An interview with ArcSDE Enterprise Geodatabase analyst Shan C. 
To continue our “Getting to Know Esri Support” series, we’ve recapped our talk with Shan Chen regarding his experiences with GIS. We hope you enjoy this blog and getting to know some of the members of the Esri Support Services team!
Background
Shan’s home town is Beijing, P. R. China and he now works at Esri’s Pleasant Hill, CA office. In school, he studied environmental sciences and completing his Ph.D. in Spatial Information Systems. Shan worked for ERDAS prior to coming to Esri. After six years of working in support, he has developed a strong raster background and can help users with just about everything related to the ArcSDE Enterprise geodatabase. When Shan is not at work he enjoys movies, soccer, and spending time with family; including a new addition – 8 month old son Edwin.
How did you get into GIS?
During the last year of his undergraduate studies in environmental science, Shan had access to remote sensing data where he used GIS to solve environmental case studies. This helped Shan gain an interest in using GIS to resolve real world problems. Shan always aspired to work for Esri and to take his use of the software to a higher level.
What do you like best about being a support analyst?
Shan finds it very rewarding to work with ArcGIS users on a daily basis. Working in support for six years Shan enjoys the daily collaboration with colleagues and access to learning materials. Shan’s typical day involves working with users that have problems that impact their workflow and sometimes the entire organization. He is able to help them through his background knowledge of the software and use of support resources. While the user is happy, Shan also feels like he accomplished something great along the way by learning new aspects of the software.
Do you use GIS outside of work and if so how?
Shan uses GIS outside of work in discussions with his wife. She is an environmental engineer, so he often answers her questions related to the use of GIS. Mainly, Shan helps his wife understand if she could implement GIS to answer some of her work studies and questions.
How do you describe to family members and friends what you do for a living as a GIS Software Analyst?
Shan laughs and pauses. Using his parents as an example, Shan says since our software is so complex in its uses and implementation he just goes with the standard, “I make maps” explanation to avoid confusing them!
Previous “Getting to Know Esri Support” Interviews
