Michael Bishopp is leaving his position as GIS Analyst III at Thurston County GeoData (He has taken a job with Samaritan’s Purse as their GIS Manager). What Michael says about the position: I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the County and would recommend this place as a great place to work–especially for the next GIS Analyst III. My main roles/tasks here at the County are:

* Coordinate Esri’s AGOL and Portal implementations

* Coordinate our web mapping efforts including usage of Geocortex–especially for internal customers (the County has both internal and external Geocortex Sites)

* Work on development projects and automation of processes that involve spatial data

* Advise County staff on use of mobile devices for spatial data collection * Work as a database administrator (backup to the main DBA)

* Work as an Asset Management System administrator (backup to main admin)…our EAM system is VueWorks

There is a ton of room for growth in this position and I can not say enough good things about the staff. The manager is top notch (Tami Faulkner), and fellow peers are engaged and dedicated to the max. The current staff at the GeoData center are two other Analyst III’s (one is the main database admin the other the main admin for Asset Management); two Analyst II’s (they do more of the day-to-day map making and analysis and customer interface); and one Analyst I (mainly does data editing in support of many of the County departments). There are other GIS Staff throughout the org: One at the Sheriff’s office, one at the Assessor’s office, and one in Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED). Like I said, there is a good deal of growth potential at the County in my current role because implementation of AGOL and Portal is really in the early stages. The Geocortex implementation at the County is robust and mature, it needs some maintenance, but this isn’t too bad. Of course, with the Geocortex 5-Series, there is a push to make the transition to this new web mapping technology. There are many interesting upcoming projects and because GeoData is a part of IT, we service and support all County departments and staff. Thurston County’s offices are in Olympia, WA. Olympia offers a very nice environment (it is at the southern terminus of Puget Sound), but with a lower cost of living as compared to Seattle. Still, Seattle is in easy reach, but the bonus is that outdoor recreation is very nearby with Olympia being the “gateway” to the Olympic Peninsula, on the tip of the Puget Sound, not far from Mt. Rainier, etc. If anyone has any questions about the current role and is interested in talking with me about what to expect, I am more than willing to discuss. Please contact me if you are interested and we can go from there:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbishopp/ I want the County to find the next great employee for this role so I will be helping to recruit. Consider any conversation with me as an introductory interview. Thanks! Michael Bishopp Outgoing GIS Analyst III Thurston County