Rhithu Rani Mandiram
Long Beach,CA
Summary
My research interests focus on the application of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing to address environmental, urban, and infrastructure challenges. I am seeking a PhD position to investigate spatial data integration, geospatial modeling, and advanced analytics to support sustainable development, resource management, and spatial decision-making.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
Work History
GIS Intern
City of Yorba Linda
Yorba Linda, CA
05.2025 - Current
- Responsible for collecting and managing geospatial data within the city's Enterprise GIS using ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Enterprise.
- Performed CAD-to-GIS conversion to digitize features from as-built drawings and engineering plans with ArcGIS Pro and AutoCAD. This process enforced topology rules, maintaining a spatially accurate enterprise geodatabase and enhancing data integrity. This accuracy improved decision-making speed across city departments.
- Develop and maintain interactive web applications in ArcGIS Experience Builder to provide city departments with accessible geospatial tools. Over 50 unique users from various departments adopted these applications, significantly expediting decision-making processes and facilitating cross-departmental collaboration.
- Utilize Esri Field Maps and Survey123 for GPS-based field data collection, supporting infrastructure and asset mapping.
- Utilized a DeWalt laser measuring tool to collect precise indoor measurements for creating floor plans in the Magicplan application.
- Delivered geospatial analysis and technical support for over five cross-departmental city projects, producing custom maps and conducting spatial analysis to inform planning and engineering decisions.
- Processed over 200 acres of drone imagery using Drone2Map to generate high-resolution orthomosaics for capital project planning and environmental monitoring.
- Developed an ArcGIS Indoors map to facilitate internal building navigation and space management across more than ten municipal facilities. This experience in creating detailed indoor navigation models demonstrates a strong competency in multi-scale spatial data integration. Such skills are crucial for the spatial analysis and data integration required in geospatial modeling, aligning with my research interests in sustainable development and spatial decision-making for my proposed PhD work.
Volunteer
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, CA
10.2024 - 05.2025
- Built a hub site for the department with ArcGIS Online.
- Designed Survey123 forms to facilitate data collection.
- Implementing ArcGIS Dashboard to present geospatial insights and student origin trends.
- Enhanced the department's online presence by creating a centralized platform for MSGISci course information and cohort project showcases.
GIS Technical Specialist (Contract)
Hudson Marine
Long Beach, CA
05.2025 - 05.2025
- Provided GIS support during an oil spill response drill.
- Created and managed maps in Google Maps to display real-time locations.
- Maintain SitMap/COP (Situation Map/Common Operating Picture) with GIS updates on boom development vessels, skimmers, UAVs, water samples, and staging areas.
- Map sensitive environmental areas and response tactics to support field operation.
- Integrated environmental data from NOAA's ERMA into the operational spill map to highlight sensitive areas, ensuring response actions avoided high-risk zones.
GIS Research Assistant
Center for International Trade and Transportation
Long Beach, CA
08.2023 - 08.2024
- Conducted GIS mapping for multiple projects, employing advanced spatial analysis techniques to enhance data interpretation using ESRI software, QGIS, and GeoDa.
- Mapped the transportation network of the San Diego Indian reservation area, focusing on visualizing and scaling tribal transportation initiatives and supporting oral history projects in Southern California.
- Implemented GPS data collection using ESRI mobile applications, improving route optimization for Long Beach Public Services.
- ArcGIS StoryMaps, Survey123 forms and Dashboards to deliver comprehensive data insights.
- Facilitated tailored GIS training sessions for public agencies through California's Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and for high school students, including workshops on TIM Scratch data analysis using ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online, as well as ESRI-based instruction to build foundational geospatial skills. These sessions reached over 200 participants, with post-workshop assessments indicating a 40% increase in their proficiency with GIS tools and techniques.
GIS Engineer
Survey of India
Maharashtra, India
09.2021 - 09.2022
- Worked with a team on the Svamitva project, a property survey program conducted by the Survey of India.
- Developed mobile-friendly survey forms to enable field teams to collect geospatial data efficiently and minimize errors.
- Applied linear referencing techniques for managing and analyzing data along linear features, ensuring accurate location referencing relative to fixed points on the map.
- Digitized parcel boundaries from cadastral maps using ArcMap, ensuring accurate delineation and attribute assignment for property management and land records.
- Processed drone data for over 200 village maps using Pix4D and AGI software.
- Performed feature editing in village maps using ArcMap, utilizing attributed data, shapefiles, and geodatabase inputs provided by state government officials.
- QA/QC on geospatial data using topology rules and geoprocessing tools to ensure parcel boundaries were accurate, non-overlapping, and correctly contained within the village boundary.
GIS Project Intern
Kerala State IT Mission
Kerala, India
05.2021 - 08.2021
- Digitized features on the OpenStreetMap (OSM) platform and collected GPS data to enhance the accuracy and accessibility of geospatial information for the project region.
- Stream network analysis using SRTM DEM in QGIS with QGIS plugins, which contributed to spatial data processing, supporting developmental planning.
- Collaborated with the Department of Electronics and Information Technology to acquire, process, store, and distribute spatial data, thereby improving its utilization in GIS activities and supporting e-Governance initiatives.
Education
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT - EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Westcliff University
Irvine, California, United States of America09-2025
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE -
California State University, Long Beach
Long Beach, California, United States of America08.2024
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM -
Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education And Research
India05.2021
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN GEOGRAPHY -
Dr. D.Y Patil ACS College, Pune University
Maharashtra, India04.2019
Projects
Automated Detection of Looting Pits at the Umm Al-Jimal Site, Jordan
- Esri Mobile, Survey123, Field Maps, and visualization. Processed drone imagery using Pix4D for high-resolution mapping and analysis.
- Collected over 100 Ground Control Points (GCPs) at the Umm Al-Jimal archaeological site in Jordan using Trimble GPS hardware and Leica units, with data collection conducted via GPS Pathfinder Office software. Applied a VGG-16 Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Python scripting to automate looting pit detection in high-resolution WorldView-4 satellite imagery of the Umm Al-Jimal archaeological site.
- Integrated rigorous ethical considerations by prioritizing privacy, data security, cultural sensitivity, and responsible technology use, establishing a benchmark for archaeological site conservation research.
Change Detection of Algal Bloom in the West Coast of India
- Google Earth Engine (JavaScript API) to download chlorophyll a and sea surface temperature data from the Aqua MODIS L-3 satellite. Performed 3D coastal data visualization and time-series analysis.sis.
- Conducted supervised classification in ArcGIS,developing30samplepointsandusingknown spectral signatures to detect algal bloom presence. Employed RStudio to perform correlation analysis between algal bloom presence, chlorophyll a levels, and sea surface temperature, revealing critical environmental patterns.
Skills Summary
ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, QGIS, ArcMap, GeoDa, Survey123, Field Maps, Drone2Map, Collector for ArcGIS, ArcGIS Dashboards, Python, SQL, Java, ArcPy, Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, Matplotlib, Power BI, Excel, Tableau, PowerPoint, Google Earth Engine, RStudio, MySQL, SQLite, Jupyter Notebook, PyCharm, Visual Studio Code
Certifications And Conferences
- National Honor Society for Geospatial Technology Gamma Sigma Theta
- CALURISA Conference at Visalia - Speaker, 03/2024
Accomplishments
Gamma Sigma Theta Certificate
Gis Portfolio
http://tiny.cc/GISPortfolio
References
Available upon request.
Timeline
GIS Intern
City of Yorba Linda
05.2025 - Current
GIS Technical Specialist (Contract)
Hudson Marine
05.2025 - 05.2025
Volunteer
California State University, Long Beach
10.2024 - 05.2025
GIS Research Assistant
Center for International Trade and Transportation
08.2023 - 08.2024
GIS Engineer
Survey of India
09.2021 - 09.2022
GIS Project Intern
Kerala State IT Mission
05.2021 - 08.2021
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT - EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Westcliff University
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE -
California State University, Long Beach
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM -
Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education And Research
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN GEOGRAPHY -
Dr. D.Y Patil ACS College, Pune University