SFBJV People: Cristina Grosso
Name: Cristina Grosso
Occupation: Environmental Informatics Program Manager
Agency: San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI)
Cristina Grosso has been working with SFEI for 16 years and became the Environmental Informatics Program Manager in 2014.
After majoring in Mathematics as an undergraduate, Cristina went on to get her graduate degree in Geography from San Francisco State University. Geography brought together Cristina’s love of learning about new places and the natural environment with a greater understanding of how human activities modify landscapes. Her interest in Environmental Informatics began when she studied resource management and GIS and was introduced to tools that could integrate and display information.
Among the projects she’s been most engaged with at SFEI and has enjoyed the most is working with a talented team of partners to develop the EcoAtlas tools, which began over a decade ago. EcoAtlas allows users to visualize data from different sources on the condition and extent of aquatic resources and the project activities that affect the landscape on a common base map. Cristina has also played an instrumental role in the substantial task of incorporating the SFBJV project tracking data into EcoAtlas for the creation of our Project Tracker.
Other projects she has been deeply involved with include SediMatch, CRAM (California Rapid Assessment Method), CD3 (Contaminant Data Display and Download), and SFEI’s Regional Data Center that serves the San Francisco Bay-Delta and northern montane regions.. When asked where she finds fulfillment in her role as Environmental Informatics Manager, she said “it has been very rewarding to meet with resource managers, scientists, and agency staff to help identify how to customize the tools for their needs, and then work with the development team to enhance the tools so they are innovative and useful.” She sees her role as a liaison, and finds it very gratifying since “she has the opportunity to help create tools that serve a variety of decision-making and reporting needs, and work closely with scientists and technologists to ensure the integrity of the data and robustness of the tools meet current and anticipated future needs.”
On a weekend or outside of work, Cristina might be found backpacking and camping, traveling to new places, or spending time playing with her three nephews who live in Washington DC.
