Job Evaluation Form
Name: Mitchell Roy Robinson Supervisor: Dr. Roger Hansen (State Seismologist)
Department: Seismological Computing Facility of the Geophysical Institute
1. Department Purpose/Function
The Seismology Computing Facility provides computer services to AEIC and AVO. These services include: Reliable real-time data acquisition, event processing, and early warning systems; User account administration; Relational Database management; Hardware and software administration; E-mail services; NIS+ administration; World Wide Web server management; Management of a heterogeneous network of machines, consisting of Sun Workstations, MASSCOMPs, IBM PCs, and Apple Macintoshs; Licensed software setup; FTP site services; Disk management; System backups; Printers and mass storage devices management; Engineer, maintain, and develop specialized software; Consulting services; Hardware and software maintenance contract negotiation and purchase; Research hardware and software, to determine what needs to be purchased, by Seismology to best meet its needs, at the most economical price.
2. Purpose of Job
To supervise and manage the computing facility of the seismology laboratory, providing all departmental functions, as stated above. Provide strong UNIX system administration duties and software engineering abilities including C, X11, Perl, relational database, html, threads, fortran, script programming, etc.
3. Where does this job fit in the organization?
Purpose--Subordinate #1:
Provide computing services for the Geophysical Institute Seismology Lab, Alaska Earthquake Information Center(AEIC), and the Alaska Volcano Observatory(AVO). The emphasis of this position will be to continue implementation of application programs and modules, based on a relational database management system using a previously developed schema and processing system.
Note: The research programmer reports directly to the State Seismologist for routine task, but reports to the System Analyst for system administration task. The research programmer performs some of the system administration duties while the System Analyst is on vacation or otherwise unavailable.
4. Essential Functions:
(1) 25%
UNIX System administration including: Hardware and software maintenance; User account management; Relational database administration; Mail services; NIS+ administration; WWW management; Heterogeneous Network administration; Software license; FTP site services; Disk management; System backups; Printer and mass storage setup.
Skills required: At least five years UNIX system administration experience.
(2) 40%
Engineer, maintain, and develop specialized software used in seismology, including: real-time fault-tolerant acquisition routines; X-windows based seismic display programs; relational database interaction routines; etc.
Skills required: C, fortran, Perl, Shell programming, X11, isql, relational database maintenance, etc.
(3) 5%
Respond to system failures within the computing facility 24 hours a day. Ensure mission critical systems incorporate fault-tolerant, automatic alarm, and remote monitoring capabilities.
Skills required: UNIX system administration, able to perform duties quickly while under extreme pressure.
(4) 5%
Handle hardware and software maintenance contracts for workstations, concentrators, fax machines, printers, and software. Negotiate for the most reliable and economically feasible level of support. Consult with maintenance contract providers technicians when hardware or software problems occur. Replace broken hardware, if needed, or install software patch after consulting with technician.
Skills required: UNIX system administration, Hardware technician skills.
(5) 15%
Provide technical consultation to personnel in the seismology lab. This consultation is provided to a wide range of computer skill levels. Ranging from personnel with basic computer abilities to high level programmers and system administrators.
Skills required: Patience, good communication skills, training methods.
(6) 5%
Research, evaluate, install, and maintain new hardware and software products, which can be used in seismology. Determine future computer demands. Design a hardware and software typology, which can best meet those demands. Make recommendations for needed equipment and software to meet seismology labs research and data processing requirements. Write up purchase requisitions to be signed by acting State Seismologist.
Skills required: Ability to research and understand new computer technologies.
(7) 2.5%
Setup mechanisms to acquire seismic data from external organizations, such as the US Air Force and IRIS. Acquire external data in near real-time and integrate this data into the regional data stream. Help to maintain external organization hardware and software platforms, in exchange for data. Work with outside organizations exchanging ideals, solutions, software, etc. This prevents duplicate efforts and creates a friendly cooperative environment, where more work is accomplished, at a reduced cost.
Skills required: Communication skills, UNIX, software engineering.
(8) 2.5%
Perform miscellaneous tasks including; Cleaning printers, erasable optical drives, tape drives, and air conditioners. Make sure supplies for printers and mass storage devices is available. General paper work to satisfy paper pushers.
Skills required: Managing multiple priorities.
5. Job Requirements:
(A) Does this job require a degree, certificate, or license of any kind?
This job requires at least five years of UNIX system administration experience and a degree in Computer Science or related discipline. The high level of system administration and software engineering duties requires a person with job experience and an education background in computer science.
(B) What specific knowledge and training is required to perform this job?
Advance UNIX system administration experienced with SUN workstations, including: User account administration; Relational Database management; Hardware and software administration; E-mail services; NIS+ administration; World Wide Web server management; Management of a heterogeneous network of machines, consisting of Sun Workstations, MASSCOMPs, IBM PCs, and Apple Macintoshs; Licensed software setup; FTP site services; Disk management; System backups; Printers and mass storage devices management.
Have advance programming abilities in a multitude of programming languages, command interpreters, system services, utilities, and libraries including: C, FORTRAN, PERL, C-Shell, Bourne Shell, X-Windows, SQL, html, TCP/IP, NFS, NIS+, FTP, etc.
Engineering methods for the conception, design, implementation, documentation, and maintenance of large complex integrated software systems in both real-time and distributed network environments. Engineer, maintain, and develop specialized software. Provide technical consulting services to seismology personnel. Research hardware and software, to determine what needs to be purchased, by Seismology to best meet its needs, at the most economical price.
6. Challenges and Solutions
Make sure data can still be processed and emergency information distributed, while a critical computer system failure is being repaired quickly. Provide redundant systems and try not to have critical systems dependent on one system.
Develop programs that meet the needs of the seismological personnel, while stream lining routine processing of event data. This might be a graphical user interface program used to help locate earthquakes, data filters, routines used to interface with continuous data, etc.
7. Working Relationships
Contact Frequency and Purpose of Contact
1) Faculty Daily, consulting, discuss priorities and seismological network design
2) Staff Daily, consulting and to obtain information
3) Students Daily, consulting
4) Vendors Twice a week, maintenance contracts, acquire product information, check on status of purchase orders
5) Outside agencies Twice a week, Consulting, exchange ideas
8. Other Comments Necessary to Describe this Job
This job has changed from a system analyst to a senior system analyst. Cole Sonafrank used to be the senior system analyst for seismology, before he became the head of the CRC. When he left I acquired his duties. I also acquired some of Mark Anderson responsibilities when he started working for ASF.