​GIS specialist Parthab is breaking glass ceiling in the City

​When Roxanne-Pyal Parthab (31) starts talking about her job as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist, be prepared to see her in all her glory. Her excitement is visible in her face, body language, and voice. Her road to success, however, was not easy, she worked while studying full-time and had to drop out, but nothing could keep her from staying committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in her family.

She works in the Directorate of Corporate Geo-Informatics (CGIS). Parthab says representation of women is scarce in GIS. "There are very few females, but very smart females too," she adds.

Geoinformatics is used by the City as resource and infrastructure inventory, street name provision, and street address management. Parthab's role entails system administration and development. It also includes online mapping, web-based special data, and managing the systems and infrastructure that hold all of this data and she facilitates GIS training for City employees and residents.

She loves that her job is not stagnant and mundane. "There's always something new and different to work on and always something to learn. GIS is a niche market, but it's finally getting the recognition it deserves. Special data analytics will be massive, and I can't wait to see it. There are so many different projects in the City currently that have geo-spatial enablement, and I love that I get to explore that every day."

Parthab had a few bumps along the way. After matriculating, she took a gap year because she couldn't afford to study. She hails from Clairwood in Durban. She always excelled in school, and someone saw her potential, which led to them writing to Gift of the Givers on her behalf. The foundation phoned her with the exciting news that it would cover the cost of her studies.

"I chose passion, and I'm glad I did because passion led me to GIS," she says.

She completed her Geography and Environmental Management degree at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She worked two jobs and studied full time. By her third year, she dropped out as funding ran out. Another miracle came her way. A GIS company saw her results and she topped her class. It offered to let her complete her final year. She also has an honours degree in Environmental Management from Unisa and a Master's in GIS and Remote Sensing from Wits.

Her career journey started with a GIS internship in KwaZulu-Natal followed by a GIS technician position. In this role, she collected data on site and worked with over half of the local municipalities in KZN to develop their GIS systems.

She joined the City of Johannesburg in 2016. A project she is proud of is GIS's involvement with the Buya Mthetho campaign in 2017 from a revenue enhancement perspective. With resources from GIS by locating properties through GIS enablement and spatial analysis, R6 million successfully came back to the City's coffers.

In 2022, she was identified as one of the key influential females in development planning in the City. She is excited about upcoming projects. She can't divulge much, but GIS is building a geo-enabled digital twin of the city.

She describes herself as quirky, loud ,and creative. She's an avid reader and her favourite book is The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. The book discusses how we are shaped by our journey, not our destination.

Parthab says people can learn from the knight, which is her favourite and most strategic chess piece. "While it's restricted in life, it leaps over boundaries."

Written by Brümilda Swartbooi

04/08/2023