About Me

Current Postion

Awards

Leadership

Brooke W. Hatcher

  • Geographer - Land and Environment Progression and Values in Terms of Disasters

  • Earth Engineer

  • Researcher

  • Utilizing and Visualizing data to solve spatial problems.

  • Geospatial Consultant

  • Remote Sensing

  • Geo Design - UX / UI

Since childhood, I have been fascinated with climatology. Growing up on a horse farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains shaped my love for earth, nature, and weather. As a geospatial/remote sensing lead, I measure changes on Earth and bring visualizations from data to life. From my role as a senior geospatial analyst at New Light Technologies to my volunteer storytelling work with URISA as vice chair of outreach, or my recognition by Geospatial World as a Young Geospatial Professional to Watch in 2024, I credit my positive industry experience to the powerful women in the field, including my first professional mentors at MAXAR, Catherine Ipsan and Amanda Monse, who showed me that I, too, can become a master in this field.

I discovered my passion for geospatial information systems in an undergraduate geography course. “Being able to visualize patterns and spatial analysis, like seeing the charts over time of rain gauges, was seeing nature in a new way,” I say.


Education

I received my undergraduate degree in geography from the University of Mary Washington. Initially excelling in history during high school, I hesitated to pursue it professionally due to uncertain job prospects. I began my undergraduate degree as a biology major but soon realized a career in the lab wasn’t suitable, either.

After gaining a few years of professional experience, I pursued a master’s degree in geography online at North Carolina State.  University while still a full-time employee for FEMA Contracting.  Doing my master's while working in disaster response helped me curate interesting project ideas that would be implemented in my day-to-day data from web, data management, python modeling, remote sensing, hosting services, and database management.


Career Journey

My career focuses on developing geospatial solutions for disaster response with FEMA and the World Bank. I work on predictive damage assessments, assessing potential impacts on communities and critical infrastructure, and sharing disaster geospatial data through interagency communication efforts. Collaborating with experts in glaciology, meteorology, paleotempestology (the study of hurricanes), and biohazards is crucial in my role.

I started my professional career creating digital nautical charts for Leidos, revealing features like hydrolines and ocean depth. This experience led to an opportunity at MAXAR, where I created global products for clients like the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. This was my first exposure to Landsat and Sentinel 2. Since 2018, I have supported FEMA, applying advanced analytical methods to develop maps, models, data services, and web-based applications to support a range of missions vital to the safety and health of vulnerable populations nationwide. in developing AI/ML tools to assess remotely sensed imagery to detect natural hazards and assess and predict impacts to communities. This work has involved developing novel models to identify and prioritize risk and isolated communities to guide response operations for the Office of Response and Recovery.I have designed and deployed interactive web-based decision support tools for visualizing and reporting real-time geospatial analytics and information used by the interagency community to facilitate socially equitable response and recovery to major disasters.



Current Direction: Geography - Environment and People Relationship in Terms of Disasters, Earth Engineer, UX Geo Design

In my latest role at New Light Technologies, I work with user interfaces (UI) and user experience (UX) to build web applications that help clients understand community profiles and identify areas most vulnerable to disasters. Beyond technical skills, qualitative skills are essential for understanding community demographics and vulnerability. I believe the most effective data is at the community level, as it captures the passion associated with local knowledge.

As a geographer, I find it fascinating to understand why certain geographies are unique and how they have shaped rare communities throughout history. I am passionate about creative traveling and exploring these unique places. Whether in the Pacific Northwest, Cascades, or the nation’s capital, I hope to use my geospatial and web design skills to inspire women to take risks, explore the world, and make geography hip. My goals constantly evolve, but I am dedicated to finding my purpose and path, capturing the stories, art, culture, problems, and risks of small and unique communities.

As a geospatial engineering consultant, I stay updated with the latest industry news by reading peer-reviewed papers, professional blogs, and consulting tutorials on platforms like YouTube and Udemy.