John Thomas

Assistant Professor of Practice

Bio

John Thomas is a geographer and GIS Specialist for the Science Branch of the Missouri Department of Conservation, where his work centers on the intersection of people, wildlife, landscapes, and resources. He uses network analysis, demographic data, and spatial statistics to measure access to outdoor recreation opportunities and examine how socioeconomic conditions affect that access. He also develops geoprocessing tools for wildlife disease surveillance, rare species surveys, resource management, and data reporting.

His interest in spatial analysis began in anthropology—where he used GIS to map dialect continuums of Indigenous languages. His graduate research produced the Missouri Deprivation Index, pairing socioeconomic indicators with geographic access to healthcare. John has over a decade of experience in computer technology, GIS, and coding in a variety of languages. He has developed Python-based GIS solutions for a range of projects, from biosecurity research tools at the University of Missouri's Animal Sciences Research Center to archaeological survey analysis for the Environmental Research Center of Missouri. John holds a master's degree in Geography and a graduate certificate in GIScience from the University of Missouri.

Areas of Specialization

GIS: spatial analysis, spatial statistics, network analysis
Human–environment interactions and green space access
Demography and socioeconomic geography
Spatial data applications and dashboard development