EGLE staffers honored for their work at GIS conference

Two staffers and one recent retiree from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) were honored recently at the Improving Michigan Access to Geographic Information Networks (IMAGIN)’s 31^st annual conference. IMAGIN is a professional development organization committed to providing opportunities for its members to network with professionals who are using, creating, or maintaining spatial resources within Michigan.

John Esch, who retired from EGLE earlier this year, was featured as the 2024 IMAGIN Geospatial Achievement winner in recognition of his successes, leadership, and unwavering passion for advancing the field of geospatial and geologic technology in Michigan.

John Esch, EGLE retiree (r), receives the 2024 IMAGIN Geospatial Achievement award from IMAGIN president Thomas VanBruggen. Esch received the award because of his dedication to advancing the field of geospatial and geologic technology in Michigan.

 

“I nominated John for this award, and I am thrilled that he was selected for this well-deserved honor,” said Kate Berg, EGLE’s GIS manager. “If you are familiar with any of the work EGLE has done to become a top state environmental GIS program, it is built on the foundation created from John’s leadership. His tireless efforts have significantly shaped the GIS landscape at the State of Michigan.”

Esch was instrumental in developing one of EGLE’s most popular web maps, “GeoWebFace”, as well as many of EGLE’s open data layers. “John’s devotion and leadership in the integration of GIS with Michigan’s geology helped lead the State of Michigan into a new frontier. There were hurdles to overcome and tough challenges getting initial support, but with his skills, knowledge, sense of humor and devotion (both on and off the clock) he was able to make multiple, complex items and databases become one phenomenal system in the GEOWEBFACE and others. John’s work through all the GIS interfacing projects, literally increased the productivity, efficiency and reliability of many users now and to come. His accomplishments will keep on giving far into the future,” said Mike Shelton, senior geologist in EGLE’s Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division.

Zach Chamberlin and Emily Kirkpatrick from EGLE’s Water Resources Division were also honored at the IMAGIN conference. They were voted “People’s Choice” award winners for their story map, “Shifting Sands: Michigan’s Critical Dune Areas.” This story map was created as a public outreach tool to increase general awareness of the Critical Dune Area (CDA) regulatory program and the management challenges these unique areas face.

 

Emily Kirkpatrick (l) and Zach Chamberlin of EGLE’s Water Resources Division received the “People’s Choice” award for their “Shifting Sands: Michigan's Critical Dune Areas” story map.

 

“Zach and Emily’s story map highlights the importance of these unique ecosystems and presents the information in an engaging and interesting way,” said Berg. “I'm happy to see that their hard work and creativity have resonated with so many, earning them the 'People's Choice' award.”

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a way to map, analyze, and collect data that has a spatial component (like an address or coordinates). If you're interested in learning even more about how EGLE is using GIS, visit the EGLE Maps and Data webpage. You can also subscribe to the Maps and Data Updates GovDelivery email list to be notified when EGLE publishes new GIS content.