GeoVark is the online professional home of Chris Van Drimmelen, a geospatialist based in Albany, Oregon.
The name GeoVark is a pun that’s really only funny if you speak a little bit of Dutch and spend too much time around maps. The Dutch word for “geography” is aardrijkskunde, or literally “earth-realm-knowledge.” It shares a root with the word aardvark, which means “earth pig.” The aardvark is an African burrowing mammal known for its keen sense of hearing and smell that is capable of digging two feet every fifteen seconds. A joking portmanteau of “what would aardvarkskunde represent?” gave rise to the tagline “keep digging,” since much of Chris’ work revolves around historical records research and uncovering patterns in spatial data that lie “under the surface” of a particular issue.
Chris works full time as the Land Stewardship & Business Process Manager in Oregon State University’s Leasing & Strategic Real Property Management office and as a Part-time Faculty member at Linn-Benton Community College. He also serves as a member of the Albany City Council.
Chris is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Science and holds a Master of Education degree from Seattle University in Student Development Administration and Bachelor of Science degrees from Oregon State University in Microbiology and Education.
All opinions expressed on this site are the author’s own, and do not represent those of any employer, governing body, or other entity.