The Biannual Review

This year could not have been predicted by anyone. Yet the way HCDD has been able to not only keep up with the demands, but show great initiative and drive, is a feat that only happens with great people working well together. Like you, the GIS Studio has not been idle. Our output remains steady and innovation runs high as we use this time to gather new ideas, rethink old ways, invent faster methods, and better our knowledge through educational courses. What started out as a promising year in January was not waylaid by the struggles of working from home, but adapted to work in our new environments. From attending our ESRI User Conference in our living rooms, to building a new HUB through collaborating screen sharing, we have made the virtual world our reality. Our work begins and ends with you, HCDD team, and we hope to continue sharing it with you through pandemics, hurricanes, and the struggle of working at home with children. Thank you for your endless support!

Even though we're apart, we're still working together like always. Video calling only goes so far, however, and not seeing these people everyday is hard. Some of us have replaced Suit Tuesday with Pajama Everyday, but I won't say names. Hope to see you soon guys!

Just because we're not in the office doesn't mean we can let those birthdays slip by us! We congratulated Doc on his 53rd birthday in May by completely forgetting about it! So to everyone else who didn't remember, take a moment to rectify that.

(Seriously, who has a birthday in the middle of a pandemic? We cannot be blamed for forgetting.)

To rub salt in the wound, a birthday we did remember was Patrick's! In June, Patrick joined us from over the hill to celebrate his 40th birthday. Mid-life crisis TBA.

Big congratulations to Patrick and Kionnedra on their new son! Sadly they did not go with our pandemic themed name options, but you can't win 'em all folks.

It was no San Diego, but our conference this year hosted from our living rooms was still a resounding success. So many new features and ideas from all across the world were shared in one week it was nothing short of a GIS user's dream. Already we have works in progress inspired by what we saw. From maps on social justice, natural disasters, analysis of damage, new data sharing platforms, and so much more, this conference was nothing short of amazing. Can't wait to see what we do with it!

London completed the course Introduction to Analytics offered by the Georgia Institute of Technology, learning advanced techniques in coding that she's used to automate our processes. This is one of three classes she's taking, and we're already seeing an improvement in our speed and efficiency across all sections of our work. Awesome job, London!

Not to be left out, the rest of the GIS Team has completed over 30 tutorials since March that taught us new skills in drone imagery, data analytics, script writing, Community Analysis, and many more.

GIS is very proud to be in Beta testing of our new Portal and Hub sites, designed by our very own Tony and London. They will consist of a wide array of data published and sorted by division, source, and type. Our hope is to present an easy and consistent way to find data we've gathered that can be searched for and manipulated, added to projects, and overall increase transparency between us and you.

It's important to keep yourself occupied after work with a hobby or relaxation, but it can be hard sometimes. Instead of going to the office you spend your evenings watching The Office. Here's how your GIS team has been keeping themselves busy in quarantine.

Alan has kept himself busy doing what he does best: looking good! Houston's hottest bachelor spends his free time swimming, enjoying the sun, and spending time with family. Sorry ladies, but this is social distancing. You can look (from 6 ft away) but you can't touch!

Shelby started off strong with great self-care; exercising, tanning, eating healthy. And while that was a productive week, it just got too hot, you know? She now spends her time talking to her grandma and her deaf dog. Both respond with equal enthusiasm about what she has to say. On the bright side, she was able to enjoy a weekend in Yellowstone NP, which is just as beautiful as you think.

London decided to become the department's resident survivalist, binge watching all 40 seasons of Survivor, getting herself a guard dog to brave the wilds, and picking up embroidery to increase her skills with needles. In case of apocalypse, and let's face it in 2020 it could happen, London should be on everyone's speed dial.

Doc is learning a lot about the flora and fauna around his house. A researcher at heart, he has taken to studying the local lizards, which have apparently shown signs of mutations. Will we get a paper on their comings and goings? We can only hope so. When he's not being David Attenborough, Doc is making the most of his quarantine by cleaning out the old items from his home, getting rid of clutter that's been collecting dust for 10 years. We would all do well to take a page out of Doc's book.

Art uses his time to escape his kids as often as possible. During the home stay, he has bicycled over 230 miles through parks and neighborhoods, becoming locally known as "Art Armstrong." Okay maybe not, but that is a lot of biking! He has also been working on DIY projects around the house. Not one to sit idly by, Art creates, fixes, and builds a plethora of items for whatever his family needs. Or whatever he thinks they need.

Patrick might have a newborn at home, but that hasn't slowed him down! He runs a mile everyday, gets in that morning meditation, records an awesome podcast, and relaxes from a hard day's work with his favorite romantic com...action movie. With his favorite very manly action movie. Die Hard. Yep, it's definitely Die Hard, we'll go with that.

Tony is not going to let a virus get in his way. He has remained active by burning as many calories as possible to stay fit. A herculean task when you eat like Tony eats, but when you have willpower like he does, it's no sweat! If you see a handsome man strolling through the office when we get back, don't be alarmed. It's just Tony being Tony.

Nothing is slowing the GIS Studio down! Here's a breakdown of what we've done from January to August 2020.

Our team photo is a bit different than last year's, but the spirit is still there. The Studio wishes all of HCDD a safe, happy, and productive 2nd half of the year!