2025 WA GIS Conference

I am currently serving a one-year internship for the Cultural Resources Division of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. With no permanent GIS staff member in the division, my goal has been to establish data management and best practices for GIS data.

The Cultural Affairs Division monitors agency projects for possible impacts to archeologically significant areas and artifacts. When a project is first proposed, division archeologists determine the likelihood of disturbance to cultural sites and whether surveys have been performed, or a site survey is needed. Much of the data is Category 3 and needs to be handled securely. We work closely with tribal governments and Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. My job is to manage geographic data for these projects.

After coming on board, my first task was to find out where and how the geographic data was being stored. I found that the data was spread out over several folders on servers (in various formats), and as zipped shapefiles attached to project tickets. There was no central, searchable location for the data.

To begin the process of organizing the data, I turned to ArcGIS Online for its versatility. I was able quickly add geodata to create a master map of Cultural Affairs projects accessible to team members.

Now I am taking data management for the division to the next level by creating a geodatabase, with customized fields and domains, to house our data. The database will reside on our SQL server and will be highly searchable.

This position has provided me with a great opportunity to build a GIS operation from the ground up. At times it has challenging, but I have enjoyed the process. My goal is to create a GIS that works for everyone in the division who needs it to do their job

Emails, phone calls, drop-ins, notes…GIS professionals get mapping and data requests in all kinds of ways. It can be extremely challenging to manage all these requests, and hard to identify ROI. Enter the new GIS Request Management solution from Esri.

In the short time that we have deployed this solution at the City of Tumwater we have noticed a huge difference. It has simplified our day-to-day work by organizing all requests in one place. We went from an Excel file, flagged emails in Outlook, lists on OneNote, literal notes, and coworkers stopping by our desks to request projects to a streamlined process with this solution. GIS Request Management helps us identify and communicate how our projects align with our organization’s goals, and demonstrates our ROI by keeping track of time spent on each project.

This presentation will discuss implementation, usage, custom configurations, and our successes and challenges as we transitioned from a disorganized system to this solution.

Discover how Yakima County made the move from a custom platform for parcel maintenance to a modern, efficient and well-supported environment. Learn about the process of migrating to the new parcel management platform, the impact the County has seen as a result, and what’s next for parcel management at Yakima County.

Washington State Department of Health (WADOH) operates two vital vaccine programs: the Adult Vaccine Program (AVP), offering free vaccines to uninsured adults aged 19 and older, and the Childhood Vaccine Program (CVP), ensuring all children under 19 receive routine immunizations at no cost. These programs are essential for equitable access to vaccines, preventing vaccine-preventable diseases, and reducing health disparities across the state.

To support these programs, WADOH originally developed a custom JavaScript application that allowed residents to locate nearby vaccine providers. However, maintaining this app was challenging due to limited staff with specialized coding skills. Beyond technical constraints, WADOH’s commitment to align with the CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) priorities necessitated migration to ArcGIS Experience Builder.

We used Experience Builder’s the drag-and-drop functionality and responsive design capabilities to create a modern vaccine provider locator web app optimized for mobile devices. This tool expands accessibility for individuals relying on smartphones and tablets to access vaccine information. Public health planners may also use the app to visually identify geographic gaps in provider coverage, enabling targeted resource allocation to areas of greatest need. This aligns with DMI’s goal to support actionable public health decision-making to promote health equity. In addition, by transitioning from a legacy system to Experience Builder, we ensured sustainability, scalability, and responsiveness to evolving technological needs and emerging public health threats.

This presentation will showcase the app’s development workflow, highlight key features, discuss accessibility considerations, and explore its role in advancing public health goals statewide.