Day in the Life: CES Data Management Technician, Julian Carrell
Data Management for the Underground Infrastructure Industry
5 a.m.: Alarm sounds. Hit snooze, repeatedly.
5:30 a.m.: Rise, shine, shower, slice an apple for breakfast, and prepare a sack lunch.
6:09 a.m.: Leave apartment.
6:40 a.m.: Arrive at the office, eat apple slices, while checking the days’ headlines – master of multitasking.
6:50 a.m.: Punch in. Set Pandora station to stand-up comedy because it relieves the (intriguing) tediousness of the data department’s duties.
6:51 a.m.: Begin work. Project of the day: a unique data proposal that will act as a test-run for future projects – measuring if the work is feasible from a data-gathering perspective.
7:04 a.m.: An off the cuff remark, about ‘doing the whole shebang,’ prompts coworker, Kevin to muse, “Why do we never hear about half a shebang?” A fair but unanswerable question.
9:00 a.m.: Check on and fill with water, the fountain in the office courtyard –a small task which serves among other things, to break up the day.
11:00 a.m.: Lunch (sandwich and Cheez-It crackers) and pleasure reading (H.G. Wells’ novella “The Island of Dr. Moreau.”).
11:30 a.m.: Verifying map connectivity on a GIS for a specific data project – a task saved for after lunch when the carbs and protein incite greater focus. This is important for delving into the more mentally demanding aspects of data projects and puzzle solving, like smoke testing, manhole inspections, or CCTV.
12:12 p.m.: Conference call with a client who wants a tracking update of all sonar work completed in Mississippi.
Mississippi Sonar Project. The lines highlighted solid green were lines that Julian tracked. The pale green is the scope of the project.
1:56 p.m.: Complete tracking of the sonar inspections field crews have completed in Mississippi, then email the list to the involved parties.
2:38 p.m.: Continue work on the current data project proposal.
4:00 p.m.: Punch out
4:05 p.m.: Drive back to apartment.
6:00 p.m.: Cook dinner: a lean protein with rice and a vegetable.
7:00 p.m.: Turn on the Cubs game. Unwind and relax before bed.
10:00 p.m.: Reset morning alarm before falling into a blissful sleep.
This is a typical day for Julian, a data management technician at CES.
Upon graduating Summa Cum Laude from Georgia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Economics, Julian packed up his dorm room, loaded up his Honda Accord, and made the trek to Baton Rouge, Louisiana where he started his career at CES in May 2018. In little more than a year, he has advanced from merely reviewing television inspections (CCTV) to assessing data for all service inspections, managing special data projects, and putting together final data products for clients.
His role at CES includes building and maintaining geographical information systems (GIS) and managing quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of data for all CES field inspections.
Sure, analyzing sewer data seems an unusual profession, but someone has to do it and the “why” is what makes the job rewarding and fulfilling for data techs like Julian.
Data management provides the final quality control check on the information collected in the field because delivering accurate data for clients’ rehabilitation projects only begins in the field. And this is one of the things that sets CES apart from others in the industry. CES’s process of QA/QC allows for additional sets of certified and qualified eyes on all data, guaranteeing thorough analysis and professional product delivery every time.
When asked about his position at CES, Julian described the data department as “A bunch of strange folks analyzing sewer data all day.” “Strange” in the underground utility industry is a good thing, denoting a keen eye for detail, curiosity, strategic perspective, desire to learn always, and a sense of humor.
Julian’s latest short-term projects include work for the cities of Lake Charles, Covington, and Mandeville, Louisiana. Also, he recently began working with clients and managing his first long-term (multi-year consent decree) project for Hattiesburg, Mississippi. His day-to-day duties include verifying field data quality, creating and verifying map connectivity, running data reports through various software, and communicating with field crews and clients.
With the ever-evolving technological advancements for data collection and management, it’s critical to remain consistently at the forefront of those changes. The structured days of Julian Carrell and others like him at CES guarantees efficient data processing, and is precisely what makes CES’s data management team the best in the business!