Where to Begin...

If you are into SQL server, I highly recommend having a gander at Brent Ozar's DBA training. While most of this is out of my purview, some of the philosophies seem pretty relevant to GIS, expecially if you are maintaining your own system.

As I get entrenched into maintaining YVR's own internal GIS system, which is in it's infancy, this graphic pretty much dictates how I'm going to manage this system.



In between making maps and updating our data, I really have to start from the bottom up (data, users, backups) before diving into anything new like application revamps or Javascript training to figure out those new fangled ESRI API's.

So to my fellow GIS'ers, if you've ever managed your own enterprise system, where do you start? Any tips or tricks I should try? Things you wished you had known back in the day?

Cheers!

(Updated for grammatical reasons...)

New Job, New Challenges

A few months ago, the local airport posted a position for a GIS Specialist. Given my family circumstances, it was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Career-wise, it's not much of change from my job at the City of Surrey, but definitely a lot broader responsibilities. Which is good, and expansive, as a result of coming to a smaller organization. I'll be doing a lot more GIS system design and maintenance, which, when you are part of a bigger team, and defined by your job description, you may not necessarily get to do very often.  

In the meantime, there's been a lot of tours, security clearances & HR paperwork, and proposal writing. And every now and then, behind-the-scenes looks at the airport inbetween the odd map request!