Women in GIS – March 2024

The King County GIS Center is featuring 19 women in GIS from several agencies, highlighting the broad applications of GIS. These women express their passion for GIS and how it has shaped their careers and perspectives. GIS professionals in various fields highlight the power and versatility of GIS and its potential to influence decision-making and create meaningful visualizations for communities. They underline the importance of staying updated with GIS technology and collaborating with colleagues and GIS communities. These women are paving the way for GIS enthusiasts and emphasize the broad range of opportunities in the GIS field across different industries.

Women in GIS – March 8, 2023

Today I want to acknowledge International Women’s Day and that King County’s Women in Technology event chose “Women in GIS” to feature as the spotlight.

Presidential Executive Order on Racial Equity recognizes the importance of geography

Several times during the 2020 Presidential campaign I noticed that one candidate would use the term “equity” (versus equality) when discussing issues related to racial justice. On January 20, 2021, shortly after his inauguration, President Biden signed “Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” Significantly the order…

A woman wearing a blue mask puts on blue latex gloves behind a window with an "Open" sign in it.

ArcGIS StoryMaps helps King County to recognize Disability Awareness Month in a challenging year

King County needed a vibrant, accessible platform to tell stories and provide resources for people with a disability during the pandemic.

King County GIS receives Geospatial Excellence Catalyst Award

At its 2020 Annual Conference, the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) presented its Geospatial Excellence Catalyst Award to the King County Information Technology GIS for Equity and Social Justice Team.

The memory of the land…

A new web map allows us to explore and acknowledge the memory of the land of indigenous peoples around the world. Property ownership data management is one of the primary applications for a geographic information system (GIS). My first GIS job with the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland was to manage digitizing 350,000…

King County IT GIS team receives SAG Award for ESJ work

The King County Information Technology GIS For Equity & Social Justice Team received Esri’s Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award on July 13, 2020, at the annual Esri User Conference. Selected from over 300,000 eligible candidates, King County Information Technology received the award for its innovative application of mapping and analytics technology, as well as…

Immigrants and Refugees as Geographers

Who is a geographer? What are the competencies necessary to practice geography? The impact of geography on our lives is so powerful and pervasive, that often we do not think about the geographic decisions that we make every day in our personal lives. I think that we under-estimate a class of people most profoundly impacted…

GIS for Equity & Social Justice – A Virtual Coffee Chat

COVID-19 and social distancing have made connecting for Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) chats challenging. This interview is one over ‘virtual coffee’ with three King County GIS professionals. Hear them share their technologist’s excitement that GIS for ESJ is feasible and impactful! Meet them below. Greg: “Mary, Dennis and Fred, as King County IT (KCIT)…