Celebrating a Milestone Year: King County GIS Center Honored with Dual Enterprise GIS Awards in 2025

In 2025, the King County GIS Center received dual Enterprise GIS Awards from Esri, honoring more than three decades of leadership and excellence in GIS. Recognized at both the CIO Summit and the Esri User Conference, KCGISC continues to deliver countywide value, from emergency response to public health, with a projected ROI of $3 billion by 2025 that underscores its sustained innovation and collaboration.

How We Optimized GIS Data Loading for Shoreline Designations

The King County GIS Center faced performance issues with the Districts and Development Conditions report, particularly for parcels with multiple Shoreline Management Designations, resulting in slow loading times and timeouts. By upgrading server resources and optimizing queries, they reduced load times from over 20 seconds to approximately 2 seconds, enhancing public service efficiency.

GIS Support for Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River Community Conversations

In a recent web newsletter (“May 2025 Unincorporated Area Community News“), the King Co. Dept. of Local Services highlighted a series of community conversations for which the KCGIS Center provided support. GIS Analysts Chris Landback, Josh Popelka, Toni Carpenter and Paul McCombs implemented invaluable materials for these meetings. Community members were invited to share their…

King County State of GIS awarded URISA 2024 Exemplary Systems in GIS: Distinguished System

In October, I attended the URISA annual GIS-Pro Conference in Portland, where URISA rebranded as the Geospatial Professional Network. A personal highlight was receiving the ESIG Award for King County’s SOGIS. The new Esri ArcGIS Hub platform improves access and engagement, streamlining the preparation of GIS documentation significantly.

Extraction of Tree Crowns Using 2021 LiDAR for King County

Climate change is a growing concern due to extreme weather events and infrastructure damage. Trees play a crucial role in mitigating this by absorbing CO2 and producing oxygen. High-resolution LiDAR data is used to create tree canopy models to track changes in tree cover, vital for environmental and economic well-being. An estimate of over 101 million trees in King County underscores the importance of accurate inventory and conservation efforts.

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.

Explain GIS to me like I’m a Fifth-Grader

GIS, or Geographic Information System, is often misunderstood by non-GIS professionals. To address this, resources like short videos and articles from Esri provide fun and accessible introductions to GIS. These materials cover topics such as location intelligence, data sharing, GIS in education, and support for various business functions. Additionally, publications are available for further exploration.

King County’s Septic and Group B Records Search

Public Health and the GIS Center launched a new map-based application in August 2023, consolidating septic and Group B water system records. The app simplifies access to records and provides valuable information for homeowners, potential buyers, companies, and real estate professionals. The application’s successful implementation has been well-received and praised for its ease of use and efficiency.