Alan Leidner presents GIS In NYC: Past, Present and Future. Alan Leidner orients us to Geospatial Informational Systems (GIS) and discusses how enterprise GIS grew and developed in NYC, its special (or spatial) powers, and how it has protected and saved lives by helping us respond to emergencies. He covers the responses to Compstat, West Nile, 9/11, and Super Storm Sandy. Alan also discusses the challenges to mapping infrastructure and how GIS can support smart cities initiatives.

Alan Leidner is a GIS Consultant with a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. He has worked for thirty-five years as a planner and manager with New York City government. Starting in the late 1980’s he served as IT Director of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) where he initiated the City’s Enterprise GIS Program and oversaw the development of the City’s digital basemap. Mr. Leidner subsequently served as Assistant Commissioner in the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DOITT), in charge of the City’s GIS Utility. During this time he organized and managed the Emergency Mapping and Data Center (EMDC) which provided information and mapping services to 9/11 responders. Following his retirement from City government in 2004, Mr. Leidner worked as the Northeast Regional Information Exchange Broker for the HIFLD to the Regions program for Booz Allen Hamilton. During this time he helped coordinate the GIS response to Super Storm Sandy. Between 2012 and 2014 Alan served as President of the NYS GIS Association. He currently is President of NYC GISMO and is a Founder/Director of New York Geospatial Catalysts (NYGEOCATS). Mr. Leidner was a recipient of the 2001 Sloan Public Service Award, the 2002 ESRI Presidential Award, and was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, in January, 2004. Among other writings Alan’s “Geo-Info CONOPS” article was published by GeoWorld Magazine in October, 2007.

About Databites
Data & Society’s “Databites” speaker series presents timely conversations about the purpose and power of technology, bridging our interdisciplinary research with broader public conversations about the societal implications of data and automation.