What do students discover when they try FME for the first time? For Hellen Cross at TAFE NSW and Sophie Shuwenqi Sun and Michael McGarvie at RMIT, it started with a course assignment and a practical data challenge.
Three projects, three starting points, and an opportunity to explore what FME can do. These students share what stood out in their first workflows and what they hope to learn next.
Connecting SQL Server data with GIS
Hellen Cross was introduced to FME in the Integrate Spatial Datasets course of her Diploma in GIS at TAFE NSW. For one project, she took customer request data stored in an enterprise SQL Server system and translated it into a GIS solution.
Hellen had used Python before, so she had something to compare FME with. She found it much easier to get a data translation running in FME: she did not need to be a programmer to build the workflow, and the translation ran quickly. She could begin building workflows and see results straight away.
Her summary of FME is “the Swiss Army knife for data.”
Mapping contours from LiDAR
Sophie Shuwenqi Sun used FME in the Spatial Software Applications course at RMIT. For one project, her class worked with LiDAR data to map the contours of a flooded cemetery in regional New South Wales, using a workflow to complete the task. She found the software fast and straightforward to use, and noticed how it reduced repetitive manual work.
Asked how she would describe FME to someone who has never used it, Sophie keeps it simple: she likens it to the iPhone of GIS software.
Creating a hillshade image
Michael McGarvie used FME in the Develop Digital Terrain Models course of his Diploma of Surveying at RMIT, where he developed a hillshade image. The workflow layout and FME’s focus on automation stood out to him. It showed him how a process can be structured as a workflow rather than completed as a series of separate manual steps.
“FME is innovative software that focuses on automatable workflows.”
What they want to explore next
Hellen works in a field where different data sources and coordinate systems are part of the job, and she expects FME to make bringing them together quicker and less difficult. Although she is still learning, she can already see it becoming a game changer in her work.
Sophie hopes to explore more of FME’s capabilities in her studies and future work. She sees it as another software skill to show potential employers, and as evidence that she can pick up new tools and apply them to practical projects. Michael sees FME as a practical addition to his surveying studies and a way to demonstrate his knowledge of aerial imagery as he begins his career.
These are early snapshots of three students who are just getting started, and each already has a clear idea of what they want to learn next.
Read each story in the student’s own words: Hellen Cross, Sophie Shuwenqi Sun and Michael McGarvie.
Want to try FME as a student?
All three students accessed FME through a four-month Student Use License from the FME Grant Program. This license is available to students who are currently enrolled in post-secondary education and need FME for their studies. It can be renewed at no cost for the full duration of your studies, but it is limited to academic use and cannot be used for freelance work, paid or client projects, or other commercial activities.
Eligible students can review the criteria and apply through the FME Grant Program page.
Students who are not currently enrolled in a post-secondary institution can still develop their FME skills through the FME Academy. It offers free live and on-demand courses, learning paths, and certificates for different experience levels.
Explore the free courses available through the FME Academy.
