# Sallah Yaya

**Senior GIS Analyst · Surveying Engineer · Geospatial AI Educator**

- Phone: (763) 688-1669
- Location: Brooklyn Park, MN 55444
- Email: sallah101@gmail.com
- GitHub: https://github.com/saltcotraining-geoai
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saltcoTraining

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## Professional Summary

Senior GIS Analyst and Surveying Engineer with 18+ years of experience in geospatial technology, from field surveying to enterprise GIS and open-source automation. Founder of a Sudan-based digital independence movement that trains students in open-source geospatial software, and Google AI Fundamentals certified. Combines deep industry expertise — ESRI ArcGIS, QGIS, PostGIS, Python/PyQGIS — with a proven ability to build curricula, teach, and deliver working automation that works offline and on limited infrastructure.

## Core Competencies

- **Geospatial Software:** QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS 10.x, ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE
- **Programming:** Python, PyQGIS, GDAL/OGR, SQL, bash, JavaScript
- **Databases:** PostGIS/PostgreSQL, GeoPackage, MBTiles, geodatabases
- **AI & Automation:** Local LLM agents (Ollama), prompt engineering, workflow automation
- **Field Mapping:** QField, KoboToolbox, GPS/Total Station, OpenStreetMap/HOT Mapathons
- **Analysis:** Surface & terrain analysis, hydrologic modeling, image processing, site selection
- **Education:** Curriculum design, train-the-trainer, video instruction, MOOC-style delivery
- **Other:** Linux & open source, AutoCAD, web mapping, report writing

## Projects & Leadership

### Founder — Digital Independence: Open-Source Geospatial Education (Sudan) | 2024 – Present
- Founded and lead a movement teaching open-source geospatial skills to students with limited resources, from zero digital literacy to professional-level GIS.
- Designed a 14-week curriculum (Linux 101 → 10-week beginner track → 4-week advanced automation track) delivered via YouTube tutorials, GitHub repositories, and offline-capable "digital library boxes."
- Built an automated site-selection pipeline in PyQGIS (object-oriented, dependency-free) that replaces a manual multi-step workflow with a single-click process.
- Engineered an office-to-field pipeline combining PostGIS, QField, and offline MBTiles basemaps for data collection in areas with zero network coverage.

### Creator — Open-Source GIS Tutorial Library (YouTube + GitHub) | 2020 – Present
- Produce and publish structured video tutorials teaching QGIS, Python automation, and Linux to an international audience, including a 10-Week Digital Independence Course.
- Maintain public repositories with clean documentation, setup scripts, and reproducible workflows so students can rebuild every lesson locally.

## Certifications

- Google AI Fundamentals — 2026

## Professional Experience

### Independent Consultant & Educator — Self-Employed, Minneapolis, MN | 2017 – Present
- Instruct QGIS, GIS, and web mapping to working professionals and students.
- Build websites and web-mapping applications using JavaScript, HTML, and Python.
- Develop open-source training materials, automation scripts, and local AI workflows deployed on Linux.

### Senior Survey Analyst — Fugro Chance, Inc., Houston, TX | 2007 – 2016
- Administered GIS systems and geospatial databases supporting marine construction surveys.
- Provided hands-on geodata management support, training, and problem solving across offshore projects.
- Performed data manipulation, transformation, and data modeling; prepared maps and reports for offshore operations.

### GIS Technician — GeoSpatial Services, Winona, MN | 2005 – 2007
- Mapped wetlands and updated the National Wetland Inventory (NWI) database.
- Improved unit productivity through redesigned trend-analysis and database-management methods.
- Prepared GIS layers for the Alaska Project using ArcScan and georeferencing; conducted stereoscopic image analysis.

### Land Surveyor — Armand Corporation, Cherry Hill, NJ | 2003 – 2004
- Trained personnel on software and Geodimeter total stations; led field teams on the Secaucus Project.
- Established horizontal and vertical controls; deployed Robotic Total Stations, automatic levels, and GPS receivers.

### Project Surveyor — Dar Al-Riyadh Consultants, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 1997 – 2002
- Oversaw contractors on highway construction in southwestern Saudi Arabia; managed a 120 km highway redesign.
- Developed and managed monthly budgets for materials, supplies, equipment, and labor.

*Earlier: Site Engineer, Al-Neil Bureau for Consulting, N'djamena, Chad, and Surveyor, Roads & Bridges Corporation, Khartoum, Sudan (1993–1997).*

## Education

- **M.S., Geographical Information Systems (GIS)** — Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, Winona, MN, 2007 · 4.0 GPA
- **B.S., Surveying Engineering** — University of Khartoum, Sudan, 1992 · With Honors