team has been appointed as Deputy Heads of Geography for the GSE (Government Science and Engineering sector) following on from the first cross-Government Head of Geography, David Wood, being recruited in January.
In these roles OS Stakeholder Engagement Manager Clare Hadley, and Strategic Product Manager Rollo Home, will be helping to achieve the GSE’s vision by putting geography at the heart of policy design and delivery. Both colleagues have a lot of ambition, and their particular focus is to make contact with professional geographers within local government and bring them into the GSE geography profession.
While many of the responsibilities and activities of local government are inherently geographical, due to the nature of local government and the small number of individuals in some professions (such as geography) in authorities, it appears geographers are often professionally isolated from each other. There is much to be gained from extending the professional group beyond central government, and this is what they plan to do.
With the new Geospatial Commission having been introduced to maximize the value of all UK government data linked to location and the ‘big data’ technological advances, it is an extraordinary time for the geography profession.
Rollo said: “I am really looking forward to working with the team, and the wider community, to promote and develop the value of geography as a profession across all of government. These are extremely interesting times for the profession with the application of location-based science, combined within new technologies, to derive real insights into some of the biggest challenges facing society today.”
Clare said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as a Deputy Head of Geography. It is a real high point of my career as a Geographer. It is a very exciting time for the profession and reflects the importance of geographical skills and knowledge in developing policy and delivering public services. I look forward to working with others in the profession to build a forward-looking and dynamic professional group.”
GSE is managed from within the Government Office for Science on behalf of Dr Patrick Vallance, Head of Profession, and the GSE Profession Board.
