By Meaghan Lee

It’s that time of year again! The 2026 WAGISA Conference is just around the corner and we here at The Summit Scoop are excited to tell you more about it. From May 19th - 21st, GIS gurus, data nerds, and cartographic artists from all over Washington will gather in Bellevue at the Meydenbauer Center. EP Events has helped make this a year for the books! Here are some of the things we think you’ll enjoy.

Our keynote speaker is none other than the Executive Director for OpenStreetMap US - Maggie Cawley! Maggie will join us to share her experience in working with the world’s largest crowdsourced map along with her background in sustainability, urban planning, and education. You can read more about her here. 

The first day of the conference is our workshop day. You can choose to learn about Drone Mapping, Experience Builder, GIS Management, and more! These are half or full day workshops to gain hands on and real-world knowledge of the GIS industry. Read details of each workshop and register individually for them here. 

Are you a student or young professional? You can register for the Young Professional Special Interest Group Workshop, where you’ll get to network and gain insight into landing in a GIS career. Do you have a poster, app or script you’d like to share? Submit to the poster contest by May 12th to show it off! You can also apply for a student scholarship by May 10th to attend the conference at a discounted price. Come join us!

Everyone loves learning about the newest trends in GIS, and that’s where our vendors shine! Don’t just come to their tables for the swag, come to learn about ways you and your organization may be able to partner with folks in advancing your GIS capabilities. 

And if none of this has convinced you to attend the conference, here is something that might entice you. You can ride the world’s first light rail across a floating bridge! Our conference venue, the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, is located right next to the Bellevue Downtown Light Rail Station, where the new 2 Line, known as the Crosslake Connection, opened in March. So, whether you come into the conference from the west or want to take a ride into Seattle after hours, you can join in history!

Would you like a sneak peak of some of the presenters this year? We thought you might! We spoke with folks who will be presenting and asked them what inspired them and what they are looking forward to at this year’s conference. Read ahead to hear from Heather and Michael.

Heather Spalding, Pacific Education Institute

Presentation: Building Statewide GIS Career Pathways to Agriculture and Natural Resources

Have you attended the WAGISA Conference before? If so, what keeps you coming back? 

Heather Spalding: I attended WAGISA last year for the first time (2025). I'm interested in how GIS skills are transferrable between a variety of agriculture and natural resource (ANR) careers. These skills also connect with a variety of careers in other industry sectors. As Career Connect Washington's ANR sector leader, WAGISA is a great way for me to learn about different ways to apply GIS and grow career pathways for future generations.

What inspired you to present at this year’s conference?

HS: I'm working with industry, K-12, tribes, and postsecondary institutions like colleges to build a set of Career and Technical Education courses that will be available to school districts across the state. The courses will provide high school students with opportunities to connect with local employers and build hands-on career-related knowledge and skills so that they are prepared to enter the workforce in the coming years. WAGISA's presenters demonstrate the variety of GIS applications in public and private jobs and inspire me to think creatively about how we can support career readiness across Washington.

What are you most looking forward to at the conference this year?

HS: I'm looking forward to presenting with Daniel Cuevas, GIS consultant for our pathway process, and Jeffry Rhodes, math and science teacher at Riverview School District. We will provide an overview of Employment Security Department data that highlights top GIS jobs and the skills needed to succeed in this field. We'll also provide examples of successful career-connected learning initiatives that integrate GIS into existing courses and get students outside in the field with local GIS and ANR employers.

Is there anything else you’d like attendees or the WAGISA community to know about you or your presentation?

HS: We are looking for industry feedback to make sure our career pathway is responsive to the needs of the GIS professional community. Results will be shared with our statewide GIS course writing team at the end of May, and we plan to submit a follow-up proposal for WAGISA 2027 to present the pathway that has been developed.

Heather Spalding enjoying Kartoffelknodel in Nuremberg Christmas Market, Germany

Michael Lowry, Washington State Department of Agriculture

Presentation: Estimating the Climate Resiliency of Washington Dairy Farms

Have you attended the WAGISA Conference before? If so, what keeps you coming back?

Michael Lowry: I attended for the first time last year. I really enjoyed seeing what other Washington GIS folks were working on, learning about areas within the GIS field I was less familiar with, and picking up helpful tips and tricks.

What inspired you to present at this year’s conference?

ML: While working on this project, I’ve learned a whole lot about dairy farms, weather, climate change, programming, and GIS. There is so much that can be conveyed that it seemed a clear choice to present. On top of that, it’s work that I’m proud of and that has the potential to help dozens of dairy farmers in Northwest Washington.

What are you most looking forward to at the conference this year?

ML: I’m looking forward to seeing the great work that Washington GIS experts have accomplished over the past year!

Is there anything else you’d like attendees or the WAGISA community to know about you or your presentation?

ML: This presentation should be a good fit for anyone who wants to learn more about Python in GIS. The data analysis and report generation for this project were done almost entirely with code. It won’t get too technical, but I will talk about what the code accomplished, which libraries I used, and some lessons I learned.

This is not, in fact, Michael Lowry. It is a dairy cow. 

There’s still time to register for the conference. Browse our website to find more information on planning your trip, convincing your boss to pay for your attendance, and scoping out the schedule as presenters are announced. We can’t wait to see you in a couple of weeks!

Washington-based Contract Engineering Firm Introduces Geospatial Services for the Telecommunications Industry

Snohomish, Washington - ATCO Communications Services, LLC officially launches its Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Program, providing an array of geospatial services, including:

• Custom GIS Solutions & Application Development
• Data Management & Infrastructure
• Geospatial Analysis, Engineering, & Feasibility
• Professional Cartographic Mapping
• Next Generation 911 (NG911)
• Customized GIS Training and Capacity Building

While ATCO Communications Services' legacy is outside plant engineering, the company recognizes the value of using geospatial data to improve efficiency and accuracy across internal and external processes. ATCO’s GIS Program places heavy emphasis on collaboration, positioning clients for sustainable long-term success by delivering tailored solutions to meet their specific needs. Whether it’s through custom GIS applications or training programs, ATCO’s goal is to holistically improve its clients' geospatial capabilities and data management practices.

The telecommunications engineering field has long employed geospatial services to complete projects, often in conjunction with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Currently, more engineering firms are directly implementing GIS tools to streamline operations. ATCO implements numerous geospatial applications across other departments, including joint-use administration and right-of-way management, reflecting a broader trend of GIS adoption across the business landscape. In an increasingly tech-driven industry, companies of all kinds are inundated with large volumes of real-time data. Without proper data management techniques and tools, this large amount of information can become more of a hindrance than an advantage. Incorporating GIS solutions can turn raw data into meaningful models that yield insights to inform work processes.

ATCO demonstrates its geospatial capabilities through its partnership with the Washington-based internet service provider, Whidbey Telecom. ATCO, Whidbey Telecom, and their partners are collaborating on the Point Roberts Middle Mile Infrastructure Project, a National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)-funded initiative to connect broadband-underserved communities in Northwest Washington with fiber service. Over the course of the project’s lifespan, ATCO and its partners will lay 48 miles of underground fiber cable and 63 miles of cable on the sea floor. Ultimately, these cables will provide improved broadband infrastructure for South Whidbey Island, Point Roberts, and the settlements in between, including the Lummi Nation, Orcas Island, and other broadband-underserved areas in both Whatcom and San Juan counties. In addition to constructing these new telecommunications facilities, the project entails significant surveying, permitting, and careful analyses of ecological and archaeological factors in the area.

ATCO and Whidbey Telecom's Company Side by Side

ATCO uses Esri’s ArcGIS Experience Builder, a GIS program, to create detailed project dashboards that visualize the planned fiber route by combining design and survey data and centralizing the planned cable layout, design changes, and real-time progress, ultimately providing a detailed, real-time record of each project phase.

ATCO's Point Roberts Project Dashboard. Made using ArcGIS Experience Builder.

In addition to the project dashboard, ATCO uses IkeGPS Pro to log pole location data, attachment information, pole condition, pole dimensions, ownership, and photos in one convenient location for clients. By combining tools such as project dashboards and IkeGPS, ATCO’s GIS Program plans, tracks progress, provides real-time updates, logs facilities, and simplifies data collection and analysis.

IkeGPS Pole Data - Project Overview

IkeGPS Pole Data Example

IkeGPS Pole Data Example 2

When asked about the future of GIS and ATCO’s role in the industry, Benjamin Lutz, GIS Program Manager at ATCO, explains,

“It’s exciting to see both ATCO and the clients we serve continue to adopt the latest geospatial apps and technology to streamline operations and maximize efficiency. I’m thrilled to continue building ATCO’s GIS program and bring the next generation of GIS experts into the industry. As more industries adopt GIS, ATCO’s GIS Program will continue to evolve and grow to meet demand and exceed customer expectations.”

ATCO's GIS Program Manager, Benjamin Lutz

For more information about ATCO’s Geospatial Services, visit:
https://www.atcotelecom.com/services/geospatialservices

Hello 2026 WAGISA Members,

Thank you for being part of the Washington GIS Association. Because of your energy and involvement, 2025 was another wonderful year for our community. Our annual conference at UW Tacoma brought together more than 350 attendees across 90 sessions, and we are now approaching 400 active members. We also had close to 15 sponsors represented at our conference. A special shout‑out to our Young Professionals SIG—new faces join every week, and it’s been inspiring to watch that group grow.

I’m deeply grateful for your continued participation, volunteering, and support. Our team is already hard at work planning the 2026 Washington GIS Conference, and we look forward to welcoming you to the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue from May 19–21.

This year, one of my goals is to continue strengthening our membership and increasing participation across all our committees and groups. We also have several committee chair openings we hope to fill, including:

• Membership
• Technology
• Community Engagement

Later in this post, you’ll find a brief overview of each committee. You can also find meeting times on our Event Calendar. If you’re curious about getting involved, I’d love to hear from you—feel free to reach out at President@wagisa.org.

Most of all, I hope WAGISA continues to be a welcoming home for students, new professionals, and seasoned experts alike—a place where people can learn, connect, and grow together.

Thank you again for everything you bring to this community.

-Taylor Dixon, 2025-2026 WAGISA President

WAGISA Board

Taylor Dixon, President

Taylor Dixon is a Senior GIS Analyst for Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). A 2012 graduate of the University of Washington's GIS degree program, he interned with the City of Bothell before joining SPU, where he has worked ever since. He volunteers his GIS skills for various organizations, politicians, and sports blogs. His hobbies include soccer, video games, sports, debating music and movies, riding roller coasters, and driving in the mountains.

Darci Smith, Vice President

Darci Smith brings over a decade of experience in the GIS industry. Her background spans a variety of industries including consulting, local government, and public utilities. As the Utilities GIS Lead for City of Bellevue Utilities she leads a small team of GIS professionals responsible for maintaining the utilities enterprise data. Darci holds a Master of Science degree in GIS from Idaho State University and a BA in Geography and Natural Resources Management from Western Washington University. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, being outdoors with her dogs, and camping at the ocean whenever she gets the chance.

Christina Chelf, Past President

Christina Chelf is a GIS professional with over 15 years experience and has been on the board for 7 years. Currently she serves as the GIS Manager for City of Tacoma where she leads a team of 8 that is responsible for providing maps, spatial analysis, and data management for city staff. Christina helped lead the creation and enhancement of the Tacoma Equity Index, a set of tools that help staff visualize and operationalize equity in the prioritization of policies, programs, and resources. She loves to be outdoors playing Ultimate Frisbee, running, backpacking, or gardening and when it's too cold out she creates and sells clay earrings.

Elisabeth Leaf, Secretary

Elisabeth Leaf has a diverse career spanning GIS, asset management, urban planning, teaching, and construction plan review. She is currently a Senior GIS Analyst for Tacoma Water, where she maintains the internal GIS system for the utility through data management, collaboration with internal GIS users, quality control, and spatial analysis. Elisabeth holds a Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies and a BA in Urban Studies from the University of Washington, Tacoma. When she’s not meticulously crafting and updating utility maps, you’ll likely find her exploring new destinations, capturing moments through photography and sketching, and indulging in her passion for cartography.

Emily Pitman Handy, Treasurer

Emily is the current WAGISA Treasurer and has served on the board since 2021. She currently works for the Washington Department of Natural Resources in the Recreation and Conservation Division. When she's not at work, Emily enjoys rock climbing and hanging out with her partner Brent and dog Marco.

Leslie Carman, Member-At-Large

Leslie is a GIS Analyst II with Thurston County Geodata in the Information Technology department where she has been working with an amazing team of coworkers for almost 7 years. She supports multiple county departments, including Public Works, Emergency Management, Medic One, and the Sheriff’s Office and has become the go-to plotter troubleshooter. Leslie has served on the WAGISA board and as the Professional Development Committee lead for the past 4 years. In her free time, you can find Leslie admiring maps, spoiling her two cats, exploring the Pacific Northwest (with a map of course), and participating in all the fiber arts (knitting, crochet, embroidery, sewing, etc.).

Micah Gelber, Member-At-Large

Micah is the Navy Region Northwest Emergency Management GIS Specialist and has been an active volunteer with the Washington GIS Association (WAGISA) since 2021, serving on the Board since 2023. He currently serves as the Young Professionals Special Interest Group (YPSIG) Lead/Coordinator and leads the DTA Student Competition, after previously contributing as Community Engagement Lead and Marketing & Design Team Lead. Outside of GIS, Micah is a multi-instrumentalist and recording artist who has been actively involved in the PNW’s vibrant music scene for over 10 years.

Sheena Harms, Member At-Large

Sheena has over 12 years of professional experience in GIS which has taken her from archaeology, to city planning, to private forestry. Her current work as a Data Analyst for the Green Diamond Resource Company focuses heavily on remote sensing and change detection. She has been on the WAGISA Board since 2021, originally serving as Secretary. Outside of work, she is active in her community through PTSO leadership and a scholarship committee, and enjoys hiking, traveling, reading, and spending time with her three children. 

Kevin Le, Member-At-Large

Kevin is a Geospatial Demographer in Labor & Industries’ SHARP program, a unique occupational safety and health research department studying causes and occurrences of work related injuries impacting Washington workers. He focuses on bringing in a GIS lens to understand occurrences of injuries across space and how geography impacts access to receiving appropriate care. Outside of work, he enjoys painting miniature Dungeons and Dragons figures and building Gunpla model kits.

Max Mousseau, Member-At-Large

Max Mousseau is the GIS Administrator for the City of Des Moines and strives to find ways to practice the idea of learn, do, teach. Having been born and raised in, and completing his undergraduate and master’s degree the Pacific Northwest, he continues to be proud to call the area home. Outside of work, house projects, and fulfilling his duties as a Board member for WAGISA and chair for its WGGL group, he enjoys various hobbies including flying, fabricating, spending time with his colleagues and closest friends, bird hunting with his dog, and, mostly, travelling far and wide with his wife.

Ann Vasko, Member-At-Large

Ann’s involvement with cartography began at the University of Southern California as a geology undergraduate extending for over 30 years in varying capacities. She earned a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences from Montana State University, Bozeman and GIS certification from University of Denver. For the last 8 years Ann’s been designing fiber optic routes creating online and off-line maps for permitting, construction and final records. Ann’s role at WAGISA includes planning the annual conference, leading the volunteer committee,  and co-chairing the Membership and Registration Committee. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with family, knitting, gardening and traveling.

Membership

Members of WAGISA gain access to our network of GIS professionals and can choose to get involved in our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and our committees to focus on career development and help chart the future of our organization!

Special Interest Groups

Drones

The purpose of this Special Interest Group is to increase and share technical knowledge for participating members, to create and understand strong workflow integration with Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) data and to leverage geospatial analysis to solve problems. Join our mailing list!

Washington Local Government GIS Leaders

The WGGL (pronounced “wiggle”) group was formed to provide a forum specifically for GIS leaders in local government. Membership of WGGL is composed of GIS Supervisors (Managers, Coordinators, Directors, and Department Heads) working at City, County, and State organizations in Washington State. The group acknowledges that leadership is not conferred by (nor constrained to) a job title, but comes from all across the GIS and government enterprises.  The WGGL group promotes: open collaboration to help solve uniquely government problems, active participation, sharing insights and resources, growing leadership skills, and improving overall communication among GIS leaders across the State of Washington. Email wggl@wagisa.org to get involved!

Young Professionals

The Young Professionals Special Interest Group is centered around helping GIS professionals in the early stages of their career network with peers, get connected to job resources and opportunities, and set up ways to get further involved in WAGISA. We do this through regular virtual and in-person events and even have our own Discord Server! To be clear, you do not have to be young in age to join us, just young in your GIS journey! Check out our Interest form to join the mailing list and be invited to the Discord!

Committees

Technology

The Technology committee’s primary role is to ensure that the organization has all of the software, platforms, and security it needs to function effectively and safely. It is, like the Nomination Committee, determined by appointment by the president. It can be a fun, challenging role in the organization. It’s a great way to increase one’s responsibility with the organization while still learning the ropes!

Marketing

The marketing committee is responsible for public announcements and keeping WAGISA visible on social media. If you like to tweet, use Instagram or LinkedIn, write press releases, develop graphics or generally chat about how great this group is, you are made for this committee! Get in touch with us!  You can email us at:  marketing@wagisa.org 

Summit Scoop

The Summit Scoop is WAGISA’s blog, sharing GIS happenings around our state and highlighting our fabulous conference sponsors! We are always looking for fresh content and ideas to share with our members, and you can even earn GISP points for contributing an article! Check out our published articles and reach out to Committee Chair Heather Glock at hglock@esri.com to get involved.

Membership

The membership committee keeps records on membership, award winners, and conference attendance records. This committee is also heavily involved with setting up registration for our annual conference. If you’d like to know more, reach out to Committee Chair Stephen Beimborn at stephen.beimborn@seattle.gov. 

Nominating

The nominating committee is responsible for coordinating the recognition of our members through various awards as well as running the annual election of board members. The Nominating Chair is appointed by the president and the committee is primarily made up of board members not running in that current year’s elections. Find out more at https://wagisa.org/Awards. 

Finance

The finance committee is responsible for managing the money. Typically before joining this committee, you are active in other areas of WAGISA to get a sense of how money works for our group. We are fiscally conservative and primarily pay for the conference and workshops from our resources on a break-even basis. We also manage CDs that pay for scholarships and the conference reserve fund.

CEC

The community engagement committee handles outreach to community organizations, schools and colleges, and organizes workshop events. Check out our Community Resources page!

Professional Development

The Professional Development Committee brings workshops to the yearly WAGISA conference as well as other training opportunities throughout the year such as Summits. Meetings are at noon on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. Subcommittees may meet more frequently, especially as we approach events.You can reach the Professional Development Committee chairs at workshops@wagisa.org and sign up for the committee by using your WAGISA account and/or sending an email. You can find more information, including past events, here: https://wagisa.org/page-18164

Conference

The conference committee has the big task of planning and organizing each year's annual event.  We host approximately 300 attendees and it takes an army of volunteers to make it happen. There is always room for another person! If you would like to be a part of the process, please email the Conference Coordinator at cc@wagisa.org.

Health of WAGISA and Beyond!

Finances

Our finances are very healthy! We have about $130,000 in the bank. Most of our income comes from our annual Conference in addition to our year-round and conference sponsors. This money will go back into our conference to directly benefit our members. We also hope to spend some of it on additional events and seminars to bring even more value to WAGISA members.

Membership

As of writing, we have a total of 398 members! Our members span from students and recent graduates to analysts and managers of GIS firms and tribal, local, state and federal agencies. Our membership grows throughout the year, with the largest growth occurring around the annual conference.

2025 Accomplishments

In 2025, some of our biggest accomplishments included:

• We transitioned the 24-25 Young Professionals Initiative into its own special interest group run for and by young professionals. 
• The board passed several bylaw updates aimed at providing more fairness, transparency around the election of board members. 
• We recognized Stephen Beimborn as GIS person of the Year with the Summit Award.

2026 Plans/Intentions

As we continue into 2026, much is in store for WAGISA. We hope to increase participation of the committees listed above and fill key vacancies. We also plan to implement new platforms and technologies to continue maintaining the health and knowledge base of our organization as we continue to grow. Finally, we are excited to plan more events for our members and potentially support the events of our fellow professional GIS organizations in our region.

2026 Annual Conference

Our Board and dozens of volunteers are hard at work planning our annual conference, with so many moving parts to fill out a full day of hand-on workshops and two days of education sessions and networking opportunities. We could always use extra help! If you are interested, please email our Conference Coordinator at cc@wagisa.org to join the conference planning committee.

We plan to open registration very soon. Check out our Conference Details Page to sign up for our mailing list to be notified when registration opens. We can’t wait to get everyone together again!

Final Thoughts

We hope this has been an informative overview of the current state of WAGISA. To stay in the loop, make sure you are signed up for our mailing list!

Finally, we have a monthly Board Meeting the second Thursday of every month from Noon until 1PM via Zoom that is open to all WAGISA members. Our next board meeting will be April 9th at Noon! Hope to see you there!

Washington is no stranger to rain, but December 2025 saw historic rainfall hitting the state, prompting flooding across 13 counties near simultaneously. Over the course of the disaster, over 100,000 residents were subject to evacuation orders over hundreds of square miles.

At the center of managing the response to this extreme weather event was the Emergency Management Division (EMD) within Washington’s Military Department. When any significant emergency or disaster threatens or affects the state,  EMD manages the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) which is staffed and supported by dozens of state agencies, centralizing information and response decision-making.

Kevin Wickersham, Response Section Manager at the EMD, says that the SEOC began to closely monitor weather reports and flood forecasts as soon as December 5th. By December 8th, the EOC was partially activated with full activation less than 24 hours later, coinciding with Governor Ferguson’s Emergency Declaration. A full activation means that all capabilities available to the SEOC are being utilized - this is only done for the most significant and threatening situations.

The EMD prepares for emergency declarations like this regularly; about 80% of EMD roles are related to preparation for, response to, or recovery from emergencies and disasters, and all but a few EMD staff work in the SEOC when needed. Some EMD staff serve in highly specialized roles such as GIS Analysts while others may be trained to fill in multiple roles as the situation demands. Staff are kept sharp though quarterly training, and of course hands-on experience in more significant emergencies.

A map from FEMA showing the status of local federal personnel and resources. 

But Wickersham describes despite this preparation, they were honestly overwhelmed by the scale of the area impacted and volume of incoming data. Not only did this disaster affect a much larger geographic area than usual, this is also the largest flooding incident in Washington in which modern means to capture and use data were available. Data was coming in from dozens of local, county, state, Tribal and federal sources across many jurisdictions. Wickersham said that EMD only has two GIS specialists available on staff and they had to work back to back shifts and bring in analysts from other state agencies to try to keep up with the flood of data to inform leaders of the constantly changing situation. 

The SEOC had to lean on other state and federal agencies just to get a handle on the situation. Wickersham first described the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were brought in to tap into their GIS Modeling staff to assist in forecasting and modeling of impact using pre-incident data. The Corps of Engineers were already responding to the situation, including with a representative in the SEOC, and were able to help the EOC estimate the likely extent of flood inundation. These calculations were used alongside other data to estimate impacts to residence and infrastructure in the affected areas. 

One inundation map produced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The SEOC was also able to request that NASA reposition satellites to obtain fresh imagery data of the evolving situation. The SEOC also worked with FEMA and a federal contractor to obtain and process synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery data to see though dense cloud cover and estimate water depth and extent of flooding below the clouds. The contractor was able to acquire and process the data within about 24 hours, assisting in expediting immediate post-disaster damage assessments much more quickly than the slow process of deploying ground teams to conduct manual inspections of every damaged residence. 

The EOC still did their due diligence and in ground truthing the water depth estimates, found most estimates to be accurate within just a few inches of actual water depths, measured by high water lines on buildings and infrastructure! Impressive when you are looking through clouds! FEMA also provided additional support with their Search and Rescue Common Operating Platform (SARCOP) in coordinating search and rescue operations, where the locations of areas searched were plotted along with photography and limited damage assessment information captured by the search and rescue teams in between performing rescues.

Maps showing a snapshot of evacuation order statewide and in specific localities: Skagit, Lewis, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties.

A little closer to Earth, the Washington Department of Natural Resources flew its fixed wing planes with visible-spectrum imaging equipment, and helicopters equipped with LiDAR sensors to help the SEOC to assess damages and landslide risk and danger on saturated slopes. Imagery data was uploaded every day after it was captured, sometimes mid-flight, to give the SEOC a constant stream of fresh data. The Civil Air Patrol also contributed to efforts, providing aerial photos of impacted locales. All of this data and more was hosted on state servers through WaTech, keeping the data centralized and accessible to every agency contributing their expertise.

It is clear from top to bottom, so many agencies and personnel were committed to joining forces and building a lightning fast understanding of the situation and responding efficiently and effectively. As Joanne Pearson, State Geographic Information Officer at WaTech said, “If you need anything else, let me know, that was the attitude.”

Wickersham deeply appreciates the support from every agency involved and the GIS expertise they lended. He acknowledges that their support was critical in the difference between the success and failure of coordinating response efforts. 

As he put it, “They really saved our bacon!”

In the world of property valuation, the traditional inspection cycle is often a race against the clock. Between manual photography, data entry, and the logistics of navigating a growing county, the "manual bottleneck" can hinder even the most dedicated teams.

John Paul Coyle, Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) for Woodford County, Kentucky, faced this reality head-on. With fewer field deputies than neighboring counties, his team was tasked with meeting statutory requirements across a landscape that blends suburban growth with expansive agricultural land.  

Rethinking the Manual Inspection Cycle

Before modernizing their workflow, Woodford County’s assessment process was defined by labor-intensive hurdles that impacted both the budget and team morale:

• The "Stop-and-Go" Workflow: Staff were "literally stopping at every house" to capture images, rename files, and upload them—a process that often took months per cycle.  

• The Administrative Drain: The burden of manual data management was heavy, with Coyle noting, "You'd spend as long uploading photos as you did taking them".  

• Safety and Opportunity Costs: Extensive time in traffic increased field risks and diverted personnel from higher-value, more complex appraisals.  

Delivering Ground-Truth Data at Scale

To reclaim these lost hours, Woodford County moved toward a "desktop-first" inspection model. By leveraging NCTech, the county received high-definition, parcel-linked street-level images across the Versailles urban service boundary. This comprehensive data was captured and delivered within days without requiring county staff to spend a single hour in the field.  

NCTech provided a versatile data package to ensure the team had the right tools for every task. This included both standalone, geo-referenced, and timestamped JPEG cutouts linked directly to parcels for immediate use, as well as access through the VR.World immersive visual inspection platform. This dual-delivery approach allowed the office to integrate high-quality imagery into their existing workflows instantly, ensuring every record was backed by current ground-level context. 

Results: Efficiency That Protects the Bottom Line

The shift from manual fieldwork to digital-first assessment resulted in a 94% reduction in manual field time. By shrinking a process that previously took an estimated 157 days down to just a few days of data processing, the county unlocked a 2.1x ROI.  

Beyond the numbers, the strategic benefits include:

• Enhanced Defensibility: Access to 360° street-level imagery provides a clear view of materials and condition, making assessments more accurate and easier to defend.  

• Strategic Resource Allocation: Automation of residential areas allows staff to focus limited field resources on "high-dollar horse farms" and complex agricultural properties.  

• Unrivaled Accuracy: Manual workflows often overlook vacant lots, but digital capture ensures complete parcel coverage.  

Empowering the Modern Assessor

Modern assessment is about more than just pictures; it’s about putting powerful visual intelligence into the hands of everyday field teams to make smarter, data-driven decisions. By breaking down technical and financial barriers, organizations can document appraisals safely, efficiently, and accurately.

As Coyle concludes: "If you factor in salary, mileage, gas, and time, it was a huge savings. It’s many times more efficient with [NCTech]". 

To access the full case study, click here or contact an NCTech specialist to learn more.

Contributed by WAGISA sponsor NCTech.

From emergency response and natural resource management to transportation planning and public health, location-based data and mapping tools have become core components of how the state delivers services. On November 19th, Washington state and local government GIS professionals came together in a fully hybrid event showcasing how they apply geospatial science to transform decision making.  This day-long event, in its 14th year, is held on GIS Day, which is part of National Geography Week.

Callie Goldsby, the Chief Information Officer for the Washington Department of Commerce, welcomed everyone with opening remarks highlighting GIS as a business enabler. GIS enables data for decision-making that impacts the lives of everyone in the state. According to Callie, “GIS is foundational to how the government gets business done, and spatial thinking is truly mainstream.” This fact is reflected in Governor Bob Ferguson’s proclamation of November 17-21, 2025 as State Geography Week.  

This year’s event keynote was from Ralph Hogaboom with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, where he serves as the Chief Information Security Officer. Ralph kept everyone’s attention with his measured take on Artificial Intelligence, specifically generative AI in the workplace. These tools help generate ideas, texts, images, and videos based on human inputs and prompts. Ralph spoke about the careful balancing act between sacrificing capabilities and gaining productivity with generative AI. AI might help us get work done more quickly, but is it at the cost of losing our capacity to do hard work? Ralph argues people need to put in effort and go through the discomfort that comes with learning new, difficult things. Our capability to do hard thinking has value and is worth paying for. Ralph cited Theodore Roosevelt’s famous quote “Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. No kind of life is worth leading if it is always an easy life.” We’re in the very early stages of mass adoption of generative AI. Ralph cautions us not to jump onto the AI hype train before thinking about the environmental and cultural impacts it introduces. Be mindful that AI lacks standards. It is unstable, has no warranty or guarantee. For now, consider AI one valid pathway to getting stuff done, but not the only pathway. In closing, Ralph encouraged us to “be the statistical outlier you want to see in the world.”

WA DNR Chief Information Security Officer Ralph Hogaboom with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources presenting the good and bad of generative AI

The keynote was followed by the State Agency Roll Call, where 15 state agencies (among the 40+ agencies in Washington using GIS) each spent two minutes highlighting their 2025 GIS accomplishments and goals for 2026. Common themes fell into two camps: those dealing with software and business operational workflows including software and application upgrades, implementing recent Esri license changes, meeting WCAG web accessibility requirements, and managing GIS in cloud environments. The other topical area was program-related topics like using GIS to support both interagency and state-local collaboration and the governance needed to support these efforts, funding challenges, roadmap/strategic planning, incorporating new technologies such as drones and AI, and finally, increasing GIS literacy among non-GIS professionals by developing training and other learning opportunities to help unlock the power of GIS for a wider audience. 

To finish the morning, Washington’s State Geographic Information Officer Joanne Pearson delivered the State of the State GIS address, underscoring the state and its residents as the driver for GIS efforts tackling homelessness, public safety, and accessibility. Joanne highlighted the critical work by state and local agencies planning EV charging stations, locating and securing voter ballot boxes, and supporting public safety for the 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Seattle. Joanne finished her talk with details about the state’s geospatial data integration plans and meeting FedRAMP authorization. “GIS is woven into how Washington does business every day,” said Joanne Pearson, Washington’s state geospatial information officer. “Events like Joint Agency GIS Day are vital because they bring people together to share ideas, strengthen partnerships, and keep improving the location-based services that communities count on.”

Following lunch, the afternoon featured twenty breakout sessions with focused conversations around research projects, public communication strategies, remote sensing technologies and more. In total, 20 presentations were spread across four breakout rooms. Topics included:

Room One presentations: 

• Creating smarter workflows with Survey123, Experience Builder, and JavaScript

• Deploying redundant architecture for ArcGIS Enterprise

• Building maps for different audiences and skill levels

• Modernizing custom GIS web viewers

Room Two presentations: 

• A discussion on how to educate people on the potential and capabilities of GIS

• Experiences from the field for GIS in wildfire emergency response

• Housing service disparities

• Accessibility in GIS

Room Three presentations: 

• Zoning and electric vehicle charging

• Leveraging GIS dashboards for public safety and service

• AI in Washington State

• Circumnavigating the Esri ecosystem

• The journey to named users in enterprise systems

• Smartphone data to measure outdoor activity and health

Room Four  presentations: 

• Low altitude coastal remote sensing

• Drones for environmental services

• Detecting structurally complex forests

• WA EMDs critical infrastructure analysis capabilities

• GIS for support of 2026 FIFA World Cup

• Understanding tsunami risks and community preparedness in Tacoma

The afternoon featured four rooms of concurrent presentations

The breadth of the discussion topics showcased the many uses, challenges, and obstacles that GIS can be used to improve, and highlighted how GIS teams in Washington strive to stay on the leading edge of the industry. The format made it easy to get to the sessions you wanted and there was a remote option for those who could not be in person in Olympia. The 14th Annual Joint Agency GIS Day showcased how geospatial technology drives innovation across Washington. Don’t miss next year’s event—November 18, 2026—where we’ll continue exploring the future of GIS together.

In an ever-evolving geospatial world, current, high-quality aerial imagery is one of the most valuable resources available. Orthoimagery provides the foundation for mapping, planning and decision making for different sectors statewide. However, the cost for capturing, processing and storing this data comes at a high price. 

This is where cooperation among state entities comes in.

States like Washington, California, and Texas, have invested in statewide imagery programs which are made up of state, county, and city government agencies, public safety answering points (PSAP), and, in the case of Washington, tribes. Partnering with Ascent GIS and the Hexagon’s Content Program, Washington receives high-quality aerial orthorectified imagery with reliable refreshes delivered through imagery cloud streaming and hardcopy GeoTIFF data for all their stakeholders. 

Since its commencement, State of Washington has received the following orthoimagery data layers from the Hexagon Content Program:

• 2016 – 30 cm / 1.0 ft. ortho statewide
• 2019 – 30 cm / 1.0 ft. ortho statewide
• 2020 – 15 cm / 0.5 ft. ortho urban regions
• 2021-2022 – 15 cm / 0.5 ft. ortho statewide
• 2023 - 15 cm / 0.5 ft. ortho statewide

Digital surface model data overlaid with orthoimagery of Mt. Rainier 

Hexagon’s statewide imagery program adapts to the needs of government users —offering the savings and simplicity of licensed data. Hexagon Content for States is a flexible, statewide imagery solution delivered through a multi-year licensed data model. It provides predictable budgets, immediate access to existing content, and the ability to customize collections without the hassle of individual procurements. 

Why States Choose This Program 

• Built to fit, not forced to fit: Adaptable to your specifications (seasonality, refresh cadence, focus areas) while leveraging an established content pipeline to reduce time, risk, and cost. 
• Predictable budgets: Multi-year statewide agreement with annual or monthly payment options for fiscal clarity and continuity. 
• Stream now, keep forever: Broad streaming access during the term plus perpetual rights to delivered pixels for authorized users. 
• Continuity at scale: Repeat, multi-term programs and planned refresh cycles keep your base layer current without starting over. 

What You Get 

• Immediate statewide access: Turnkey cloud streaming in common GIS platforms for fast deployment. 
• Flexible stakeholder inclusion: Statewide license covers agencies, counties, municipalities, and approved partners, with simple user management and usage reporting. 
• Delivery options that fit workflows: Stream widely, deliver pixels where needed, and mix models across stakeholders. 
• Collection flexibility: Adjust timing, refresh cadence, and focus areas without spinning up one-off projects. 
• Nationwide partner network: Regional firms across the U.S. ready to support a variety of buy-up options and ad hoc collections, combining local expertise with Hexagon’s scale. 

Why Hexagon 

• Proven track record: Multi-cycle statewide programs since 2014, with millions of square miles delivered, ensuring stability and confidence in every engagement. 
• Data for everyone: The statewide license supports broad internal use; public, noncommercial viewing is permitted under the license. 
• Operational edge: OGC-compliant streaming for low-friction access at scale, plus optional add-ons to meet advanced user needs.

Learn more—let us present the Hexagon Content for States to your program team

Contact your Hexagon rep today!

Contributed by Micah Gelber and the YP-SIG Core Leadership Team

On the sunny and breezy afternoon of Thursday, September 18, 2025, the WAGISA Young Professionals group met with the Washington Government GIS Leaders (WGGL) for a picnic at Fircrest Park. Set under the Ron Russo Pavilion, the two groups enjoyed five hours of networking, group discussions, great snacks, and plenty of GIS fun.

The WGGL group included employees from a variety of organizations including: City of Tacoma, City of Seattle, Seattle Public Utilities, Thurston County, City of Tumwater, Labor & Industries, Navy Region Northwest, The Washington Military Dept, and KLJ Engineering. 

The event began at noon. For the first hour, attendees had the option to join a pre-picnic lunch at Slice Garden or head directly to the park to settle in. At 1 p.m., everyone gathered under the pavilion for a facilitated group discussion. Originally, this discussion was structured around a set list of questions, but once we began, the conversation naturally evolved into a more open and free-flowing dialogue. The energy and engagement from attendees made it easy to keep the discussion going for the full four hours. Each hour focused on a different theme, with questions to help guide the conversation.

1:00 p.m. – Breaking into GIS
Questions included: What advice would you give to someone just starting their career? Who is hiring right now, and where are you seeing others find jobs? What lessons have you learned from past job searches? What tools or platforms help people land GIS roles? How do you stay motivated during the job search?

2:00 p.m. – Building Skills That Employers Value
Questions included: What technical skills, software, or certifications are most valuable in today’s GIS market? How do desired skills differ between industries? How can young professionals build and showcase their skills effectively? What software and apps can support personal GIS projects? What are some doable project ideas to keep skills sharp while job hunting?

3:00 p.m. – Networking and Relationship Building
Questions included: How can GIS professionals, especially those early in their careers, build meaningful relationships that lead to job opportunities? What networking approaches have you found most effective? How do you become the person a job is “wired” to?

4:00 p.m. – Navigating Career Growth and Change
Questions included: Once you land a GIS job, what steps or mindsets help you grow your career or transition into new opportunities? How do you stay adaptable in an ever-evolving GIS field? How can you continue doing GIS even if your current role isn’t GIS-specific? How do you know when you’re ready for the next step in your career?

The event’s casual park setting helped everyone feel relaxed and open to sharing. The WAGISA crew outfitted the pavilion with food and drinks, decorations, a sign-in sheet, and free swag. Despite a few gusts of wind knocking things over, the atmosphere was perfect. It was inspiring to see so many GIS professionals, emerging and experienced, eager to ask questions, exchange advice, and build connections.

WAGISA recently launched the Young Professional Special Interest Group (YP-SIG), and this picnic was our first official event. The goal of YP-SIG is to create meaningful opportunities for Washington’s young GIS professionals to connect, learn from one another, and find success in their careers.

Before establishing YP-SIG, WAGISA ran a one-year Young Professional Initiative (YPI), which offered a mix of in-person and virtual events. With YP-SIG now formally established, we have a dedicated team of volunteers working to plan, execute, and continuously improve the program to serve as a launchpad for anyone early in their GIS Career. We’re excited to continue providing valuable opportunities for the Washington Young Professional GIS community!

Use the following links to stay connected with YP-SIG and receive announcements, resources, and notices of upcoming events:

YP-SIG Interest Sign-Up Form:https://forms.gle/9VXAGLUQVqucXm1cA

YP-SIG Webpage:https://wagisa.org/Young-Professionals/

We also plan to launch a YP-SIG Discord Server soon, so keep an eye out for an announcement!

Yakima County moved to the Parcel Fabric in ArcGIS Pro to support its robust parcel management program and expand capabilities.

Contributed By Yakima County, Washington with Pro-West & Associates

Yakima County, in south-central Washington, received its name from the river that runs through it. The name Yakima comes from the Yakama tribe, who originally inhabited this area. The area became established after the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway in the 1880s. 

Today, the Yakima valley is one of the nation's top producers in apples, wine grapes, and hops. Its resources have made this area a hub for wine and craft beer. The area is also known for its outdoor recreation, being home to part of the Snoqualmie National Forest and Mount Adams as well as being adjacent to Mount Rainier National Park.

For many years, Yakima County had been maintaining parcels meticulously in ArcInfo coverage format via a custom program built in-house. While the process was well-established and the robust editing workflow ensured high quality, up-to-date data, the County knew that continuing to use unsupported technology presented risks. 

The team had long understood the need to move to Esri’s Parcel Fabric, eager to take advantage of its benefits:

Led by Michael Martian, Yakima County’s GIS Director, the team secured the full buy-in of Assessor, Jacob Tate – an important factor in project success – and began the process of modernization. After a short time exploring the possibility of performing the migration in-house, the County realized that a project of such magnitude would require additional support beyond its small team. After engaging Pro-West & Associates, the team got to work to move Yakima County forward.

Once the Parcel Fabric had been implemented and the County’s parcels migrated, the team took Esri training to learn the basics of working with parcel data in ArcGIS Pro. Pro-West then built on that training with a custom course tailored to the County’s own data, workflows, typical scenarios and unique needs.  

“Coming from what we were used to, learning to edit parcels in ArcGIS Pro presented a learning curve. The Parcel Fabric is a comprehensive product with many more capabilities, but with the right training we were equipped to take it on. Reaching the point we’re at now is very rewarding.”

-Michael Martian, GIS Director, Yakima County

Yakima County's new public-facing parcel map. Users can select a tab to see related data: Planning, Utilities, County Roads, or Water Resources

The Value of Modernizing

Since the County migrated to Esri’s Parcel Fabric in ArcGIS Pro for parcel management, it has benefited from numerous improvements:

Looking Ahead

Yakima County plans to achieve even greater value by leveraging additional tools in the Parcel Fabric in ArcGIS Pro:

Considering a Similar Project?

Counties thinking about modernizing their parcel management system may benefit from Yakima County’s experience. Michael says when you deploy current, out-of-the-box software opens the door to an industry-wide user community, many resources and a huge support system. Hiring is easier, since knowledge of products is standard amongst parcel management professionals. Maintenance is much more efficient compared to custom products, and there are so many new capabilities that offer value. Making the move is well worth it.

You can view an ArcGIS Storymap detailing the county’s parcel migration here: Modernizing Parcel Management at Yakima County

Thanks to Pro-West & Associates for this article and for their continued support and sponsorship of WAGISA.

Contributed by WAGISA member Kevin Le

Stephen Beimborn with his 2025 Summit Award plaque at the Washington GIS conference in Tacoma, WA, June 17, 2025

At the 2025 Washington GIS Conference, one of the ‘peaks’ of the multi-day event was the announcement of the Summit Award winner. The Summit Award is for the GIS Person of the Year and is given to a Washington State GIS Professional who has made an impact on our local GIS community through their involvement in WAGISA, contributions to the GIS profession over their career and the excellent GIS work they are able to produce. Each year, the winner of this award is the person that represents the best that Washington’s GIS community has to offer.

No person fits that description more than the 2025 winner, Stephen Beimborn! Stephen has had an incredible career in GIS, with this past Conference marking 42 years in the field! Over his long career, he has dedicated significant time to the GIS community, serving as WAGISA president from 2019-2021 and continuing to be an active volunteer since. Everyone that has had the privilege to work alongside Stephen knows his bright enthusiasm and smiles are backed by a depth of GIS knowledge and commitment to the GIS professionals around him. WAGISA and the Washington GIS Community would not be where it is today without his contributions and hard work.

We recently sat Stephen down for an interview, reflecting on the award and his GIS Journey:

How did you find the field of GIS? 

As far back as I can remember, I studied almanacs and sports statistics and my collection of National Geographic maps. Of the vocational classes I later took as a teenager, I enjoyed the mechanical and architectural drafting classes. But I also enjoyed social sciences, writing and languages. 

I ultimately got a college degree in International Studies. Naturally I did a lot of research in the library. For a time I considered going to the school of Library Science so I could get a job as a reference librarian but instead I found GIS. I think I most enjoyed the spatial relationships the information has and the visual aspects of it. And the practical usefulness.

What got you started in the field and what are some highlights over your long career? 

It was just after my sophomore year at the UW in June 1983 that I got my first GIS job. I was applying for work study jobs over the summer and the first place I interviewed at was Northwest Cartography. After a brief interview and tour, they asked me whether I could start the next day! (Author’s note: if only it were that easy nowadays…)

At Northwest Cartography, my job was to tape paper or mylar documents to a digitizing tablet, register them to a coordinate system, and follow the lines with a digitizing puck to create GIS data. I would write the data to tapes, transfer it to a minicomputer, plot it on paper using a pen plotter, take the paper to a light table, compare the lines I had captured to the originals, and correct my mistakes. I can proudly say that I didn’t make many mistakes, but when I did, it was because the paper had stretched and it threw things off! 

Our company was later bought by a national engineering and environmental consulting company. I recall mapping utilities, power transmission and pipeline corridors, hazardous waste sites, potential waste storage sites, soil and water samples, modeling results, military bases slated for closure. Anything we could land a contract to map or analyze.

After I was married and my first of three children was on the way, I wanted something less hectic and more stable than the consulting world. After quitting my job in June 1985 to travel to Greece and Turkey for the summer, I found a job at the City of Seattle in the Engineering Department. That is where the GIS group resided until we merged into Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) in 1997. 

Initially I was a cartographer who produced maps for city departments. I found it every bit as varied and interesting as my private sector job. One of my first projects was to identify areas of the city that were under-served by the library system so they could choose the optimal locations for new libraries. 

After some time, I worked on an update to the hand-drawn Water System map books. I learned to build GIS data editing applications and trained the mapping staff to enter the data. As an offshoot of working so closely with them, and now with three kids at home, I decided to apply to be the utility GIS supervisor. 

In that role I continued to do a share of the GIS Analyst work. By 2007, though, I had stopped doing “real work” and had fully transitioned to becoming the GIS Section Manager in SPU’s IT division. 

In the SPU GIS section we mostly built applications and maintained data for SPU. We also maintained the central GIS data and infrastructure services for all the city departments. We acquired imagery and maintained streets, addresses, common place names, legal lots and blocks, and other citywide base layers. Department data was stored on our servers and shared across the city. 

My current job is a continuation of my previous role because, back then, we also performed additional work for departments like Police, Fire, Emergency Management and Transportation. And we staffed a public map counter that offered custom maps. There has never been a question of having enough work.

What GIS software and tools do you remember starting off with?

When I started at Northwest Cartography, I used software that was written by in-house programmers. Arc/Info was around also, but was not yet as widespread as it is today. I next learned the Intergraph brand of mapping and GIS, first using a great big VAX workstation, before moving to Microstation running on PCs. 

Northwest Cartography also had a photo-mechanical cartography “side of the house”. I was often called over there to work in the dark room or to perform detailed scribing or cut materials with sharp tools. I’m fortunate to have seen how maps were made before GIS flooded the zone. Nothing but respect for those manual cartographers.

When I got to the City in 1995, I learned ArcInfo and made maps by writing AML scripts and running them on Unix workstations. It seemed like we went through ArcInfo 5, 6, 7, and 8 in quick succession, then ArcView 3.x arrived and then PC ArcInfo and then ArcMap. I continued to use ArcInfo until my days as GIS Analyst came to an end when I entered IT management around 2006. 

We printed a lot of hard copy maps and wall-sized maps and often laminated them or mounted them on foam boards. I was adept at using sharp tools, pen plotters, wax plotters, electrostatic plotters, and eventually, Laser printers. We sent the map books to print shops for printing and binding.

How we deliver the information is so entirely different now.

What an incredible career! So what is your GIS role today? Can you describe some of your typical duties?

For the last eight years, I have managed a group of GIS Analysts in Seattle IT who support over a dozen different departments. Mine is just one of the teams supporting citywide GIS, but we are the primary interface with the customers. We try to identify what our customers need from GIS. We answer questions, get new staff situated, do a lot of projects for the departments, feed work to the other GIS teams. The other Seattle IT GIS teams handle applications development, operations, data, training and other programs and initiatives. 

I enjoy hearing about the work of our customers and how GIS can help them. A lot of my time is spent prioritizing work and matching it to staff with the right skills and availability. We often train customers to support themselves or collaborate with the many talented and dedicated GIS staff working within the departments. Each customer is a different puzzle, which makes it both interesting and challenging. I like puzzles.

When you describe GIS to a non-GIS person, how do you describe it? How do you communicate its value?

It’s easier to describe nowadays because most people are familiar with rideshare apps or Google Maps. They understand that without underlying map data, those things just wouldn’t function. I tell them we make those kinds of maps for the various city departments. But we tailor them to show what they need for their work. 

If they wonder why a common street map isn’t good enough for field workers, I tell them that there are about 1,000 authoritative layers available to City staff to mix and match. A tailored map is ideal and saves time. For instance, utilities are complex and are often buried under the street and can be hard to identify with confidence. Unless you have a map. A lot of city staff need specific addresses, customer information, etc. Everyone wants the public safety departments to arrive at a scene quickly, so I point out that GIS data and maps help them get there faster. 

The examples I point out kind of depend on where we are standing. If it’s somewhere on Earth, I can point in almost any direction at things that are examples to use to explain how varied the use of GIS can be.

What was your initial reaction to receiving the award, did you think you were in the running? 

I am nearing retirement and I’ve seen others receive the award at that stage of their lives, so it didn’t come as a complete surprise given how involved I have been with WAGISA in recent years. That said, there are too many deserving people in the GIS community to recognize them all and I just feel lucky that I was considered, let alone chosen.

Where do you keep your plaque?

I have it above my desk in my home office next to a picture of my kids.

What has been your favorite GIS project that you have been able to work on? What made it so enjoyable?

During the ten years or so that I was a full-time cartographer, I made many thousands of maps. I enjoyed the large complex projects that required multiple pages, overview maps, index pages, match lines, detail insets, legend pages, and other devices to make sense of it all. I have long said that the only thing I enjoy more than designing a map is designing an atlas!

What has been a really challenging project to work on? What made it challenging?

Working at the City of Seattle as a cartographer, I was assigned to re-create the formerly hand-drawn Water System map book using the GIS data. At the map scale of 1 inch to 400 feet, it was impossible to clearly display everything with spatially accurate GIS data. Some of the fittings were inches from the intersection. There were pipes that ran in parallel a short distance apart. Or one pipe might run directly above another. 

I needed to devise a data model for a set of alternate geometries, then I scripted up a slick editing application to create the data. Once I became the supervisor, we picked up steam as we started to create the data and annotation and detail drawings we needed for the entire water system, which went well beyond the city limits. 

I really enjoyed designing the maps and the many layers of annotation, but that project hung over my head for several years. I had a great sense of relief and satisfaction when we finally delivered the map books. Next we took on the Sewer and Drainage map books, which was another multi-year project.

Given your long and successful career, what tips or words of advice do you have for aspiring and/or new GIS professionals in 2025? Where should they start in building up their skill base and/or professional network?

1. Here are a few words of advice:

   1. If you can’t find a GIS job, see whether you can introduce GIS at the place you currently work. Make a crude map, use it to organize your work, and show it to your boss and colleagues. Not every place needs GIS maps, but a lot of places do. 

   2. Find a job at a place that uses GIS, even if you are not on that team, then forge a relationship with the GIS team. Send them map corrections or ask them to help you make a web map. There may only be a few GIS jobs, but there are other roles that use GIS. Engineers and planners and scientists are often having more fun with the GIS tools than we are!   

   3. Don’t turn your nose up at any GIS-related assignment. If you do your best work, even at boring tasks, you will be given more important and challenging work. Just get in the game, then excel!

   4. Keep good notes and documentation so you can easily train the next person to do your boring job.

   5. Do your work in iterations and phases. Make back-ups. Re-boot before you go home. 

   6. Get noticed by volunteering w/ GIS organizations, like WAGISA, then do a great job so that you will be noticed by people who know about jobs or have a role in filling them.

   7. If you don’t have the time or motivation to do a great job while volunteering, don’t bother. It’s probably because you are too busy, so just remain focused on those other parts of your life. It is counterproductive to demonstrate that your work is mediocre.

   8. Pay attention to understanding how the business works, so that you can recommend how to use GIS most effectively. This is just as important as mastering the technology. 

   9. Go to conferences and build up the courage to go to the vendor booths and ask questions. You don’t have to buy their services. Just ask them “What do you guys do?” Maybe ask them whether their customers are hiring!

   10. The Esri UC is great and inspiring, but after I got into management, I focused on local government conferences like WAGISA and the Northwest GIS User Group conferences. I have also learned a lot about the practical application of GIS at conferences conducted by NACIS, URISA, and GITA.

   11. I like to learn what others do in circumstances similar to mine. As opposed to knowing everything that one flavor of the technology can do. Both are useful and you need to become expert in technology, but remember to let the need determine the technology.

   12. Study business analysis. It’s useful. GIS Analysts are business systems analysts, which is an overlapping field.

   13. The biggest value comes when you integrate GIS with other business systems, like engineering records, customer billing, modeling software and work and asset management systems. I think of maps as the best kind of reports. Who doesn’t like a report that combines information from multiple sources?

Finally, outside of GIS, what do you like to do for fun? 

Travel, study Spanish, make music (especially playing bass guitar, singing, songwriting), soccer matches (Sounders, Ballard FC), discovering restaurants, and deep dives into culture, math, science, or music theory.

As you can read, it is obvious why Stephen was recognized as the Summit Award recipient for 2025. His journeyed career, wide knowledge and work in cultivating a generation of GIS professionals for Washington will leave a lasting impact on our field.

Stephen, thank you for all of your contributions to our community!