After a 23-year long mapping “marriage” with the City of Aspen, Pitkin County has amicably created its own Geographic Information System (GIS) department with two full-time mapping specialists.
“Pitkin County was using the services of the joint GIS department 70% of the time so we decided it made sense for the county to have a GIS department of its own,” said Chief Technology Officer, John Loyd. “We use GIS services for everything from configuring jurisdictional boundaries to determining the steepness of a slope. GIS mapping services are also important in determining boundaries of our special districts like fire, school, library and ambulance districts. We use them in land use planning all the time,” Loyd said.
Pitkin County and the City of Aspen have operated a joint GIS department since the early 1990s and the department was one of the “early adopters” of digital mapping services in the state. The GIS department has developed and maintained the area’s spatial database and has provided mapping, analysis and data export services to citizens, businesses and visitors.
Longtime employees of the joint GIS Department, Mary Lackner and Tyler Lambuth have joined Pitkin County. Lackner, who directed the joint department, has a Master’s degree in Urban Planning and worked in the County Planning Department for 8 years before joining the joint GIS department 18 years ago. Lambuth has a geography degree and worked in GIS in Summit County for 2 years before joining the joint GIS department 11 years ago.
“Over the past 20 years we have developed nearly 200 spatial data layers, including roads, trails, public and private land boundaries, planning and zoning areas, administrative districts, parks and open space and aerial photography,” Lackner said. “All of our maps, photographs, and 3D products, among other services are available to the public and accessible online.”
For more information, contact Pitkin County:
Pitkin County
Courthouse Plaza
530 E. Main St. 3rd Floor
Aspen, CO 81611
Phone: (970) 920-5200
TDD/TTY (970) 429-2700
Fax: (970) 920-5198
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