GABY BAASCH
RENEE PROULX

Gaby Baasch

I am a Software Developer and a Data Analyst who is passionate about the application of big data to sustainable policy and decision making, and I have built my career around this ideal. After 5 years of honing my skills as a developer at various startups in Vancouver, I completed a MASc in Civil Engineering so that I could work directly on climate mitigation. In this degree I developed a unique interdisciplinary perspective as I researched the use of machine learning to target buildings for energy efficiency upgrades. Since graduating in January I have joined LGeo as a programmer and Data Scientist.  At this company I use Python and R to process large amounts of spatial information, to build computational models, and to perform statistical analysis that informs and guides decision makers. In my spare time you can find me enjoying a good book, biking around the city, or camping and hiking out in the mountains.

Renee Proulx

As a GIS analyst, I love to explore how everything relates to place. I believe that GIS is a powerful tool for mitigating and addressing climate change. I am passionate about applying my knowledge to produce meaningful data and problem-solving solutions. I studied Geography and GIS at UBC and BCIT, giving me a strong foundation in both the theoretical and technical applications of my studies. I worked in environmental consulting for 4 years prior to joining LGeo, an urban planning related GIS consultancy. I continue to be excited about how GIS can answer complex questions about our lived environment, and how I can contribute meaningfully to sustainable and climate focused growth. In my off-time, I can be found trail running in the local mountains, upcycling old furniture, or perfecting my pretzel recipe.

PROJECT

Our project is being conducted with the company Licker Geospatial Consulting Co. (LGeo), a small team of seven that uses data and GIS to support healthy and sustainable communities. At LGeo we work on many sustainability and equity projects including: retrofit analysis, electricity demand forecasting, carbon neutral scenario modelling, Climate Change risk modelling and 2050 equity and resiliency modelling. We are excited to be working with a Women4Climate mentor as we tackle all of these diverse initiatives, but the project that will be our focus is one that analyzes daily needs access and provisions for the City of Vancouver in support of the CityPlan Process. In this project we are identifying areas of the city that lack access to daily needs (such as retailing, schools and parks), and modelling how these gaps could be addressed through densification, rezoning, service improvements and other policy related scenarios. To this end, we are developing assessment tools at numerous geographic scales. The result of this project will be usable data  to support and inform policy decision making related to the goal of most residents living within an easy walk of their daily needs, resulting in lower VKT and emissions within our city.