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…
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 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…
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…
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)…
The sixth offering of King County’s introductory workshop, GIS for Equity and Social Justice, is scheduled for May 11, 2020. It will be presented live online via Zoom. Read what a student from a recent session of the workshop wrote about the training in this Puget Sound Clean Air Agency blog article. See below for…
Back in November I reported on the award of seven EthicalGEO Fellowships by the American Geographical Society. My EthicalGEO Fellowship project is to develop and publish a first-ever GIS for Equity and Social Justice best practices document. The seven EthicalGEO Fellows first met on November 21, 2019 at Columbia University to present their proposals. This…
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.…
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…
A King County policy priority is building equity and opportunity for all. King County’s pro-equity policy agenda has eight focus areas, one of which is environment and climate. Recently I worked with the King County Solid Waste Division to help develop an ArcGIS Online web application for the equity and social justice (ESJ) assessments of…
GIS & You 