Profile: Susan Carbyn

Putting geography to work for farmers

Susan Carbyn assesses farm losses and quickly targets areas for disaster relief by gathering, analyzing, interpreting and using geographic information.

Susan Carbyn, as a geomatics professional at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), is part of an emerging technology sector. Geomatics is the science and technology of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, distributing and using geographic information.  It is one of the fastest growing technology sectors and Canada is at its forefront.

Through its National Land and Water Information Service, AAFC harnesses the power of geographic information for the benefit of the agriculture sector by providing answers to basic questions such as:

• Is a specific parcel of land capable of supporting the agricultural activity being carried out now or proposed in the future?
• How does the department effectively and efficiently monitor the delivery of agriculture programs to producers? 
• Can the department accurately assess farm losses and quickly target areas for disaster relief? Disasters such as the Red River Flood of 1997 and the Avian Influenza outbreak in British Columbia are examples of disasters where AAFC’s geomatics capacity has provided support.

Susan’s dream job

Now working at her “dream job,” Susan’s career in the Public Service began in the National Herbarium of Canada in Ottawa where she identified vegetation for three years.  She wanted to use geomatics to do some analysis of invasive plant species but soon realized that she did not have all of the necessary training.  When her term ended, she seized an opportunity to work in electron microscopy.  She was proud to be working in a research lab, looking at food and animal research to advance science in the area of probiotics—a live microbial feed supplement—and salmonella studies.  In 1995, Susan moved to Kentville, Nova Scotia, where she helped to set up an electron microscopy lab, but her heart was set on geomatics. She therefore signed up for studies at the College of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia, to acquire skills she always knew would be useful.

“I have a holistic view of how geomatics can really further science and help those who require access to digital information, applications and tools. Sometimes, we tend to miss out on how local knowledge and expertise can feed into the larger picture and that is what I constantly try and bring forward from a regional perspective as advice to our leaders in government.”

Environmentally friendly

Keen to reduce her carbon footprint, Susan credits her five kilometre run to work each morning with not only reducing her contribution of greenhouse gas emissions but also keeping her stress level in check. She needs her high energy level to maintain collaboration with leading edge geomatics colleagues at universities, the private sector, the public, non-government organizations and citizens.

Working with a network of colleagues interested in opportunities and potential areas for collaboration, Susan says that she can get more accomplished in making a difference, with research and geomatics advice, in the lives of Canadians. 

Memorable moment as a public servant

Her most memorable moment as a public servant happened when she got a call from an Assistant Deputy Minister who wanted to talk to her about a decision she was trying to make on participating in a management committee.  He encouraged her to think of her career as more than a job but as fulfilling her own expectations of herself and her work.  She served on the committee for four years and experienced first-hand how she could contribute as part of a “transparent and accepting organization. “The ADM’s words still ring true for Susan: “A career is what you make of it.”

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