Let me take you back to the Before Times—specifically December 2019. I was at a Cityworks user conference, not expecting much beyond some coffee, vendor booths, and maybe a few maps. But then it hit me: We could be doing way more with GIS. Like, actually use it to improve operations—not just stare at dashboards. That moment changed everything. I
Tag: GIS
So, you’ve decided to dive into GIS. Welcome to the realm of spatial joins, polygons that don’t behave, and shapefiles that somehow still exist in 2025. It’s exciting, overwhelming, and occasionally soul-crushing. But don’t worry—there’s a beacon in the geospatial fog, and his name is Matt Forrest. This guy? He’s the real deal. GIS pro, Field CTO at CARTO, and
Alright, buckle up. We’re about to talk about the one programming language that network engineers swear by, cybersecurity folks can’t live without, and GIS admins eventually come crawling to when they realize ArcMap isn’t going to automate itself. Yes, we’re talking about Python—the duct tape of the digital world, but way more elegant and less sticky. “But Why Python Tho?”
(Yes, this 2023 YouTube video is still smarter than half your LinkedIn feed in 2025) By now you’ve probably seen every GIS tutorial this side of TikTok. Explainers in Comic Sans, videos with clickbait titles like “10 Secrets ArcGIS Pros Don’t Want You to Know.” Nonsense. Empty calories. Data visualized, yes. Brain cells? Not so much. Then there’s this gem
Sysadmin. Network guy. GIS nerd. Database whisperer. Zoom host. Coffee runner. You ever look at a problem and think, “Whose job is this?”And then realize — oh right — it’s yours. Welcome to the chaotic, caffeine-fueled world of being a solo IT department. I don’t just wear many hats. I’m running a whole hat store. My official job title? Unclear.
I left the Philippines in 2013. Since then, I’ve lived in the U.S., discovered the joy of functioning public libraries, and gotten spoiled by tap water you can actually drink. But even after more than a decade away, my screen still lights up with poverty maps of the Philippines—every shade of red feels personal. It’s as if the map knows
So here’s the deal. I’m currently working in IT. Solo. For a water district. I manage the entire infrastructure while answering questions like “Why is Outlook slow?” and “Is this phishing?” (Yes, it always is.) And in between moving servers and mentally moving to a beach somewhere, I started thinking: What’s next? I already have degrees. I’ve done the certs.
Here’s the truth: if your water or wastewater utility is still clinging to on-prem like it’s 2009, it’s time for a glow-up. We’re not talking SaaS (not yet). We’re talking Cityworks + Azure IaaS. That’s Infrastructure-as-a-Service, aka: someone else’s server that’s better, faster, and doesn’t smell like mildew. Cityworks: Our Trusty Digital Clipboard Cityworks is our workhorse. It tracks the