Siobhan Ryan

Junior Technical Specialist

I joined Tensing as a Junior Technical Specialist in July 2024. I have a background in delivering, managing, and supporting geospatial systems for New Zealand's transport networks for over four years. I enjoy thinking of innovative solutions for everyday problems, and I'm particularly excited about the potential of FME to enhance and automate workflows.

Why did you join Tensing?
I joined Tensing because of the opportunities to grow and develop my technical skills. As well at the opportunity to work along and learn from so many talented colleagues. From the start, everyone was so welcoming and supportive, the focus on knowledge and sharing and professional growth attracted me. The variety of projects going on is exciting, especially with the focus on new technologies and trends.

To get the ball rolling, what are your top 3 FME transformers?

HTTPCaller – always so helpful in pulling in data from APIs and services from almost anywhere and extends the possibilities of how you can integrate your data.

AttributeManager – the jack of all trades when it comes to managing your attributes, I’m sure it will make appearances in most people’s top 3. I appreciate how it combines the functions of other transformers into a single transformer. It definitely makes for a tidier looking workspace.

TestFilter – I like the TestFilter as you can add as many conditions as you want to test and filter data. Sometimes the Tester is all you want, but I appreciate the multiple output ports in the TestFilter for multi-criteria outputs.

Which FME transformer have you yet to use but would like to try soon?
In my first few weeks at Tensing, I’ve been inspired by the work the team is doing with generative AI. I’m excited to try out the transformers Tensing has created in FME Hub, in particular the LocalGenerativeAICaller. Addressing security and privacy concerns by using open-source large language models locally is a game-changer, and I’m excited to see how this capability evolves.

Tell us a little about some of your highlights from previous roles?
Before moving to the UK I worked at Transport Rebuild East Coast in New Zealand. Following a pretty devastating cyclone that hit the East Coast of the North Island TREC was set up to deliver much of the long-term recovery and rebuild work needed on the state highway and rail networks across the East Coast. I was part of a small team that quickly set up an enterprise geospatial deployment to help the alliance understand the scale and scope of the recovery and rebuild. Highlights included setting up FME self-service apps to convert GIS to CAD and developing workflows to replace siloed spreadsheets and visualise the data. Understanding the magnitude of the impact on people and communities, it was rewarding to be able to provide the spatial information to help affected communities plan and rebuild more resilient infrastructure.

What has been the most intriguing data-wrangling challenge you have encountered?
After the cyclone, there were various contractors out assessing the road and capturing information into different spreadsheets, all with different schemas and information. First, we had to consolidate this data, remove any duplicates and find a way to validate the locations and damage at each site. Moving away from spreadsheets into GIS as the source of truth was invaluable in being able to see the locations and severity of damage. After this, the challenge was how we would be able to keep this data up to date. We ended up using FME to integrate with people out in the field using Survey123 to capture information as well as other updates still being imported from spreadsheets to keep data accurate and up to date. Being able to automate as much of this process as possible saved us lots of time and also meant the latest information was always available for everyone to use.

When you aren't working what do you enjoy...
I’ve recently moved to the UK from New Zealand, so I’m taking all the opportunities I can to explore this side of the world. Lots of weekend trips to places around the UK and Europe, exploring new towns and the countryside. I also enjoy going along to music festivals or catching a sports game. Will always get up to support the All Blacks.