I was recently surprised to discover I have about 20 years of geospatial software leadership experience. I'm not sure where all that time went, but I've learned a few lessons along the way. I think it's time to share a few tales from the font lines. I have a reasonably consistent track record of delivering professional grade solutions in use by thousands. As we all know, that sometimes depends on technology that cooperates 100% of the time and not 99%. Seasoned GIS professionals know what I'm talking about there. I'm a recovering Civil Engineer, originally doing a little storm drain drafting and design before moving almost immediately into the GIS world. Today I'm a software developer, consultant and trainer specializing in GIS and other spatially-enabling technology running on the web, desktop and mobile platforms. I have a BS degree in Civil Engineering from Cal State L.A. I've operated as an independent GIS software developer, consultant, and trainer since 2002, founding Eckersall, LLC in 2006. Our primary product is XY MAPS, a web-based suite of GIS tools for City government users and their constituents. Today about a dozen cities across Southern California use it, and we have a number of other clients for whom we do custom work. These include LAUSD, ArborPro, Inc, Quality Data, and Cyrun. While serving as Product Manager and lead software developer for Digital Map Products, I designed and built CityGIS.com, a suite of GIS productivity tools for a mass-deployed user base. Previously at Psomas, I developed a variety of GIS applications including an award winning ArcView-based Automated Pollutant Loading Model for Los Angeles County Public Works. For seven years I worked for Los Angeles County Department of Public Works in the IT and Design Divisions, having built solutions for street lighting management, catch basin inventories, emergency management, road maintenance, and more. In my "free time", for the past 17 years I've been volunteering as an Engineering Futures facilitator for Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society. We facilitate interactive soft skills sessions for engineering students. For kicks, I get on a bicycle sometimes. I've ridden from SF to LA in AIDS Lifecycle, a 545-mile bike ride for AIDS charities. I've done this little trip 5 times and going for a 6th one in 2015. Volunteering as facility manager (fix it guy, security guy) for Loving Savior of the Hills in Chino Hills contributes a bit more to keeping me out of trouble. Regular trips to Havasu and Powell happen every summer.
