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.
King County aims to address equity issues through its Equity and Social Justice Plan. To measure its success, it has identified 15 conditions and uses StoryMaps, Dashboards, and Instant Apps to present the data. The Determinants of Equity data tool has been successful, leading to the development of training sessions for users.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Some modern mapmaking tools don’t have direct antecedents. Yes, maps have long been composed of many layers of separate artwork just as we have digital map feature layers now, but in the during the time of Mylar overlays, pin registration, and photomechanical reproduction that resulted in static paper maps, there was nothing like the dynamic and highly interactive web maps that are second nature to us today.
King County Metro Transit, in coordination with area jurisdictions, including the City of Seattle, has long designated a network of high-ridership bus routes that can use typically plowed streets and which avoid steep hills to provide a reduced but core level of service during major snow events.
It is fortunate that weather conditions over the last six years had not necessitated the activation of Metro’s Emergency Snow Network and the publication of their Emergency Snow Network map. That is until two days ago.
Cartographers and GIS analysts often have to make choices about where, within a given map space, to position points that represent real-world features. Shouldn’t be a big deal though, should it? A place is a place, a location a location. It’s just there. You know, where the house or building or parking lot, or whatever, sits on the ground! Well, it isn’t that simple.
Among the fundamental skills required to be map literate, that is, to be able to read and comprehend maps, are an understanding of scale, the recognition of spatial orientation, and an appreciation of map projections. A higher-level, overarching principle of map literacy is that a single map can seldom tell a whole story, which is a point well made by Dr. Kenneth Field, Esri senior cartographic product engineer, in a recent article in Wired.
GIS & You 