- Room 708, Davy Building, Drake Circus
- +44 1752 585533
- T.Absalom@plymouth.ac.uk
Profiles
Mr Tim Absalom
Senior Technician (Geomapping)
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Role
I lead the GeoMapping Unit, part of the School of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences. My aim is to coordinate expert support for the use of digital and conventional mapping, geospatial data, satellite imagery and GIS for staff and students, primarily within the School, but also to the wider University. I am the University representative for EDINA Digimap, a service that makes available a variety of mapping products to the educational community - for more information visit the GeoMapping pages below.
For more details of what the GeoMapping Unit can offer see https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools/school-of-geography-earth-and-environmental-sciences/geomapping-unit, if you wish to contact us and are unsure who to contact individually e-mail: geomapping@plymouth.ac.uk
Qualifications
I have a BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) in Geographical Techniques (Land Use), graduating in 1986 from Luton College of Higher Education (now part of the University of Bedfordshire).
To keep my mapping knowledge current I have subsequently engaged with the two UK national mapping societies -the British Cartographic Society (BCS) and the Society of Cartographers (SOC) - holding several committee positions in the SOC and organising conferences for both societies.
Taking on the lead role in the GeoMapping Unit in 2016 I achieved a Leadership and Management Level 3 award from The City and Guilds of London in 2017.
In 2018 I was awarded Associate Fellowship (AHEA) of the The Higher Education Academy in recognition of teaching excellence.
Professional membership
Society of Cartographers
Roles on external bodies
2003 - 2011 Bulletin Subscriptions Manager, Society of Cartographers
Teaching interests
My current teaching includes contributions across several undergraduate and postgraduate modules in the Geography and Environmental Science subject areas. I introduce students to desktop mapping and poster design, using software such as QGIS and Adobe Illustrator, whilst encouraging them to consider the principles of map design - and particularly cartographic generalisation - which underpin successful map communication.