Washington State Joint Agency GIS Day (Hybrid)

Joint Agency GIS Week is a forum for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professionals to share GIS solutions that are transforming data management, customer service, decision making, and much more!

Hybrid is here to stay! We will be celebrating GIS Day 2024 on November 20th both in person at 1500 Jefferson St SE Olympia and online via a Teams meeting. We are excited to be back together and are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all attendees.  Masks are optional. Refer to the FAQs section for additional information on parking and process for in-person checking into the event.

REMOTE OPTION: We are offering a remote capability for the meeting for those unable to attend in-person.

Microsoft Teams meeting: You will automatically come in on mute and no camera for yourself. We will have people in the room monitoring the chat and Q&A portions for questions.

 Join the meeting now 

Meeting ID: 269 303 673 11

Passcode: yFJXtZ

Dial in by phone

 +1 564-999-2000,,511332127#  United States, Olympia

 Find a local number 

Phone conference ID: 511 332 127#

2024 shines a spotlight on increased use of GIS in facilities management, health and human services, integration with IT systems and AI. We have more and more requests for geographic data needed for decision making and it is an exciting time to be in the GIS profession. Governor Inslee has issued a Proclamation recognizing State Geography Awareness Week (Nov 18-22) and the important work we do in our communities and for our state.

The full agenda for 2024 with presentation abstracts will be included below in early November. We will have some GeoTrivia events to test your geographic skills! A special thanks to our GIS Day organizing team, our keynote speakers, all our presenters, moderators, tech support and to you for joining us for GIS Day 2024!

GIS Day Organizing Team: Tonya Kauhi, DOH; Jim Jarvis, DFW; Winston McKenna, DNR; Hilary Browning, DES; Jane Zerbe, DSHS; Josh Greenberg, ECY; Dan Miller, MIL; Julie Jackson, WSDOT; Susannah Pitman, Nathan Teut and Joanne Pearson, WATech

• 9:00 - 9:20 - Welcome - Bill Kehoe, Director WaTech: Announcement of GIS Awards (Joanne Pearson, WaTech)
• 9:20- 10:00 - Keynote: GIS Workforce: Preparing for Change & Opportunities (Greg Tudor, RCO/PSP)
• 10:00 - 10:40 - State Agency Roll Call (Led by Tonya Kauhi - Dept of Health)
• 10:40 - 10:50 - Break
• 10:50 - 11:00 - GeoTrivia Game
• 11:00 - 11:30 - State of the State GIS (Joanne Pearson, WaTech)
• 11:30 - 12:00 - Washington State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) Damage Assessment - New and Improved! (Tim Finefield, WAMilitary Dept)
• 12:00 - 1:30 - Lunch break/ Dine around option - Time to be social if you'd like! Different leaders will take groups of people to area restaurants to meet and reconnect with colleagues during lunch
• 1:30 - 1:50 - Dismantling the Divide with Washington State Digital Equity and Internet Access for All (Linda Koch & Reza Khoshobin, Commerce)
• 1:55 - 2:15 - Sidewalk data – a statewide, collaborative, long-term approach (Mary DuBose, Grace Young, Thomas Craig, WSDOT)
• 2:20 - 2:40 - Evaluating Barriers to Access on the Capitol Campus (Hilary Browning, DES)
• 2:45 - 3:00 - Break/ Where in WA Game
• 3:00 - 3:20 - Creating and Implementing a Cloud Spatial Analytics Framework (Skyler Elmstrom, DOH)
• 3:25 - 3:45 - Evolution of GIS in Managing European Green Crab in WA (Kayci Guzman, WDFW)
• 3:45 - 4:00 - Closing Reflections; winner of the GIS Project Gallery (Joanne Pearson, WaTech)

• Greg Tudor - Greg is the CIO and IT/GIS Manager for both the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) & Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). Greg has over 35 years of enterprise information technology and geographic information experience.  He has worked for the Bureau of Land Management, private land survey, Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, Recreation and Conservation Office, and Puget Sound Partnership. He has designed and developed applications and databases, and managed IT projects and programs.  His work and projects included land survey, photogrammetry, records management, forest regulation, land and forest management, aquatic land survey, facilities and improvements, transportation, hydrography, firefighting, salmon and ecosystem recovery, and grant management. 

The IT Professional Structure, artificial intelligence technology, budget shortfalls, and new licensing model challenge agencies to rethink how to position their GIS workforce.  The IT Professional Structure did not consider the diverse ways in which agencies employ GIS analysts.  Geographic artificial intelligence (GeoAI) may allow non-GIS staff to create more complex maps using simple mapping prompts to drive expert-friendly tools.  The budget requires managers to write position descriptions that protect valuable staff from getting bumped while still making it possible to fill vacant positions.  The new licensing model may push GIS power users either out of the desktop environment or into becoming GIS professionals, because the model does not consider the allocation of time spent using GIS tools.  We will discuss how ITPS, GeoAI, and licensing might affect GIS users and professionals and strategies for agencies and employees to better prepare for these changes. 

• Joanne Pearson (formerly Markert) - State Geographic Information Officer, WaTech. Joanne is committed to creating a team environment that encourages collaboration among state, local, federal and tribal partners and enjoys learning new ways to apply GIS for the benefit of Washington State.  She is an enthusiastic and consistent advocate for GIS technology and the dedicated professionals that make the magic happen. 

• Linda Koch - Linda Koch is an IT Applications Developer in Information Services (IS) of the Department of Commerce - Equity and Operations Division. She joined Commerce in the Digital Equity Dashboard project in early 2023 and now works to provide GIS visualization support to various projects across COM.
• Reza Khoshbin - Reza Khoshbin is an IT Systems Administrator in Information Services (IS) of the Department of Commerce – Equity and Operations Division.  Reza has been working at Commerce since 2007. He supports the agency SharePoint and several internal applications besides supporting GIS applications and providing administrative support. 

The Department of Commerce - State Broadband Office (WSBO) is the recipient and administering agent for the federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. The program’s goal is to expand and improve high-speed internet access by investing in planning, infrastructure deployment, and adoption in all US states and territories.  One of the initiatives of the WSBO’s approach is the Digital Equity Dashboard which identifies access and adoption gaps for historically excluded, barriered and disadvantaged populations, specifically those with low incomes, older adults, communities of color, people with disabilities and those with limited English proficiency.  The Digital Equity Dashboard utilizes many ESRI GIS components to showcase extensive information to the public while also securing more sensitive data.  Particular attention was focused on accessibility A11y development.

• Tim Finefield (Military Dept) - Bio.

Abstract TBD.

• Mary DuBose (WSDOT Development Division) - Mary DuBose has been with WSDOT since July 2024 as the Roadside Asset Data Steward. She’s responsible for the data on roadside barriers along state routes, as well as the crosswalks, curb ramps, and sidewalks. .
• Grace Young (WSDOT Active Transportation Division) - Grace Young is a GIS and data specialist in the Active Transportation Division at WSDOT. She works to improve the quality and breadth of active transportation infrastructure data collected and maintained by WSDOT.
• Thomas Craig (WSDOT Public Transportation Division) - Thomas Craig is a transportation planner at WSDOT and has been with the agency since March 2022. He works on the Statewide Public Transportation Plan and the development of transportation performance metrics.

In 2023 the legislature passed a budget proviso funding the development of a statewide sidewalk data set and data distribution system by the University of Washington. WSDOT is actively collaborating with UW to define the proviso project scope and support the statewide adoption of the data. Our work includes many GIS challenges, such as defining the geographic scope of the project and merging data from different sources. This long-term effort will require a complex planning process and engagement with a variety of jurisdictions around the state, but the adoption of a statewide GIS data set offers the opportunity to be able to analyze and understand transportation network accessibility and equity.

• Hilary Browning (Dept of Enterprise Services) - Hilary Browning is the manager of the brand-new GIS program at the Department of Enterprise Services (DES). Hilary has been with DES since March 2024, but has been with the state for 10 years in a variety of GIS and data analysis roles. She is excited to build out a new GIS program to enhance the management of the Capitol Campus, and help share the beauty of it with the public.

The Capitol Campus in Olympia is the seat of Washington state government and provides access to a variety of public programs and services. However, much of the campus was designed and built before the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. The ADA requires that state and local governments ensure equal access to programs, services, and activities for all people, regardless of disability status. In this presentation, we will explore how the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) used GIS technology to map physical barriers to accessibility on the campus. This project is the first step in a planning process that will enable DES to evaluate and prioritize improvements to enhance campus accessibility.

• Skyler Elmstrom (Elm-strum) - Public Health Informatics Specialist with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH). Skyler provides DOH's  Prevention & Community Health Division  (PCH) with strategic and program-level informatics support by applying technical expertise working with data, code, and various technologies. Skyler has worked in informatics for 3 years, other GIS roles for more than 10, holds a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor and certificate in GIS, and completed a Graduate Certificate in Data Science from Western Washington University.

In anticipation of increasing demand for scalable, efficient geospatial data analysis, Washington State Department of Health (WADOH) informatics staff have developed an initial Cloud Spatial Analytics Framework (CSAF), a strategic initiative to bring spatial analytics workflows into a cloud environment. CSAF leverages tools like ArcGIS Enterprise and Databricks to address the challenges of processing large-scale spatial data and to create a seamless, reusable, accessible framework for spatial analysis.

This presentation will introduce the informatics specialist role at WADOH, outline the need for CSAF, and present our plans for developing CSAF’s core components. CSAF components include spatial analytics use case and workflow demonstrations, a comprehensive playbook detailing ArcGIS API integration with cloud-based R and Python IDEs, and documentation on essential knowledge requirements for effective use of cloud tools. Additionally, we’ll talk through our thoughts so far on building a training plan for incorporating CSAF into WADOH workflows and to equip staff with the knowledge and skills to harness the power of cloud-based spatial analytics. CSAF aims to expand our existing GIS infrastructure and spatial data accessibility, streamline processing capabilities, and ultimately support our mission of data-driven decision-making for public health. Through CSAF, we can not only address current analytic needs and knowledge shortfalls, but also position ourselves for future advancements in cloud-enabled geospatial intelligence.

• Kayci Guzman, IT App/GIS Developer at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. I am passionate about advancing environmental conservation through innovative technology. Since joining the European green crab project, I have been working to transform a conglomerate application into specialized partner apps for data collection. With a focus on user engagement and customized solutions, I am dedicated to improving the effectiveness of invasive species management across Washington State.

This presentation will explore the historical context and status of the European green crab in Washington State, highlighting significant milestones in GIS development. We will examine the transition from traditional paper forms to a conglomerate app, to specialized partner applications designed to streamline data collection and enhance user engagement. Attendees will learn about the challenges faced during this evolution, the benefits of allowing users to edit and customize their own data, and how tailored apps can meet diverse stakeholder needs. Join us to discover how innovative GIS solutions are shaping the future of invasive species management in the region.

In-Person (preferred): This will be a hybrid event at 1500 Jefferson St SE Olympia and via Teams Event.

If attending in-person, please allow extra time to find parking and check-in at the security desk in the lobby before entering the presentation room. Parking is available in a visitors lot at the corner of Jefferson and Maple. Overflow parking is available in the Plaza Parking Garage- the entrance is off Maple, near the WSDOT building. Parking maps and campus information is available at  Campus Map | Washington State Capitol Campus .

Remote (available): There is a remote option for folks that are unable to attend in-person. Microsoft Teams meeting: See link above - will be provide the day before the event. You will automatically come in on mute and no camera for yourself. We will have people in the room monitoring the chat for questions.

With many people working mostly remotely, the cafe at 1500 Jefferson is no longer available. Please bring your own morning beverages and snacks. We will offer a "dine around" option for lunch, where several of us familiar with Olympia will take a group for a walk to a local restaurant. Please dress for the weather if you are interested in participating. You are also welcome to pack a lunch (no microwaves or refrigerators are available) though a few tables are available in the lobby or use a "door dash"/ "uber eats" option as well. Thanks for your patience with this as we navigate being in person, but without all the amenities we used to have.

As this is an in-person event with an additional remote/hybrid option, we will not be recording the event and hope that you'll join us either in-person or remotely on November 20th, 2024.

Yes. To join the mailing list, email GISDaySupport@watech.wa.gov.

We are excited to see you and are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all attendees.  Here are some additional precautions being taken to ensure we all stay healthy.

• Masks are optional.
• Physical distancing is encouraged whenever possible.
• If you are feeling sick, please stay home.
• Hand sanitizer will be available in the main conference room.

If you have questions or technical support issues for joining our event, please email: GISDaySupport@watech.wa.gov