GIS: A Large Role At A Small Utility

By Scott Ramsay, Operations Manager, West Jackson County Utility District

I did not have any experience with geographic information system (GIS) technology when I was introduced to Esri in 2016. I started my working career on my father's shrimp boat in the late 1970s, when work was scarce. I followed my father's path as a union pipe welder. Quickly I realized that my interests lay elsewhere. My family was a mix of fishermen, construction workers, and other skilled professionals, so I followed suit and delved into a little bit of it all. I found I really enjoyed working in the construction field and chose masonry. I dabbled in electronics a bit as a hobby, kept up with my fabrication work, enjoyed guiding charter fishing captians to fish locations as well as some recreational fishing.

I seem to pick things up quickly, being able to troubleshoot and integrate solutions for most of the problems that come my way. Some integrations resulted in the betterment of the solution, and some became learning experiences that left me thinking, "Let's not try that again."