I’m Robert E. C. Davis, a geospatial professional, author, and retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel. Over the course of my 25-year career in the Marines, I had the privilege of leading Marines at every level through command of the 11th Marine Regiment. Those years shaped my approach to leadership, planning, and problem-solving in ways that still guide my work today.
After retiring from active duty, I continued serving as a regional chief instructor at the Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College (distance), where I led graduate-level courses in national security and operational art.
My second career grew out of a long-standing fascination with maps, landscapes, and technology. I earned advanced degrees in GIS and remote sensing and launched Arizona GIS, a consulting firm supporting land managers, ranchers, and small governments with spatial analysis and decision-making. Along the way, I’ve presented on topics such as lidar, natural resource management, and unmanned aerial systems. I’ve also had the chance to guest lecture at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, sharing my experience with students interested in geography and applied mapping.
I’m also the author of the forthcoming book Lieutenants and Light: Mapping the U.S. Army Heliograph Networks in Late Nineteenth-Century Arizona and New Mexico (University of New Mexico Press, 2025). The book reconstructs nearly ninety heliograph stations used by the U.S. Army during the late 1800s, blending military history with modern GIS analysis.
I live in Tucson, Arizona, where I continue researching, writing, and developing interactive web maps that bring historical geography to life for scholars, educators, and the public.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/recdavis/
After retiring from active duty, I continued serving as a regional chief instructor at the Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College (distance), where I led graduate-level courses in national security and operational art.
My second career grew out of a long-standing fascination with maps, landscapes, and technology. I earned advanced degrees in GIS and remote sensing and launched Arizona GIS, a consulting firm supporting land managers, ranchers, and small governments with spatial analysis and decision-making. Along the way, I’ve presented on topics such as lidar, natural resource management, and unmanned aerial systems. I’ve also had the chance to guest lecture at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, sharing my experience with students interested in geography and applied mapping.
I’m also the author of the forthcoming book Lieutenants and Light: Mapping the U.S. Army Heliograph Networks in Late Nineteenth-Century Arizona and New Mexico (University of New Mexico Press, 2025). The book reconstructs nearly ninety heliograph stations used by the U.S. Army during the late 1800s, blending military history with modern GIS analysis.
I live in Tucson, Arizona, where I continue researching, writing, and developing interactive web maps that bring historical geography to life for scholars, educators, and the public.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/recdavis/