Marquis Who’s Who Honors Claudia J. Young, MS, for Expertise in Technology and Data Analysis
Claudia J. Young, MS, is a pioneering professional in the technology industry with a focus on geographic information systems and software engineering
She has contributed to numerous projects, such as the U.S. Land Carbon project, the USGS Landfire Disturbance Mapping project and the U.S. Phenology/Drought Monitoring project.
SIOUX FALLS, SD, July 31, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — Claudia J. Young, MS, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Young is a distinguished professional in the field of geographic information systems and software engineering, currently serving as a GIS scientist and software engineer at Innovate Inc, a subcontractor for Technical Support Services Contractor (TSSC) at USGS EROS Center. Her work focuses on task lead, data analysis, conducting code reviews, ensuring real-time data processing, and contributing to various projects such as the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET), the U.S. Fire Danger Forecast, the U.S Warning and Environmental and Monitoring with QuickDRI (USWEM-QuickDRI) python product generation (PPG) systems. Additionally, she works as python developer and maintainer of the Land Fire Product Service (LFPS) geoprocessing service with her work team. Her career is marked by her dedication to research, coding tasks, and fulfilling assigned roles with precision.
Ms. Young started her career as a help desk technician while pursuing her bachelor’s degree at the Universidad Icesi in Cali, Colombia, from 1995 to 1998. She then transitioned to the Internation Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), where she started as a help technician as part of her work practice. Then, she served as a web developer and GIS developer from 2000 to 2008.
Her expertise in geospatial information systems was further honed during her tenure at USGS EROS Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with different contractors, as a visiting scientist with ASRC Research and Technology Solutions from 2008 to 2009. Subsequently, she joined ADNET Systems Inc. as a mid-level scientific GIS software engineer from 2009 to 2010. From 2010 to 2013, Ms. Young worked with ERT Inc. as a software engineer and GIS specialist. She continued her association with the center through Innovate! Perform. Excel. Elevate., where she held roles as a GIS specialist IV from 2014 to 2015 and as a geospatial information scientist and software engineer from 2015 to 2018. Since 2018, she has been serving as a task lead in addition to her other responsibilities at Innovate! Perform. Excel. Elevate.
Ms. Young’s academic background includes a Master of Science in geography from South Dakota State University in 2014, where she was recognized with the Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award in 2017. She also holds a professional master’s degree in geographic information systems with UNIGIS and the University of Girona, obtained in 2008, and completed coursework in system engineering, business administration, and management at Universidad Icesi in 2000. Her commitment to hard work has been instrumental in her success.
Throughout her career, Ms. Young has been recognized with several awards, including the LANDFIRE Environment Dream Team award from SGT in 2018 and the Way to Go award from Innovate Inc. for 2016 to 2017. She has contributed to numerous projects, such as the U.S. Land Carbon project, the USGS Landfire Disturbance Mapping project and the U.S. Phenology/Drought Monitoring project. In addition, she has made significant creative contributions to the industry, including authoring the article “Evaluation of a model framework to estimate soil and soil organic carbon redistribution by water and tillage using 137Cs in two U.S. Midwest agricultural fields” and co-authoring multiple articles such as “Projecting the Spatiotemporal Carbon Dynamics of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem from 2006 to 2050,” “Drought Monitoring and Assessment: Remote Sensing and Modeling Approaches for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network” and “Spatiotemporal Variation of Surface Shortwave Forcing From Fire-Induced Albedo Change in Interior Alaska,” among others.
Outside of her professional life, Ms. Young enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family. She is dedicated to staying current with technology and aims to integrate her knowledge of GIS to provide innovative solutions that accomplish goals and outcomes. As a mother of one daughter, she values family time while continuing to pursue excellence in her field.
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, http://www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #
