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[ short takes ]

cloud environment,” she says. “That’s a huge positive, and
really enabled our workforce to be able to successfully do
their jobs at home.”
The increased prominence of GIS and information technology
in government as a result of the pandemic will be a boon to
agencies considering emerging technologies, Winters says.
“Through NSGIC, we’re able to not just keep track of some
GIS emerging technology, but we’re able to influence it,” Winters
says. “Change is a lot less scary when you are calling for it,
and we have some role in driving that bus.”
On the podcast:

Frank Winters, geographic information officer, New York
Karen Rogers, enterprise GIS and data visualization
coordinator, Wyoming
Jenna Leveille, deputy state cartographer, Arizona
COVID-19 made geospatial leaders ‘front page news’ Jake Williams, associate publisher and director of strategic
DEC 9, 2020 initiatives, StateScoop
www.statescoop.com
What to listen for:
For state government leaders charged with using geographic
information systems, the COVID-19 pandemic brought • In most cases, GIS leaders were engaged in state
their work to the forefront in a way unlike ever before. emergency responses to COVID-19, Winters says.

“It’s pretty clear that GIS has been front page news for almost • IT modernization and cloud migration will help improve
a year now,” says Frank Winters, New York State’s geographic GIS workflows, enabling them to have easier access to
information officer. “Alone that has had an impact, and really, collaboration opportunities across government.
across the country, there’s this underlying sense that the whole • The increased prominence of GIS as a result of the
geospatial community can take an even more impactful role.” COVID-19 pandemic could offer opportunities to
Winters, who serves as president of the National States accelerate projects like a national address database, geo-
Geographic Information Council, joined Wyoming enterprise enabled elections and next-generation 911.
GIS and data visualization coordinator Karen Rogers and • There are opportunities to align GIS and blockchain
Arizona deputy state cartographer Jenna Leveille on an episode with land ownership data, Rogers says.
of StateScoop’s GIS Addressed podcast, recapping 2020.
• GIS Addressed is a podcast from StateScoop and the
“I would say that COVID has given geospatial leaders an National States Geographic Information Council
opportunity to work with unusual suspects, or people or about the role of geographic information systems in
industries that we had maybe not totally thought about government. Catch up by listening to Season 1 (2018)
collaborating with in the past,” Leveille says on the podcast. https://statescoop.com/tag/gis-addressed-season-1/
“Now that conversation is happening, and we’re talking and Season 2 (2019) https://statescoop.com/tag/gis-
about how we can work better together.” addressed-season-2/.
An increased focus on GIS also means increased attention to Catch all of StateScoop’s podcasts on Soundcloud, Apple
IT modernization, Rogers says. Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher or Alexa’s TuneIn.

“The benefit that I saw in many of our agencies was that
it finally pushed them to adopt a cloud infrastructure and

8 EMPIRE STATE SURVEYOR / VOL. 57 • NO 1 / 2021 • JANUARY/FEBRUARY