GIS Practicum – GIS App & Delivery: User Experience Focus

Safe Software.com

Office

Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

Full Time

This two month practicum term is open to students currently enrolled in the BCIT GIS Program.

Location: Remote / Hybrid option in the Vancouver Lower Mainland

Wage: $23.50 pr/hr CAD

Duration: Block Mode | April 20, 2026 - June 19, 2026 |

Application Instructions:

Please submit your application in PDF format only, including the following:
Tip: Some of our most successful co-op hires stood out through their curiosity, enthusiasm, and alignment with our values—even if they were still growing their technical skills.
Deadline: Submit your application by October 2, 2025.
Resume
Cover Letter – In your letter, we encourage you to share:
Why you're excited about joining Safe Software.
How your unique background or potential aligns with the role—even if you don’t meet every listed requirement.

We review applications on a rolling basis and will begin interviews during the week of September 29 to October 6. We recommend applying early, as this posting will remain open until the position is filled.

About Safe Software

Safe Software is the creator and developer of FME — the data integration platform with the best support for spatial data worldwide. Over 10,000 organizations around the world use FME in industries like AEC, government, utilities, and transportation to maximize the value of their data.

Founded in 1993, Safe is headquartered in Surrey, BC with over 200 team members and counting. We’re always looking for talented individuals with diverse backgrounds who are determined to learn and grow. Are you ready to join the team?

Practicum Objective

Use the full FME Platform (FME Form, FME Flow, and FME Flow Hosted) to design and deliver a GIS application that prioritizes intuitive and user-friendly experiences. You will work on a student-defined or collaboratively scoped project focused on public-facing GIS tools and workflows.
You will explore design thinking and technical delivery, showing how GIS professionals can use FME to build applications that are accessible, engaging, and impactful.

This project will consist of two parts:

API Design and Implementation: Building modular FME Data Virtualization endpoints that provide live GIS and industry datasets through secure REST APIs.
Applied Use Cases and Customer Materials: Creating demos, example integrations, and educational content (articles, walkthroughs, short videos) that demonstrate how easy it is to create APIs without code and connect them to industry systems.

Practicum Deliverables

At Safe Software, we value real-world outcomes that are informative, user-focused, and easy to use. You will:

Define or select a GIS application project (individually proposed or collaboratively developed).
Build and deploy the solution using FME Form, FME Flow, and FME Flow Hosted.
Conduct a usability review or user journey mapping to identify friction points and gaps.
Deliver a UX report with actionable design and usability recommendations.
Present your application and findings to Safe Software’s product or QA teams.
Publish a blog post summarizing your practicum project and takeaways.

Learning Outcomes

This practicum will deepen your skills in both GIS application development and user experience design. By the end of your placement, you will:

Build proficiency with the full FME Platform: FME Form, FME Flow, and FME Flow Hosted.
Develop a strong understanding of public-facing GIS workflows and app delivery.
Apply hands-on UX research methods such as user journey mapping and usability evaluations.
Strengthen your ability to communicate technical solutions clearly through written, visual, and verbal formats.
Complete a portfolio-ready project that demonstrates your capabilities in GIS and user experience.

Qualifications And Skills

Our team is open to collaborating with individuals with all levels of experience in GIS and software. Some skills that will be beneficial to this practicum may include:

Currently enrolled in BCIT’s GIS program.
Interest in user-centred design and GIS app delivery.
Willingness to explore FME tools and web-based GIS workflows.
Strong communication skills: written, verbal, and visual (e.g., maps, diagrams.

Desired Skills / Bonus Points

Familiarity with ArcGIS Online, REST APIs, or web mapping tools.
Basic knowledge of HTML/CSS.

Practicum Overview

Week 1–2: Onboarding, FME Accelerator, FME Academy (Form Basic/Advanced, optional Flow Authoring), and focused FME training (raster, point clouds, JSON, APIs).
Week 3–4: Introduce to FME Flow and FME resources, start the project design.
Week 4–6: Working on the project along with user experience testing & feedback.
Week 6–8: Create usability report.
Week 8: Wrap-up and Show and Tell to Product/UX/QA team.

Additional Links