The person behind Geolic
Hi, I am Joseph, a German geoinformatics expert (at least I believe so…) and a big fan of maps. I mean, I really love maps! And I also love to create exciting and appealing data visualizations. So here I am with “GEOLIC” (GEOgraphy-hoLIC). If you are a geolic person like me or if you just enjoy stunning and interactive data visualization, this website is your destination. If you don’t know what a geolic soul exactly is, check out my mind map of knowledge I gathered throughout my career in the field of geography and geoinformation science:
What is Geolic all about?
Geolic is a website dedicated to everything that interests me in the domain of data visualization, quizzes, and design. The focus in all the content I post on Geolic (at least in some degree) is spatial information/data.
I started Geolic in 2015 but eventually stopped posting after a few months. I am currently facelifting Geolic with a new design and planning to come back with a much more comprehensive and professional look as well as a stronger focus on compelling interactive data visualizations (however I will keep some of my old posts on the website).
I hope you enjoy Geolic, the maps, visualizations, and my quizzes. If you don’t want to miss any of my content, make sure to like the Facebook page or follow me on Twitter. You can also support me financially and get exclusive insights into my work and other rewards. Check out the Patreon page of Geolic!
But wait! What is that logo about?
Thanks for asking, I love to talk about it! I chose a logo that somehow symbolizes Geolic and its content. There are three elements in the logo creating a map:
- Background map
- Data Visualization
- Label
If you are a map lover, then you might already have recognized the shape in the background of the logo. It is Greenland. Why did I choose Greenland? Well, the largest island on earth is very often the center of a never-ending misconception of geographic shapes. Thanks to the Mercator projection, the resulting polar oriented size distortion of land masses lead to the assumption that Greenland (being high up North) is much larger than it actually is. And not only because it also starts with the letter “G”, I chose Greenland to show that I want to enable my visitors to discover things and get new insights from my posts.
The other two elements are a pie chart which also can be read as a “G” to indicate that one large portion of my posts is data visualization related.
Work with me!
I have a background in geoinformation science including (spatial) data analysis, database management, and data visualization. In the past, I was responsible for developing and maintaining the system for the largest tree cadastre in Germany using a PostGIS database and a QGIS frontend. I am proficient in Python, SQL and web development, which enables me to take care of a full-scope data project starting from the data acquisition and data cleaning to creating a database and visualizing it in a compelling and interactive way. For reference, you can check out my data story The Kit War, where I collected the data myself, created a database to store the data efficiently and build a story around the data using interactive and unique visualizations.
If you are interested in working with me or you just want to have a chat, shoot me a message through my contact form. I will reply as fast as possible!
“How do you find America?”
“Turn left at Greenland.”
– Ringo Starr –
Monte
Hello! I stumbled upon your website through a link on reddit. I just wanted to tell you that it is a really good looking website with great functionality and for someone like me who likes to study flags and countries I really appreciate your work.
Also, if I understand correctly it is a fairly new website and you might still in the process of getting the word out. I would like to help you out if you are looking for any help. And I am CS guy as well, so I could even help with any advertisements for your website or any other dev work. Anyways, would love to hear back from you. Thanks.
Geolic
Hi Monte,
Thanks for your nice words. I am happy you like the site. And yes, I am just starting it. Thank you for your offer, but at the moment I don’t need any help regarding advertisement. Of course I am happy if you spread the word 🙂 If I need help in the future I will come back to you. Until then enjoy the quizzes 🙂
Daniel
Good stuff man. Nice design and functionality
Geolic
Thank you. I am happy you enjoy it
Colin
Good design work Joseph “Less is more.”
Geolic
Thanks Colin.
Dale
Hi Joseph. I like maps too and for a second time I found your website while browsing about maps. I like the idea and the design. I would like to ask you a question – you created geolic.net just for fun or as a business idea? And if as a business idea are you happy with the results?
Thank you, I look forward to your reply
Dale from Scotland
Geolic
Hi Dale. Sorry for late reply ^^
I started the website out of fun. At the very beginning, I posted my quizzes regularly on Reddit (mostly) and they were well received with at least over 500 unique visitors each only from Reddit. So I possibly could make a business out of it. But due to time constraints, I am not able to run the website anymore. So there are no updates. I also improved my skills regarding GIS and my approach to hard-coding the quizzes are just too time-consuming. So if I would have time I would make geolic look much more different with a more interactive touch.
Nice regards from Korea.