About

Howdy. I'm Mitchell Gritts, a geospatial software engineer. Most of what I do is data engineering and application development with geospatial data. At Vibrant Planet I help map the forests of the western US, currently with a focus on wildfire. My background is in wildlife ecology.

I came to software sideways. I loved my stats classes and liked analyzing the data we collected in the field more than collecting it. I found R looking for one tool I could use across every course, then started using it for everything. Over time I cared more about the code, its design and architecture, than the analysis, and kept going from there.

Away from work I fly fish and shoot photos. I'm a gearhead, and both feed that. Mostly though it comes down to public land. The West is full of it, and it's where I find the freedom, solitude, and beauty I keep going back for. A 2012 Tacoma is my adventure vehicle, the thing that gets me out there. A few of my favorite places: the Lochsa River, Dubois, Wyoming, and Jarbidge, Nevada.

I work remote. I'm a Nevadan, but I'm mostly out. This site is where I keep the records: posts, trip reports, photos, code snippets, book notes, and the Tacoma's service log. No audience in mind. Mostly for me and future me.