The American Geographical Society has announced the award of the first seven Ethical GEO Fellowships. I was honored to be selected as one of the seven Fellows. The American Geographical Society (AGS) is dedicated to the advancement of geographic thinking, knowledge, and understanding across business, government, academe, social sectors, and most importantly with teachers and…
On this GIS Day, November 13, 2019, King County GIS was named by PSD as the number one ranked GIS operation in the United States in their annual Geospatial Maturity Index (GMI). 127 organizations in Canada and the United States participated in the GMI survey. King County GIS participated in the GMI survey to refine…
Some of the more-interesting and rewarding projects we get to work on at the King County GIS Center are requests from other governments to help them get started on their own enterprise-wide GIS infrastructure. Not too long ago, King County GIS Center staff planned and implemented components of an enterprise Geographic Information System for Siskiyou County, California.
Free and fair elections are the bedrock foundation of our democracy. In the United States, responsibility to administer elections is delegated to the individual states, which then support election activity at the county level. Within the state of Washington, elections are the responsibility of the Secretary of State. The Department of Elections is responsible within…
Robert Catherman does the good work of enabling college students around the world to learn modern GIS techniques using open source software. Working with MEDRIX, a Redmond-based non-profit humanitarian organization, Catherman has spent the last few years developing a four-volume GIS curriculum paying special attention to English syntax so the text can be easily translated…
In the latest Goalkeepers Report from the Gates Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates discuss How Geography and Gender Stack the Deck For (or Against) You. In Goalkeeper Report 2019 Melinda and Bill Gates discuss how various factors outside our individual control at birth and throughout our lives can predetermine success and well-being throughout our lives.…
The King County Department of Elections conducts all elections by paper ballot, which a voter either mails or deposits into one of nearly 70 drop boxes that are distributed throughout the county. For its secure tracking of drop-box collections, Elections transitioned in the spring of 2019 to an all-digital workflow using mostly Esri GIS products. The all-digital aspect is notable in part because this is not yet common practice among elections agencies.
Location enabled technology is the future. Are you an experienced GIS user who wants to make the leap to ArcGIS Pro? Make Seattle on September 17-18 your location to make your leap to ArcGIS Pro! With fast processing, enhanced 3D capabilities, and a whole new interface, ArcGIS Pro, Esri’s next-generation GIS software, promises a wealth…
The responsibilities of county government are many, including elections, criminal justice, property value assessment and taxation, and dozens of others. One obscure but economically important responsibility of King County is to reduce and, if possible, prevent the negative impacts of noxious weeds.
King County’s new GIS for ESJ workshop is an introduction to recent trends and practices related to using GIS for equity and social justice (ESJ). GIS for Equity & Social Justice will be presented on Tuesday, September 24. Register online to reserve your seat in this intense half-day workshop. Instructors Nicole Franklin (King County IT…
GIS & You 