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GIS insights & geospatial strategy

Guides, tutorials, and expert perspectives on GIS consulting, Esri platform optimization, StoryMaps, and spatial data strategy.

GIS for Decision-Makers

How to Present GIS Data to a Board of Directors

The Presentation Problem You have spent three weeks on a spatial analysis that reveals a clear pattern: infrastructure in the southeast quadrant is deteriorating faster than projected, and without intervention, the city faces $14M in emergency repairs over the next five years. The data is solid. The methodology is sound. The map tells the story […]

March 25, 2026

GIS for Decision-Makers

What Is the ROI of GIS? A Framework for Measuring Value

The ROI Question That Haunts Every GIS Manager At some point, every GIS program faces this question from leadership: “What are we getting for our GIS investment?” The question usually surfaces during budget season, after a major license renewal, or when a new CFO arrives and audits every technology line item. And most GIS managers […]

March 25, 2026

StoryMaps & Visualization

StoryMaps vs Static Maps: When to Use What

Two Tools, Different Jobs StoryMaps and static maps both communicate spatial information. But they do it in fundamentally different ways, for different audiences, with different strengths. Choosing wrong means either over-engineering a simple communication need or under-delivering when the situation demands interactivity. The decision framework is straightforward once you understand what each format does well […]

March 25, 2026

StoryMaps & Visualization

How to Create a StoryMap That Gets Funding Approved

The Problem With Most Funding Requests GIS teams build excellent analysis. Then they pour that analysis into a 40-slide PowerPoint, present it to a finance committee or grant panel, and wonder why the funding request gets tabled for “further review.” The problem is never the data. It is the delivery format. A presentation deck forces […]

March 25, 2026

StoryMaps & Visualization

Esri StoryMap Examples: 15 That Actually Changed Decisions

StoryMaps That Actually Moved the Needle Most ArcGIS StoryMaps end up as internal show-and-tell pieces — pretty, well-intentioned, and completely ignored after the initial presentation. That is a waste of one of the most effective communication tools in the Esri ecosystem. The StoryMaps that change decisions share common traits: they are built for a specific […]

March 25, 2026

Esri Platform

Branched Versioning Explained: Multi-User Editing Without Data Conflicts

The Multi-User Editing Problem Every GIS team with more than a handful of editors runs into the same problem: two people editing the same feature at the same time. Without version management, the last person to save wins, and the first person’s work is overwritten silently. Traditional versioning (what Esri now calls “legacy versioning” in […]

March 25, 2026

Esri Platform

Attribute Rules in ArcGIS Pro: Automate Data Quality in 5 Steps

What Attribute Rules Actually Do Attribute rules are Arcade expressions stored directly in your geodatabase that execute automatically when features are created, updated, or deleted. They run at the database level — not in the application — which means every editing client respects them: ArcGIS Pro, web apps, Field Maps, the ArcGIS API for Python, […]

March 25, 2026

Esri Platform

How to Optimize Your Esri License Investment

Your Esri Licensing Probably Costs More Than It Should Esri licensing is not simple. Between named user types, server roles, extensions, add-ons, ArcGIS Online credits, and Enterprise License Agreements (ELAs), most organizations carry at least some waste — unused licenses, redundant capabilities, or misaligned user types. The typical organization overspends by 15-25% on their Esri […]

March 25, 2026

Esri Platform

10 ArcGIS Features Most Organizations Never Use (But Should)

The Features Hiding in Plain Sight Most organizations use about 20% of ArcGIS. They publish web maps, run a few geoprocessing tools, maybe collect data with Field Maps. Meanwhile, entire capabilities sit dormant in the same license they are already paying for. After years of working on the ArcGIS platform from the inside, I can […]

March 25, 2026

Esri Platform

ArcGIS Enterprise vs ArcGIS Online: Which Does Your Organization Need?

The Core Question: Control vs. Convenience Every GIS team eventually hits this fork in the road. Your Esri licensing renewal is coming up, your organization is scaling, and someone in leadership asks: should we be running ArcGIS Enterprise or ArcGIS Online? The honest answer is more nuanced than most Esri partners will tell you. Having […]

March 25, 2026