This is a profile from the 2022 version of the DataIQ 100.
The latest list is available here.
Captain Luke Parker, senior technical officer/geospatial intelligence officer, National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence
What has been your career path to date?
My career within the Army began when I was awarded an Army scholarship at the age of 16 that provided support through to the completion of my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Leeds. After which I attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Corps of Royal Engineers.
My career as an Engineer officer started as a Royal Engineer Search Advisor (RESA) commanding a team responsible for locating explosive ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), serving in Norway, Jordan and the Middle East. It was during this time that I began to see the importance of data in the recognition of patterns to improve the probability of finding explosive devices. My fascination with spatial data led me to apply for an MSc in Geospatial Intelligence at the University of Cranfield.
After completing the MSc, I was assigned as a leader of geospatial intelligence (Geoint) teams within the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI). However, with the outbreak of COVID-19, I was quickly seconded into the newly formed Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) heading up several teams of data experts in the fight against COVID. At present, I am on a two-year exchange within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), working within their Mapping and Charting Establishment (MCE).
What made you choose data as your career focus?
My early experience at 101 (City of London) Engineer Regiment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) exposed me to the importance of spatial data; a large amount of the training to become a Royal Engineer Search Advisor (RESA) is collating disparate datasets to make a threat assessment.
As I moved from the RESA role into more senior positions I was offered the opportunity to conduct a funded MSc in Geospatial Intelligence (Geoint). The MSc in Geoint is one of many offered by the Army and best fitted my analytical mindset. From starting to study Geoint I knew that this was a large part of my future career path.
How aware were you of data as a career opportunity during your education or early work experience? Does this need to be heightened?
The University of Leeds School of Geography had a fantastic faculty who were passionate about educating students about career opportunities. My biggest inspiration came from Dr Steve Carver who delivered geographic information systems (GIS), spatial analysis and environmental modelling. However, before this, I was almost unaware of career opportunities in data. I would like to see more emphasis on careers in data fields early in secondary education, especially in areas of deprivation where student’s at-home support networks may not be aware of what is out there.
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