Recently, I undertook a Spring semester course where I was familiarized with “applications of . . .building, utilizing and sharing reliable asset information and integrating enterprise data [that] will be emphasized, in order to help stakeholders make informed decisions and capitalize on efficiencies of using GIS to support various kinds of facilities and infrastructure.” This course provided me the opportunity to learn how to use GIS applications “to do project work in support of facility operations, strategic planning, real estate management, architecture design and construction, sustainability, utilities, buildings and interior space management, drones mapping, among others.”

Midterm Project: “Create a spatial overlay showing the relationship to the JHU campus, with a legend to highlight your findings, using colors on the map. Write a 3 to 5 page report with tabular data, describing your analysis and results. The report should be double spaced with cover page and references.”

My assignment and data was “All K-12 Schools, both public and private. Suggest other locations for K-12 schools near the JHU Homewood campus.”

Final Project: “Develop a GIS vision for a local government, company or higher education institution, that doesn’t currently have one, anywhere in the State of Maryland.  Research the required components to put it into place and create a proposed starting budget, governance document and assigned staff.   Create a spatial overlay to perform initial analysis of the chosen location.”

Princess Anne, Maryland was chosen because it represents a small municipality without an existing enterprise GIS, offering a clean slate for developing a strategic vision and governance framework. Its manageable size, limited digital infrastructure, and proximity to environmentally sensitive areas make it a realistic and relevant case for demonstrating the value of GIS. Additionally, the town’s location within Maryland allows for easy access to state-level geospatial data and planning resources. This made it an ideal candidate for a focused, educational planning exercise.

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