Earlier this month it was announced that Lis DeGironimo was appointed New York State’s Geographic Information Officer (GIO). Quite a accomplishment having started her geospatial journey over three decades ago with a copy of MapInfo. I initiated a conversation with Lis at the end of 2023 which is summarized in the following questions and answers. The NYS geospatial community is fortunate to have her in this new statewide leadership role.
eSpatiallyNewYork: How did you get started in geospatial technologies?
DeGironimo: My undergrad is in Landscape Architecture from SUNY ESF, so I was very familiar with McHargian overlay analysis for site suitability. I also always loved computers. Soon after I started working in the site planning group of a large A&E firm, I was handed a box of MapInfo software to use for space planning for a military base master plan. I loved it! It was my introduction to GIS. From then on, I started taking courses and eventually went to grad school – also at SUNY ESF – to pursue a career is GIS.
eSpatiallyNewYork: You were with the Mohawk Valley Water Authority for over 20 years. What were some of your responsibilities there?
DeGironimo: At the Mohawk Valley Water Authority (MVWA), I was the GIS and Watershed Coordinator. Besides being responsible for the GIS/GPS program, I also was responsible for emergency management and water withdrawal reporting.
eSpatiallyNewYork: How did the connection to the NYS GIS Program Office begin?
DeGironimo: At the 2006 NYS GIS Conference in Lake Placid, I was approached by Tom Hart & Dennis Wishman. They asked if I’d be interested in serving on the NYS GIS Coordinating Body (the precursor to the GAC (Geospatial Advisory Council). For the next eight years, I attended the quarterly meetings and participated in GIS strategic planning workshops. The GAC was definitely my favorite professional committee role. During my GAC tenure, I participated in state-wide GIS strategic planning, and I was blessed with the opportunity to meet some of the legends of the NYS GIS community, such as you!
eSpatiallyNewYork: What was the biggest challenge stepping into both the Acting GIO and Director of the GIS Program Office position, and for the most part, managing and directing the program on your own for almost a year and a half?
DeGironimo: The biggest challenge was learning the scope of the GPO’s involvement. I’ve been here for 18 months and I’m still learning all the systems in place at NYS. Building a network within NYS ITS – an organization of over 3,400 people, is a challenge but I’m excited for the opportunity. Our team expanded about six months after my arrival to include the ITS GIS team that was organizationally located in Shared Data Services. That part of our GIS team supports many state agencies such as DOT, DEC, Parks, Ag & Markets, and many others. So in many ways, we are a new organization with an expanded focus. I’ve spent most of my time focusing on our organization and operations.
With my recent promotion to GIO, the Deputy GIO (formerly GIS Program Office Director) position opened and we were able to promote Tim Ruhren into the Deputy GIO position. With Tim’s promotion and his assistance, I look forward to having the time to work more outwardly with our stakeholder community.
eSpatiallyNewYork: The GIS Program Office was recast as Geospatial Services in 2023. What was/is behind this change and name?
DeGironimo: As I mentioned in my response above, in 2023, the GIS Program Office grew to include all the GIS teams within NYS ITS. In June 2023, our team moved from a Section in the CTO (Chief Technology Office) to a Bureau with three Sections in the CDO (Chief Data Office). Our GIS leadership team collaborated on developing a new name and identity. Our three Sections are: Geospatial Enterprise Services, Geospatial Client Services, and Geospatial Data Services – which houses the framework data programs that comprised the GIS Program Office.
eSpatiallyNewYork: Do you see any changes in the focus of the program over the next several years? Any movement to become more involved in building additional online applications? (vs publishing data/content)
DeGironimo: We are working on completing a three-year Geospatial Strategic Plan. Our mission is to deliver geospatial information and capabilities to benefit all of New York – a broad and exciting mission to be sure! One of the areas we will be bolstering is our governance (organizational, data, web). We also directly serve many NYS agencies and are working on improving our intake procedures for state agencies requesting services. I also expect we will publish additional datasets of statewide importance and develop additional public-facing applications. One of our recent additions is to add a bookmark to our Basic Viewer App. This bookmark loads a curated set of layers for the surveyor community.
eSpatiallyNewYork: Any other new major initiatives planned for your office over the next 18-30 months?
DeGironimo: We are embarking on a major GIS enterprise architecture modernization project beginning in April. We are looking to improve physical address geocoding and are exploring address validation. We also will be modernizing CIRIS (Critical Infrastructure Response Information System) and the Discovery Data NY app. Internally, we are developing a geospatial service catalog for NYS agencies.
eSpatiallyNewYork: Several years ago there was considerable outreach and promotion by the State GIS program office on NextGen911. What’s become of this effort?
DeGironimo: Our team is very active in supporting the NYS entities shepherding NextGen 911 implementation. Jason Baum, from our team, is co-chair of the GIS Working Group of the State Interoperable & Emergency Communication Board. Jason also leads our Public Safety GIS Program which serves NYS agencies. Since GIS is central to NextGen 911, our office will be involved with the implementation.
eSpatiallyNewYork: In your new position, what role do you see the Geospatial Advisory Committee (GAC) contributing towards impacting the direction of the services and products offered by your office?
DeGironimo: GAC was very involved with our recent Geospatial Strategy workshops and the development of the draft plan. The GAC will continue to be the voice of our stakeholders. We are considering adding representatives from the surveying and open-source communities. We are only scratching the surface of what we can do with the new NYS GIS Clearinghouse. We will be engaging the GAC to help steer the direction of the Clearinghouse.
eSpatiallyNewYork: You’re involved with the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) – you having designed the new Institute logo adopted earlier in 2023 – as a board member and involved in their outreach programs. What’s your sense of the future of the GISP in New York State compared to other certifications and licenses?
DeGironimo: I think the GISP credential will continue to gain popularity and recognition. The December 2023 exam had the largest group to sit for the exam. Our current GISCI Board Chair is another New Yorker, Dr. Jochen Albrecht. Jochen is spearheading exploring the development of a “Pre-GISP” credential for new college graduates. I am a proponent of both of these credentials because of the rigor of the exam ensures a strong GIS knowledge base and commitment to the profession.
eSpatiallyNewYork: Before your career path drifted into the direction of GIS/geospatial, what were your other professional interests? Ever think of another profession or job that might have been fulfilling as a career?
DeGironimo: My first love (and college major) was architecture. I also considered majoring in biomedical engineering. I do a fair amount of architectural design (2D & 3D), construction, and carpentry. I love designing and building things, so I’m sure I’d find that fulfilling. I wish robotics were more of a thing when I was younger – though I may be a UAV pilot for my retirement gig.
eSpatiallyNewYork: Sorry, but others want to know – how’s your golf game?
DeGironimo: Not as good as I’d like it to be, but I hope to remedy that in 2024 as time and weather allow!