Jacob Konkel has been an integral member of the T-Kartor USA team since joining in July 2020. He first became interested in geospatial after thoroughly enjoying his geography classes at Southwestern Illinois College; once he realized how rapidly the field was growing, he decided to go all in. Jacob graduated from Park University in 2017; he worked as an analyst for a geospatial company in O'Fallon, IL, before eventually connecting with T-Kartor USA. 

Jacob's transition to T-Kartor USA was smooth, as the projects he had worked on at his previous company were incredibly similar to his new ones. It took some time for him to get acclimated to our remote work setup since Jacob had previously worked in person. With a positive work culture behind him, Jacob has learned to strike the work-life balance with remote work (especially with his homeschooled kids). He enjoys T-Kartor USA's welcoming atmosphere – the team always is willing to answer questions while still making for fun. 

Jacob is a skilled critical thinker, attributing this to his success in the field. He notes that industry leaders at the GEOINT Symposium emphasized the need for atypical thinking. Jacob agrees and feels it's all about approaching the problem from a new perspective, not automatically defaulting to the solutions and processes of the past.

During his time at T-Kartor USA, Jacob has honed in on his professional communication skills; working remotely requires a strong emphasis on virtual collaboration. Being skilled in text, Microsoft Teams, and email ensures that T-Kartor USA is a well-oiled machine. 

Jacob would advise anyone interested in joining T-Kartor USA to be ready and willing to collaborate; you must be strong individually and on a team to do well. He also emphasizes not to be afraid to ask questions!

Jacob believes that the geospatial field combines science and art in one. He is excited to see how great minds will continue to work together to advance the industry. With the rapid development of AI, Jacob anticipates that specific roles will evolve into guiding AI integration as the field grows.

After Jacob logs off for the day, he spends much time with his family. He enjoys being outdoors, especially taking his kids on hikes. You can also find Jacob playing video games, reading, and writing; he's an aspiring writer and reads at least one book a month.