Geniene Sabila

In my role as Senior Data Quality Analyst, I am focused on leading the development and implementation of a Data Quality Framework for the Government of Alberta, which brings together the people, process and technology elements to ensure data quality is known and managed in departments. The enablement and roll-out of this framework is through business engagement opportunities, projects and the establishment of Data Governance policies, standards, and workflows.

Public policy development is most effective in collaborative environments where team members bring together their planning and coordination, research, analysis and communication skills to deliver informed policy development to support decision-making and program service delivery in government. As a Senior Policy Analyst I bring a reputation of working collaboratively within teams and across networks to build effective policies to support government-wide data and information management practices. I provide policy consultation and advice to data management subject matter experts, create executive briefing material and research and assess emerging trends. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS Creation of a communication plan and executive materials to launch the new government-wide Content Management Policy. Provided expert advice in the drafting of the Data Management Roles directive, which sets out government-wide roles and responsibilities for data management. Provided initial project management support to stand-up the Content Management Initiative.

With a focus on continuous improvement, I led a small team in Environment and Protected Areas’ Provincial Geospatial Centre, which oversees metadata management for the GeoDiscover Alberta portal and the delivery of licensed datasets. During this role, my key responsibilities included managing the day-to-day activities of the team members, evaluating and assessing opportunities for workflow improvement and building collaborative relationships with our clients, internal and external to the Government of Alberta.

Transforming established processes to a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology platform in government organizations is a monumental undertaking. Having efficient and knowledgeable data teams embedded in an ERP implementation program is critical as high quality data builds the foundation to enable new processes across departments. In my role as a data specialist, I brought my experience and knowledge in adopting data management best practices and processes to support data quality assurance and quality control activities within our supply chain management data team. I worked closely with our team lead to develop education and training materials to build awareness and knowledge among business data validators, so they understood how data associated with their goods and services procurement contracts were transformed in the new ERP system. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS Supported the delivery of high quality supply chain management data for data migration Collaborated with team members to develop Standard Operating Procedures to support data quality assurance and control activities Created communication material including FAQs, documented business term definitions and training videos for use by business data validators.

An organization-wide data management program supports the transformation to a data-driven culture by establishing foundational and maturing data management practices. For the Ministry of Environment and Parks, our program office was established as a Centre of Excellence to promote open (shareable), trusted and consistent data across the Ministry to support decision-making and program service delivery. In my role as Data Stewardship Lead for the Enterprise Data Management Office, I supported the development and piloting of the Data Management Program specializing in data governance and stewardship. I built relationships with business partners across the department and government-wide to build awareness for the Data Management Program and to seek out opportunities to integrate data governance and stewardship training and processes into business-led projects. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS In 2017, designed and implemented an online Data Management Maturity Assessment tool to establish baseline maturity within the department. Designed a Data Stewardship framework including a data stewardship model, a data stewardship playbook and communication and educational material for a range of audiences (from executive teams to operational staff). Co-designed and coordinated 19 province-wide current state data management workshops with over 250 staff participating in the workshops.

The Ministry of Environment and Parks has a long history of integrating GIS analysis and data into their programs to support the management and conservation of air, land and water resources in the province. Within the broader practice of data management, there are certain niche specializations, which focuses of distinct types (e.g. format) of data such as Geographic Information Systems that have developed their own international standards and software to manage and use the data effectively and efficiently. My role in GIS data management was to coordinate its management with database administrators and data stewards to ensure established data and metadata standards were consistently applied to GIS data, that data was easily accessible across the Ministry and with Ministry partners, and I used various communication channels to provide information to data users.

The integration of GIS data and technology into decision-making and business program delivery in government has shifted with business needs and advancements in technology. In 2008, integrating GIS data and advanced analysis into Ministry program delivery was relatively new and had untapped potential for planning and operational staff. In my role as a GIS Analyst, I worked across the Ministry with other team members to provide GIS and remote sensing advice, analysis and in-person/online support and training to a range of new and seasoned users. KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Co-designed, coordinated and delivered general and customized GIS and GPS training courses to over 50 staff. Provided GIS and remote sensing advice and analysis to key policy and operational projects, such as monitoring and evaluating oil and gas wellsite reclamation, mapping boundaries for no-go areas for septage spreading and the Central Alberta cumulative effects pilot. Promoted and championed GIS data and analysis within my regional area through one-on-one education, GIS support and troubleshooting and lunch 'n learn presentations.

Conservation Authorities are community-based watershed management agencies, whose mandate is to undertake watershed-based programs to protect people and property from flooding, and other natural hazards, and to conserve natural resources for economic, social and environmental benefits. In my role as GIS Specialist, I was the lead GIS expert for the Terrestrial Ecosystem Enhancement Model (TEEM) project, which focused on the identification of key terrestrial habitats in the watershed. The work explored new analysis methods in landscape ecology to evaluate and identify natural landscapes to preserve and enhance biodiversity in the watershed. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Participated in terrestrial ecology fieldwork to evaluate potential opportunities to incorporate GIS technology and data into these ecology programs and projects. Provided cartographic and GIS analysis services to natural heritage team members. Mentored GIS technicians to advance their knowledge and skills.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is responsible for protecting Ontario's biodiversity while promoting economic opportunities in the resource sector and promoting outdoor recreation activities. The Southern Ontario Land Resource System (SOLRIS) project was established to map manmade features and natural landscapes across Southern Ontario. In 2005, I was part of the team responsible for delineating and classifying urban boundaries and wetlands for the project.

During the pursuit of my Masters in Environmental Studies, I was a teaching assistant. My work as a teaching assistant included instructing computer lab sections for Introduction to Geographic Information Systems and Introductory Cartography courses, working collaboratively with other teaching assistants to resolve issues and concerns related to lab assignments and GIS software that were raised by students and marked lab assignments and exams .

As a summer student, I worked on the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Communities and Climate Change project. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Digitized bathymetry maps to produce elevation models for project study sites on Lakes Erie, Huron and Ontario Creation of historical wetland vegetation maps for publication on project website

Working in a dynamic unit in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, we worked on a variety of projects in the Ministry and with non-governmental partners. The focus of our team was to support key government projects through our expertise in GIS. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES Collaborated with team members to develop peer-reviewed methodologies to support the capture of manmade features and natural landscapes for Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System Project (SOLRIS). In partnership with Ducks Unlimited, I provided fieldwork and GIS analysis support to Muskoka County wetland project to identify and map wetlands. Provided day-to-day support to visiting international professionals, participated in and coordinated elementary school tours.

PRESENTATIONS AND PAPERS "The Development of a rule-based GIS model to predict changes on coastal wetlands with fluctuating water levels in Lake Huron, Ontario" presentation delivered at the 48th Annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, Ann Arbor, USA. Master's Thesis: "Spatial-temporal Analysis and Simulation Modelling of Lake Huron Coastal Wetlands: A Case Study"