Matthew Gove

After hours of monotonous driving across endless prairies, you finally spot what you came for. Thunderstorms erupt in the sky like an atomic bomb as a massive supercell is born. You eagerly drive towards it, putting yourself in perfect position ahead of the inflow notch. Then, as if on schedule, a beautiful tornado snakes down from the sky, and the chase is on. After deploying state-of-the-art sensors and instruments to scan the circulation, you find a safe spot to pull over. You've had enough close calls before, you know this is one of those days you really need to respect Mother Nature.

You take out your camera and start capturing breathtaking photos and videos of one of nature's most awesome phenomena from your front row seat. But these aren't just any photos. They're ones even National Geographic would salivate over. You stare in astonishment as you are so close to something that is equally beautiful as it is powerful and desctructive. It may feel almost like an out-of-body experience. Then just like that, the tornado ropes out and dissipates. It's over as quickly as it began.

Little did I know at the time just how profound an impact a few adrenaline-pumping moments on an Oklahoma prairie would have on both my life and my career. Once you have that first taste of adventure, you're hooked. After years of searching, I had finally found the perfect mechanism to link my passion for maps and data science with my love of photography and creating videos. Being able to write beautiful and efficient code while at the same time having an artistic eye to create stunningly beautiful products gives me a skillset few other developers and designers have. As they say, it's all in the details.

While I had found my calling, I still lacked a purpose. Without purpose, it's impossible to feel fulfilled. That all changed when I witnessed firsthand one of the most horrific natural disasters to strike the United States this century. On 20 May, 2013, a violent EF-5 tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore like an out-of-control buzzsaw, packing winds up to 210 mph (338 km/h). It destroyed everything in its path and tragically killed 24 people.

Even 10 days after the storm, words cannot describe standing in the damage path for the first time and looking at unrecognizable piles of rubble as far as the eye can see. Only the tears can. Struggling to process all of the different emotions as the initial response transitioned into recovery, I turned to photography. For the first time, I was doing more than taking pictures. I was telling a story. And just like that, I had found my purpose. To this day, telling a story remains at the core of my mission, regardless of what combination of maps, data, photography, and video I'm using. Sharing stories through data science, maps, and visual media is an incredibly powerful means to engage communities and raise awareness both at home and abroad.

While I am no longer actively storm chasing, my quest for adventure has not waned. In fact, quite the opposite. In 2016, I founded Matthew Gove Web Development, an Arizona company that uses data, maps, photography, and video to tell your story, raising awareness so you can build an inclusive community around your mission and values. I'd be lying to you if I said it's been a smooth and easy ride. However, in 2021, I passed the elusive 5-year anniversary of being in business - a landmark most small businesses fail before reaching. Seeing the rewards of all the hard work you've poured into the business is a feeling that can't be beat.

After catching the travel and adventure bug chasing storms at the University of Oklahoma in 2011, my adventures have taken me to all corners of the United States. By 2017, they expanded to include Mexico and Canada as well. It remains my goal to visit, photograph, and film every state, province, and National Park in all three countries.

As we re-emerge from the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am training my sights on the biggest adventure yet: going off to see the world. And I'm doing it with a new weapon in my arsenal: video storytelling. I can't wait to immerse myself in new culture and broaden my global horizons. And as always, you'll be able to join the adventure through maps, data, photography, and video using the links below.

I don't want to just tell you a story. I want you to experience it. Where will your next adventure take you?