Critical Thinking: A Practical Guide
A comprehensive 468-page manual mapping over 100 logical heuristics, cognitive biases, and practical frameworks.
Explore Book →Turning Complex Data & Technology Into Better Decisions
Data scientist, solutions architect, author, and strategic advisor specializing in federal technology modernization, cloud architecture, geospatial intelligence, and critical thinking.
About David
Making complex information useful.
I am an engineer, technical architect, data scientist, and author based in Washington, D.C. With extensive experience in the private sector and as a federal IT professional, I specialize in navigating the complex intersection of enterprise data, cloud architecture, and geospatial technology.
While my technical expertise spans AI and machine learning, cloud architecture, data science and data engineering, geospatial and other technologies, my core focus is always on the human element: helping leaders and organizations improve strategic direction and understand complex information. Whether I'm designing a data mesh for environmental quality tracking or writing about cognitive biases, the unifying theme of my work is equipping people with the tools to make better, more rational decisions.
I am passionate about translating technical possibilities into practical realities, and I bring a disciplined, critical-thinking approach to both technology modernization and everyday problem-solving.
Selected Work
Enterprise Architecture & Data Modernization
Cloud Architecture & Data Mesh
USGS Water Quality Portal Migration
Led the architectural migration of the USGS Water Quality Portal data mesh into the US EPA Data Management and Analytics Platform (DMAP). This modernization effort securely federated massive environmental datasets for improved accessibility and scalable cloud performance.
View Portal →Federal IT Modernization
Envirofacts Cloud-Native Rebuild
Architected the rebuild of the EPA's Envirofacts system as a cloud-native application within the DMAP environment. Replaced legacy monolithic structures with resilient, AWS-backed data pipelines to ensure reliable public access to critical environmental records.
View Envirofacts →Geospatial Intelligence
MyEnvironment Spatial Integration
Provided geospatial data integration and systems engineering for the EPA MyEnvironment mapping platform, enabling users to effortlessly visualize cross-media environmental data in their immediate geographic location.
View MyEnvironment →Geospatial Intelligence & Policy
NEPAssist
Supported advanced spatial analysis capabilities for NEPAssist, an application facilitating the environmental review process. The tool leverages complex GIS web services to support critical infrastructure and regulatory decision-making.
View NEPAssist →Featured & Recent
Books & Latest Thoughts
The Case for Neurosymbolic AI in Geospatial Workloads
My friend Bill Dollins recently published an excellent piece on neuro-symbolic AI and the geospatial workload over at his geoMusings blog. He unpacks where purely neural approaches fall short and how symbolic logic can act as a necessary guardrail for spatial data. His framing really resonated with me because it gets right at a problem I've been...
Read More →Putting Earth AI to Work: Insights on Google's Geospatial Agents
Google Research just dropped an interesting technical report on their Earth AI initiatives, specifically focusing on how they're using "Geospatial Reasoning agents" to tackle massive planetary challenges. You can read the original post here. If you've been following the intersection of AI and spatial data as I have, this is a big deal. For the...
Read More →Tearing Open the Black Box: When AI Agents Reverse Engineer Anything
Every developer knows the frustration of hitting a wall with closed code. A feature behaves in an unexpected way, but the source code is locked up tight in a compiled binary or minified JavaScript file. Unless you have the time and specialized skills to wrestle with a disassembler like Ghidra, you are usually stuck guessing or looking for a messy...
Read More →Advisory
I help organizations make better use of data and technology.
My work spans data science, cloud architecture, geospatial systems, data governance, and technology modernization. I particularly enjoy problems where the technical solution has to work within complex organizational, regulatory, and operational constraints.
Federal & Public-Sector Organizations
Modernizing legacy data environments, navigating compliance, and architecting secure, resilient cloud solutions (AWS) for massive datasets.
Organizations With Complex Data
Building data pipelines, mesh architectures, and geospatial intelligence systems that make information easier to find, understand, and use.
Business Leaders
Translating technical possibilities into practical, executive-level decisions. Advisory guidance on data strategy, engineering leadership, and innovation.
Authors & Educators
Collaborating on topics related to critical thinking, information literacy, and the practical impacts of artificial intelligence on small business.
Available for selected advisory engagements.
Let's Talk
Get In Touch
Interested in discussing advisory board roles, technology strategy discussions, speaking engagements, or my writing? Reach out directly via email or connect with me on LinkedIn.