Land Use and the Environment in Ireland

Fiona O'Rourke is a senior scientific officer in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and leads the EPA Analytics team. An Earth Scientist by training, she has an MSc in Software and Information Systems and a diploma in GIS. Fiona has worked in GIS and data in a variety of roles that have taken her to India, Brazil, Belfast, Cork and eventually to the EPA HQ in Wexford where she has worked since 2005.
Fiona has worked on the development of GIS tools such as the EPA Geoportal and My Local Environment. She helped develop the new EPA Analytics team in 2018. Specialising in data analysis, earth observation and spatial data science the team's work has been shortlisted for Analytics Institute and data science award every year since 2019. EPA Analytics worked with Tailte Éireann to deliver the award-winning national landcover map in March 2023. Fiona led Phase 1 of the national land-use review and chairs the national land evidence forum.
This talk was given at the EPA’s State of the Environment Conference 2024. The conference explored the key findings and recommendations in the EPA’s flagship report on all aspects of Ireland’s environment. You can read the full report at bit.ly/SOER2024