Success Stories of Our Team Series --5 ( Ömer KÜÇÜKARSLAN )

Ömer KÜÇÜKARSLAN,

Agricultural Engineer, R&D Manager,

Retired Head of Department,

CEO, Agricultural Engineer, Agriculture ICT Expert

- How did I get here?

For more than 30 years, I have worked in the fields of research, plan, project design, implementation and monitoring related to irrigation water, the need for irrigation facilities up to 500 litres per second, reservoir irrigation and animal drinking water, drainage, soil and water conservation facilities to prevent soil erosion and agricultural structure. I worked as General Manager of Cooling Buildings System, Cooling Constructions in ERDEMLER SOĞUTMA, a private company. I worked in Ankara Metropolitan Municipality General Directorate, especially with renewable energy sources. For years, as the Head of Department of Water and Sewerage Administration, I have been working as an expert in water management, cloud-based ICT solutions, Big Data management and mining, GIS (Geographical Information Systems) Application, creating Local Government Information Systems, using fast access to information, for conscious technology solution for municipalities throughout Ankara. I worked as a solution provider for irrigation rehabilitation, water resources management, GIS solutions in various projects with Ankara Provincial Directorate of Food, Agriculture and Livestock to produce software that the Municipality should have by combining many corporate features.

- Tell us how your career started. Give information about your formal and non-formal education.

My career started with my undergraduate education at Ankara University, Faculty of Agriculture. During my university years, I deepened my interest and knowledge in this field, with a particular focus on smart agriculture. After graduation, I started to put what I had learnt into practice during my assignment at the General Directorate of Meteorology, and this experience was an important turning point in my career journey. I pioneered developments especially in the field of GIS and ICT.

In the later years of my career, in addition to my formal education, I continuously improved my knowledge and skills through non-formal education by attending various seminars, workshops and certificate programmes. For example, thanks to certificate programmes such as programming, network structures, GIS, SCADA, etc., I gained expertise in a very important and new field in the field of Agriculture and Water Management.

In this process, by increasing both my theoretical knowledge and practical implementation skills, I played an active role in the initiation of very important investments in the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and in the introduction of most of today's ICT-based solutions to our municipality. I am currently transferring this experience to our stakeholders and target groups in the field of education.

-3 tips for my 20-year-old self

Never underestimate the importance of gaining knowledge and experience in various fields such as irrigation, cooling systems, water management and GIS. Gaining knowledge and practical experience in different disciplines from an early age will give you a broad perspective and flexibility to capitalise on future opportunities.

Following technological innovations such as renewable energy and cloud-based ICT solutions and developing expertise in these areas will play an important role in your career. Adapting to technological developments and focusing on developing innovative solutions can enable you to become a leading expert in your field.

Understand the value of establishing collaborations with municipalities and other institutional structures and working with such organisations. Such experiences allow you to expand your network in the sector and gain different perspectives. It also enables you to play an influential role in finding solutions to social and environmental problems.