Geospatial Solution Analyst - Machine Learning

SAM; Fishers (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness benefits

Financial benefits

Work-life balance

Professional development

Perks and discounts

Top workplace recognition

Job summary

SAM is seeking a Geospatial Solutions Analyst to develop advanced ML/AI solutions for geospatial data, including lidar and aerial imagery. You will move models from experimentation to production, collaborating with analysts, developers, and project teams.

The role requires geospatial expertise, applied ML experience, and the ability to translate production requirements into scalable analytics and workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in GIS, geography, remote sensing, CS, data science, engineering or related field.
• 3–5 years of professional ML, geospatial analysis, remote sensing or computer vision experience.
• Experience developing and evaluating ML/DL models.
• Proficiency in Python and data science libraries.
• Experience with geospatial data incl. rasters, vectors, imagery, elevation, or point clouds.
• Understanding of model validation, feature engineering and data augmentation.
• Ability to interpret model results and communicate findings.
• Familiarity with Git for version control.

Responsibilities

• Design, train, and evaluate ML/DL models for geospatial data analysis.
• Develop automated methods for feature extraction, classification, segmentation and change detection.
• Work with lidar, aerial imagery, elevation data and other datasets.
• Prepare and validate training, testing, and reference datasets.
• Optimize models and inference workflows for large datasets.
• Integrate models into production geospatial workflows and internal systems.
• Document designs, datasets, results and procedures.
• Monitor and retrain deployed models as needed.

Skills

Geospatial analysis

Machine learning

Deep learning

Computer vision

Python

Data processing

GIS

Data visualization

Coordinate systems

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in GIS / geography / remote sensing / CS / data science / engineering

Graduate-level education

Tools

Git

GDAL

PDAL

Rasterio

GeoPandas

ArcGIS Pro

PyTorch

TensorFlow

scikit-learn

Job description

Who We Are

Founded in 1994, Surveying And Mapping, LLC (SAM) is a nationwide leader in geospatial and construction-phase solutions. With more than 50 offices and 1,600 professionals, we deliver the scale, technology, and expertise needed to support projects of any size. SAM streamlines project delivery through a single, coordinated team, offering in-house capabilities across land surveying, aerial mapping, subsurface utility engineering (SUE), utility coordination (UC), GIS, BIM, and construction engineering inspection (CEI). By combining advanced technology, digital workflows, and decades of experience, we provide accurate, actionable data that helps clients move critical infrastructure projects forward with confidence. At SAM, you’ll be part of a team that values innovation, growth, and the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the built environment.

Your Impact at SAM

We are seeking a Geospatial Solutions Analyst specializing in machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop advanced solutions for extracting, classifying, and analyzing information from geospatial data. This role will focus on applying machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision techniques to lidar point clouds, aerial imagery, elevation data, and other large geospatial datasets. The successful candidate will work closely with geospatial analysts, software developers, and project teams to translate complex production requirements into accurate, scalable, and repeatable analytical solutions. This position requires a combination of geospatial expertise, applied machine learning experience, and the ability to move models from experimentation into operational production workflows.

• Design, develop, train, and evaluate machine learning and deep learning models for geospatial data analysis
• Develop automated methods for feature extraction, classification, segmentation, object detection, and change detection
• Work with lidar point clouds, aerial imagery, elevation models, and other raster and vector geospatial datasets
• Prepare, organize, and validate training, testing, and reference datasets
• Perform feature engineering and develop data-processing workflows that support model training and inference
• Evaluate model accuracy, generalization, uncertainty, and production readiness using appropriate quantitative and spatial validation methods
• Optimize models and inference workflows for large datasets and production-scale processing
• Integrate machine learning models into repeatable geospatial production workflows and internal software systems
• Research and evaluate emerging machine learning, computer vision, and geospatial AI technologies
• Collaborate with subject-matter experts and production teams to understand operational requirements and identify opportunities for automation
• Document model designs, datasets, assumptions, performance results, and implementation procedures
• Support the continued improvement, monitoring, and retraining of deployed models

What You Bring to SAM

• Bachelor’s degree in Geographic Information Science, Geography, Remote Sensing, Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Three to five years of professional experience involving machine learning, geospatial analysis, remote sensing, computer vision, or a related technical discipline
• Demonstrated experience developing and evaluating machine learning or deep learning models
• Proficiency in Python and commonly used data science and machine learning libraries
• Experience working with geospatial data, including raster, vector, imagery, elevation, or point-cloud datasets
• Understanding of supervised and unsupervised learning, model validation, feature engineering, data augmentation, and performance evaluation
• Experience preparing and managing training, validation, and testing datasets
• Strong understanding of coordinate systems, spatial data formats, data quality, and geospatial analysis concepts
• Ability to interpret model results spatially and communicate findings to technical and nontechnical stakeholders
• Familiarity with version control systems such as Git
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, documentation, and communication skills Preferred Skills
• Experience applying machine learning or deep learning to lidar, aerial imagery, satellite imagery, or other remotely sensed data
• Experience with point-cloud classification, image segmentation, object detection, feature extraction, or change detection
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, or scikit-learn
• Familiarity with geospatial libraries and platforms such as GDAL, PDAL, Rasterio, GeoPandas, ArcGIS Pro, ArcPy, or similar technologies
• Experience working with convolutional neural networks, transformer-based models, multimodal models, or other modern computer vision architectures
• Experience processing large datasets using parallel, distributed, cloud, or GPU-accelerated computing
• Experience deploying models into operational or production environments
• Familiarity with MLOps practices, including experiment tracking, model versioning, reproducibility, monitoring, and retraining
• Experience with PostgreSQL, PostGIS, SQL, or other spatial data-management technologies
• Graduate-level education or research experience in machine learning, remote sensing, computer vision, geomatics, or a related discipline
• Experience working in a consulting, engineering, surveying, mapping, or geospatial production environment

Our Perks

• Health and Wellness Benefits: BlueCross BlueShield health insurance coverage begins the month after your hire date, with dental plans available and free vision coverage for employees, self‑paid premiums for Long‑term disability/Life Insurance (with HSA + FSA plans), SAM Cares program focused on holistic well‑being
• Financial Benefits: Employee Referral Rewards Program of $1K, $2,500 or $5K, Fidelity retirement plans with a 5% company match, tuition reimbursement, optional cellphone stipend
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off including vacation/sick/holidays, parental leave to support families
• Professional Development: Customized career development plan for licensing and certifications, Project Manager Business Academy, CAD Training Program, Individual Development Plans/Career Check-Ins, SAM WINS - our initiative for women-focused leadership and development, Milestone Anniversary Recognition, SAMbassador mentorship program
• Perks and Discounts: Access to “Perks at Work” for discounts on wellness + travel + leisure and everyday purchases, company-sponsored events, free office snacks
• Culture and Awards/Achievements: SAM Named 2026 Top Workplace USA for the fourth Year; 2026 SAM Ranks No. 92 on ENR Top 500 Design Firms