The Environmental GIS Program provides technical support to project planning and delivery by stewarding over 700 GIS data layers crossing a wide range of environmental topics, by building tools and resources to help staff use that data, and by directly generating customized information products (maps) from that data.
Environmental GIS data layers are researched acquired, re-formatted, and maintained by our Environmental Database Administrator in cooperation with the agency Spatial Database Administrator. Most of these data layers come from the appropriate natural resource, environmental or mapping management agency within federal or state government, and thus vary widely in scale and accuracy. Metadata documentation is always provided to assist users with appropriate data use. The data that WSDOT generates itself is documented and available for download from the GeoData Catalog on the WSDOT’s GIS website (WSDOT staff should use the internal Spatial Data Location List to access all available GIS data layers).
In addition, the Environmental GIS Program is responsible for projects to improve environmental data management within WSDOT. These projects range from updates to existing agency databases such as Project Summary, to interagency cooperative projects to provide project engineers with better access to resource agency environmental data. Current major Projects include:
- Database design to support an Environmental Management System
- Environmental permit compliance tracking database
- Environmental cost assessment tools for project development
- GIS methods supporting watershed characterization for mitigation planning
The Environmental GIS Workbench is a tool for agency staff to access these environmental GIS Data Layers. It is an extension to ArcView 3.x (like a plug-in to your web browser), which provides menus to help navigate through the environmental topics, and functional tools to help analyze environmental context of transportation projects. Training is provided to WSDOT staff upon request. Contact the Environmental GIS Workbench Support person for more information on this application, if you don't find what you need on this website.
Finally, custom GIS and database products can be requested. These include maps, tabular information, web pages, analytic spatial assessments, or new data development / automation / acquisition. Requests for custom products can be submitted to the Environmental GIS Program Manager.
Related Information
Agency GIS and Information Technology Context
WSDOT manages GIS through an Agency GIS Manager connected to the central information technology office. The agency GIS Manager coordinates several groups with specific, applied GIS expertise, distributed throughout the agency. The Environmental GIS Program at Environmental Services is one of those centers of applied expertise, with expertise in environmental and natural resource GIS data and applications. Other expertise areas include transportation GIS and spatial data administration. The Environmental GIS Program works closely with these other expert groups through the agency GIS Support Team and by following the agency information technology systems development and management processes.
WSDOT GeoData Catalog allows the public to view GIS metadata, example maps and download agency GIS data.