About
My name is Sayed Ali Hossaini. I’m a GIS Analyst and Developer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with dual Master’s degrees in Geography and Geographic Information Science (GIS) from the University of Minnesota. I see GIS not just as a technical field, but as a way of thinking about space, patterns, and decisions. To me, maps are not the end product; they are tools for understanding systems, revealing hidden relationships, and guiding better choices.
My work focuses on turning complex data into clarity. Whether I’m working with satellite imagery, spatial databases, or financial and operational data, my goal is always the same: build solutions that are accurate, scalable, and actually useful in the real world. I believe that good analysis should do three things:
- Be reliable: grounded in clean, well-structured data
- Be explainable: understandable by both technical and non-technical audiences
- Drive action: support real decisions, not just visual outputs
At the Polar Geospatial Center, I worked on large-scale geospatial data pipelines, where efficiency and precision mattered at scale. At Rental Minnesota, I’ve applied data and spatial thinking in a completely different domain (real estate operations) helping translate data into decisions that directly impact growth, compliance, and day-to-day management. This range of experience shaped how I approach problems: I don’t see GIS as isolated from business or operations. I see it as a core decision-support tool that connects data, location, and strategy. I’m especially interested in building systems and tools not just one-time analyses that continue to create value over time. Whether that’s automating workflows, designing dashboards, or structuring datasets, I focus on solutions that last.
Beyond technical work, I care about communication. The best analysis means nothing if it’s not understood. I enjoy teaching, simplifying complex ideas, and designing outputs that make insights accessible to others. I’m currently looking for opportunities where I can contribute to data-driven decision-making, build scalable geospatial solutions, and work on problems that have real impact.
My CliftonStrengths® Signature Themes
The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment measures my recurring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior. This information helps individuals, teams and organizations leverage their Talents, and turn them into sustainable Strengths. [Read more on Gallup].
Focus
I prioritize, then act. I can take a direction, follow through and make the corrections necessary to stay on track.
Consistency
I am keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. I crave stable routines and clear rules and procedures that everyone can follow.
Relator
I enjoy close relationships with others. I find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Facts
I have ...
Geospatial Projects; I dedicated my skills in spatial teamwork projects with a problem-solving approach.
Volunteer Experiences; I contributed in professional development opportunities and community services.
GIScience Students; As a lab instructor, I taught students to think spatially and develop GIS/mapping skills.
Non-expert Students; As a teaching assistant, I supported them for inclusive learning and using GIS technologies to create and communicate effectively with maps.
Technical Skills
Projects
Testimonials
... Ali was an excellent student in our GIS 8501 class earning a final grade of A. He participated actively in class discussions making insightful and valuable contributions to our discussion on a variety of topics including GIS history, ethics, project management approaches and much more. Ali and his assignment partner did one of the best presentations of a GIS ethics case that we have seen in the long history of this . Ali is a highly motivated, organized, bright and hardworking individual who is capable of independent and teamwork. ...
Dr. Susanna McMaster
Co-Director of MGIS program at the University of Minnesota
... Ali Hossaini did a terrific job at Guidewire over the summer of 2022, he was well prepared and eager to work. Ali did a great job of collecting international datasets and digitizing areas we prioritized for manual data collection. He was punctual and efficient in both meetings and his geospatial work. Ali had innovative ideas and was eager to learn new GIS skills. ...
Josef Litchfield
Chief Data Officer at Guidewire Software Inc.
... I have known Mr. Hossaini for about four years and for the past three years I have served as his academic advisor. His current projects are focused on mapping and spatial analytics of farm fields around the world. Since I met Ali, he has focused his attention on mastering technical skills and building his spatial and computational thinking to prepare himself for a successful career in industry. ... Mr. Hossaini has demonstrated his flexibility and tenacity, which I consider essential skills in designing and developing next-generation geospatial analytics and mapping technologies ...
Dr. Eric Shook
Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota
... Ali is also very respectful and polite and was well-liked by his classmates. He got along with everyone in our class and truly enjoyed the experience of engaging with students from different backgrounds and having the opportunity to learn from one another. He is clearly capable of working effectively in team situations and making a valuable contribution to the group effortcourse. He was very excited about the opportunity to network and meet our guest speakers who represented GIS professionals from various sectors so he could gain a better understanding of different career paths in the field. ...
Dr. Susanna McMaster
Co-Director of MGIS program at the University of Minnesota
Ali is an excellent team member who brings both innovative and supportive ideas to the tasks at hand. Ali and I co-taught and developed an introductory GIS course, at the university level, which demonstrates Ali's technical and interpersonal skills that tremendously supported students' development throughout the course.
Chelsea (L.) Lissette Cervantes de Blois
Climate Change Analyst for U.S. Department of State
Ali is easy going. He generates good ideas, knows how to find solutions, and helps to keep projects meeting deadlines. I would work with him again in a heartbeat.
Amber Benbow
Business Analyst at Lions Gift of Sight
Ali has proven to be a solid, reliable and knowledgeable project partner. As a student in his classroom, I have benefited from his ability to lead with kindness, and his open and direct approach to problem solving.
Jake Ford
MGIS Student at U of M
Resume
PDF VersionSummary
Ali Hossaini
GIS & Data Analyst with 4+ years of experience in location intelligence, spatial databases, and data analytics. Specialized in transforming geospatial and operational data into decision-ready insights supporting infrastructure planning, environmental analysis, and real estate portfolio growth. Experienced in Python, SQL, and large-scale spatial data workflows.
- Twin Cities, Minnesota
- sah1373118@gmail.com | 651-395-9934
- alihossaini.com
Education
Master of Geographic Information Science
2021 - 2022
University of Minnesota
Master of Arts in Geography
2019 - 2022
University of Minnesota
Bachelor of Science in Geomatics Engineering
2013 - 2017
University of Isfahan
Volunteer Experience
Social Activist, Event Organizer
2022
Afghan Cultural Society
Volunteer service, Map Native Plant Communities
2022
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Student Assistant, MN GIS/LIS 2021 conference
2021
Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium
Volunteer Interpreter/Translator, Farsi/Dari Language; assisted staff and volunteer attorneys
2021
The Advocates for Human Rights
Student Volunteer, MN GIS/LIS Mentor Program
2020
Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium
Awards
Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI) scholarship
2014-2017
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Tehran, Iran
Conference Participataion
Esri User Conference, Virtual and in-person conferences
2020 & 2021 & 2022
Virtual conference, ESRI
Practice and Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC)
2021
Spatial Data Science Conference (SDSC)
2020
Professional Membership
American Association of Geographers (AAG) Membership
2020- Present
Geographic Information Science Student Organization
2019 - Present
Languages
Persian, Dari, Farsi
Native
Professional Experience
Data Analyst at Rental Minnesota LLC, (Jun 2025 – Present)
Supported portfolio growth from ~200 to 600+ units by structuring and reconciling financial and operational datasets
Managed and analyzed $0.5M–$1M+ monthly financial data across systems including AppFolio and Rent Manager
Performed location-based and operational analytics to support real estate decision-making, compliance, and scaling
Geospatial Developer at Polar Geospatial Center (PGC), (2023 Oct. - 2025 Jun)
Led end-to-end production of 100+ geospatial datasets (elevation models, orthomosaics) using HPC systems, supporting large-scale environmental and polar research workflows
Optimized database queries and parallel processing workflows, improving catalog performance and reducing data processing time for large imagery datasets by ~50%
Migrated multiple legacy GIS tools from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro ahead of schedule, improving scalability and maintainability across internal systems
Analyzed thousands of remote sensing images to evaluate cloud cover and image quality, identifying patterns to support automated quality assessment and data selection
GIS Specialist at Apadana Technology, 2023 (Nov. - Oct.)
Spearheaded the digital marketing efforts for solar equipment web design, online sale analytics, e-commerce database management, customer support, and advertising campaigns.
Led team in acquiring, integrating solar energy geospatial and remote sensing datasets for renewable energy initiatives.
Performed site assessment and layout planning by utilizing PVcase in solar panel installation design and engineering through spatial modelling solutions.
Developed custom Python scripts utilizing libraries like PVlib, NumPy, and GeoPandas to streamline and automate the analysis process.
Internship at Guidewire Software Inc., 2022 (Summer)
Performed data munging and cleaning to convert public utility data such as fire station into standardized database through multi-source data collection and QA/QC for data quality check.
Worked with internal and external entities to provide detailed, accurate database in PostgreSQL and geospatial analysis and deliverables in QGIS.
Teaching Assistant
GEOG 3561/5561, Principles of Geographic Information Science
2020 & 2022(Fall)
University of Minnesota Twin-Cities
GEOG 3541/5541, Principles of Geocomputing
2022 (Spring)
University of Minnesota Twin-Cities
GEOG 3511/5511, Principles of Cartography
2021 (Fall)
University of Minnesota Twin-Cities
GEOG 1502, Mapping Our World
2019 (Fall), 2020 & 2021 & 2022 (Spring), 2022 (Summer)
University of Minnesota Twin-Cities
Co-instructor
ESCI 3562 – Introduction to Principles of Geographic Information Systems in Environmental Science
2021 (Spring)
University of Minnesota Duluth
Research Assistant
- Assisted in GIS research methods in machine learning and vector and raster ETL data curation for efficient automatic cropland classification using NAIP, Landsat, and Sentinel-2 imagery
- Developed Python programing workflows utilizing spatial packages such as Fiona, Rasterio, Scikit-learn, and Scikit-image to read and process raster imagery tiles in the form of array
- Worked with SQL in spatial databases, Database development in ArcGIS and QGIS, UAV data collection and analysis in ESRI drone2map and Pix4D Mapper
- Responsible for providing technical support with GIS labs using Jupyter Notebook, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Online
- Supported student questions and understanding of fundamental programming and cartographic concepts and Lab exercise development with ArcGIS and Jupyter Notebook
Liberal Arts Technologies and Innovation Services
2020 (Summer)
University of Minnesota Twin-Cities
- Responsible for redesigning the GEOG 3561/5561, Principles of Geographic Information Science course to online mode.
- Supporting GIS Research Methods courses moving fully online for fall 2020.
- Preparing "Principles of GIS" course syllabus and lessons for remote delivery.
- Assisted senior researchers when updating the curriculum.
Athletic Honors
First place in soccer cup
2012
Saghir Esfahani High School, Isfahan, Iran
Taekwondo black belt Pum 1
2005
Samen Athletic Club, Isfahan, Iran
Bronze medal of internal club Taekwondo competition
2004
Samen Athletic Club, Isfahan, Iran
Certificates
Referencing Data to Real-World Locations Using ArcGIS
Esri Training
Python for Everyone
Esri Training
Integrating Data in ArcGIS Pro
Esri Training
Querying Data Using ArcGIS Pro
Esri Training
Managing Map Layers in ArcGIS Pro
Esri Training
Introduction to Spatial Data
Esri Training
Getting Started with Data Managemet
Esri Training
ArcGIS Pro Basics
Esri Training
ArcGIS Online Basics
Esri Training
Time Management
LinkedIn Learning
Teamwork Foundations
LinkedIn Learning
Introduction to Linux
LinkedIn Learning
SQL Essential Training
LinkedIn Learning
Learning GitHub
LinkedIn Learning
Learning ArcGIS Python Scripting
LinkedIn Learning
Contact
Office:
R280 Learning & Environmental Sciences
1954 Buford Ave, St Paul, MN 55108
Email:
hossa084@umn.edu