King County is proud to have been honored with the 2025 Exemplary Systems in Geospatial (ESIG) Award in the Single Process Systems category by the Geospatial Professional Network (GPN, formerly URISA). This recognition honors our innovative AI-GIS Strengthened State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Response Letter Generator, a novel system that integrates geographic information systems (GIS) with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to advance health equity across King County.

The application addresses a longstanding challenge for Public Health – Seattle & King County: reviewing the environmental and health impacts of construction proposals under the Washington State Environmental Policy Act. Previously, staff manually reviewed fewer than 10% of the approximately 600 annual construction proposals submitted in King County. Each review required about five hours of research. This left hundreds of development projects proceeding without critical public health guidance and representing significant missed opportunities to advocate for healthier communities.

By integrating our comprehensive King County GIS data with Azure OpenAI services, the application has transformed this process. It automates spatial analysis using eight different datasets, including tree canopy coverage, pollution levels, transit access, health disparities data, and the CDC Social Vulnerability Index, to generate draft SEPA review letters. As a result, staff review time has been reduced from five hours to as little as 20 minutes per letter, enabling Public Health to expand its review capacity from less than 10% to over 80% of the priority construction proposals.

The application evaluates conditions at the project site as well as on adjacent parcels. It calculates factors such as local health vulnerabilities, access to green spaces, and environmental burdens. Based on this analysis, it generates tailored recommendations. These may include increasing tree cover, improving bicycle access, carpool parking, or enhancing pedestrian access to transit. The goal is to guide developers toward building practices that support healthier living conditions, especially in communities with the greatest needs.

The project originated from a Microsoft-sponsored AI hackathon in January 2024 and was developed through close collaboration between Public Health – Seattle & King County and King County Information Technology. The system operates entirely in the cloud, using Esri ArcGIS Online for spatial data, Azure OpenAI for letter generation, and Databricks for orchestration and processing. Every AI-generated letter is reviewed by staff before it’s sent, ensuring accuracy and reducing the risk of AI hallucinations affecting the content.

This recognition affirms King County’s commitment to innovation in service of our communities. The AI-GIS Strengthened SEPA Response Letter Generator represents more than just a technological advancement; it is a tool for improving public health outcomes across King County. We are grateful to GPN for this honor and excited about the possibilities this innovation creates for the future of local government service delivery.