News
Meet Grant Herbert, Senior GIS Analyst/Developer
Where are you from and where do you live now? I’m originally from New Zealand, and now I live in Seattle, Washington. What do you do at FLO? I manage a number of Local Government and Utilities Sector projects, including those we work on through the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) GIS Consortium, which we run…
Leora WernerOSBA Annual Conference Presentation Announcement: Boundary Update Best Practices
Attendance area boundary updates are just like a “giant sudoku puzzle” as one Bend-La Pine Schools boundary update committee member recently put it. I couldn’t agree more. Boundary updates are also complex, lengthy, and can be quite contentious—yet there are few well-known best practices. My presentation at the OSBA Annual Conference (along with Jerry Oelerich and Alex Brasch) on Friday, Nov. 9 will explore…
Tyler VickGIS Basics for Infrastructure Managers: FLO Presentation at IACC Conference October 25
At the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) Conference, senior GIS analysts Grant Herbert and Ruth McColly will be presenting on the nuts and bolts of GIS technology, its ability to manage assets, and considerations for implementing and further developing GIS in your organization. See below for more information about the presentation and what you can…
Leora WernerGIS Consortium Membership Proves Valuable for City of College Place
The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and FLO partner to run the GIS Consortium, an AWC program that helps Washington cities and non-city entities (conservation districts, utility districts, and more) implement or improve the use of GIS. Read the interview below to learn how GIS Consortium membership is helping City of College Place to increase…
Grant Herbert, GISPWhere are you from and where do you live now? I’m originally from New Zealand, and now I live in Seattle, Washington. What do you do at FLO? I manage a number of Local Government and Utilities Sector projects, including those we...
Leora WernerCongratulations to Rachel Roberts, who was recently promoted to GIS Technician 2! Clients and FLO team members alike recognize Rachel’s commitment to excellence in her work, keen analytical perspective, and an ability to calmly juggle a host...
Jennifer AxelrodAttendance area boundary updates are just like a "giant sudoku puzzle" as one Bend-La Pine Schools boundary update committee member recently put it. I couldn't agree more. Boundary updates are also complex, lengthy, and can be quite...
Tyler VickAt the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council (IACC) Conference, senior GIS analysts Grant Herbert and Ruth McColly will be presenting on the nuts and bolts of GIS technology, its ability to manage assets, and considerations for...
Leora WernerThe Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and FLO partner to run the GIS Consortium, an AWC program that helps Washington cities and non-city entities (conservation districts, utility districts, and more) implement or improve the use of GIS....
Grant Herbert, GISPExtreme summer heat, mega forest fires, super storms and flooding—global climate change is already having a significant impact on communities and the environment across the United States, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. How...
Jennifer AxelrodIn 2016, FLO joined a multidisciplinary team tasked with evaluating Pierce County’s existing land use policy for designating agricultural resource lands (ARL)—lands that “have long-term significance for the commercial production of food...
Jennifer AxelrodCongratulations to North Clackamas School District on the new boundaries! It’s another boundary review success! After many months of hard work on the part of District staff and community members, the North Clackamas School Board approved new...
Jennifer AxelrodThe Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and FLO partner to run the GIS Consortium, an AWC program that helps Washington cities and non-city entities (conservation districts, utility districts, and more) implement or improve GIS for their...
Ruth McColly, GISPWe are excited to welcome a new senior GIS analyst to our growing team! Ruth McColly comes to us with 12 years of professional GIS experience, both as a consultant and as an in-house GIS expert. Ruth’s extensive capabilities include...
Leora WernerThe 26th Annual GIS In Action Conference, hosted by the Columbia River Region of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) and the Oregon-Southwest Washington Chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems...
Leora WernerAt FLO, we specialize in enrollment projections for school districts. Why? Because they’re the building blocks of effective school district planning. Only with detailed and accurate projections are districts able to site schools in the best...
Tyler VickGeographic Information Systems (GIS) provide local government with tools to improve the lives of citizens through increasing internal efficiency, boosting citizen engagement, and improving the delivery of services. But when it comes to...
Grant Herbert, GISPAt some point during the year, most school districts will fall into one of these three areas: Thinking about planning a bond or levy measure Attempting to pass a bond or levy Trying make the most of the bond or levy they just...
Tyler VickBefore we step into a new year, we’re taking a look back at some of our most popular news stories from 2017. Click on the links below to explore how we're helping school districts, government, utilities, non-profits, businesses, and more...
Leora WernerOrganizational sustainability. Important? We think so. Cities risk losing critical information when staff retire unless they focus on creating more sustainable data sharing systems within their organizations. One of the most common issues...
Leora WernerFLO and the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) partner to run the GIS Consortium, an AWC program that helps Washington cities and non-city entities (conservation districts, utility districts, and more) implement or improve GIS for their...
Leora WernerAre you using the best possible data and analytics for school district planning? Here are three essential tools you can use to make more confident, data-driven planning decisions. 1. Accurate student enrollment forecasting, by...
Tyler VickWelcome to the third and final part of our series on updating school attendance boundaries. As we covered in posts one and two, a successful boundary update is both data-driven and consensus-based. In other words, it’s made up of accurate...
Alex BraschWelcome to part two of our three-part series on school attendance area boundary reviews, where we’re taking a look at how school districts can successfully update boundaries with a consensus-based and data-driven approach. If you haven’t...
Tyler VickSchool may be out for the summer, but for district leaders, the work continues. Many superintendents, assistant superintendents, and business managers will spend the summer break planning for future enrollment growth, or developing strategies...
Jennifer AxelrodGeographic Information Systems (GIS) is an integral tool for cities to operate more effectively and efficiently. GIS enables smarter planning and implementation across all city departments. It can be used to engage and empower citizens,...
Leora WernerThe FLO team is attending the Washington Association of School Business Officials' Annual Conference this week, where we've been hearing from school districts across the state about their need for more in-depth and easy-to-access student...
Jennifer AxelrodThe race is on to manage growth for many school districts, as the populations of cities and towns across the Northwest continue to rise. In just the past 30 days, more than 10 school districts in Oregon and Washington have been featured in...
Jennifer AxelrodWith so many different environmental issues in the news, Earth Day is an important reminder of the work we have yet to do. But it’s also a day to celebrate how far we’ve come. Since the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, we have...
Jennifer AxelrodGIS is an integral tool for cities. It enables efficient and effective planning and implementation across all city departments. GIS tools can engage and empower citizens, improving the relationship between local government and the...
Grant Herbert, GISPAre you a GIS professional? Join us at the 25th Annual GIS In Action Conference on April 17 and 18, where Grant Herbert, FLO’s Senior GIS Analyst/Developer, will present during the Python learning session. Grant's talk will introduce...
Leora WernerCongratulations to Washougal School District! The School Board unanimously voted to approve new elementary and middle school boundaries, after a six-week boundary review process lead by the FLO team. We worked closely with district...
Alex BraschThe FLO team is proud to be again sponsoring Northwest Land Camp, a conference for NW land trust leaders, for the third time. We can't wait to head to the Sponsor Reception on the first day of the conference to catch up with previous land...
Jennifer AxelrodLast week the FLO team attended the Oregon School Boards Association Conference in Portland and this week we'll be heading to the Washington State School Directors' Association Conference in Spokane. We're using these opportunities to talk...
Tyler VickWe are excited to once again be attending the National Land Conservation Rally - held in Minneapolis, MN October 28-30th. This year, we’ve been working on some great projects with land trusts throughout the pacific...
Jennifer AxelrodWe’re happy to announce that FLO has been chosen to work with the Washington Department of Veterans affairs in choosing a location for a new veteran’s cemetery. Our team will conduct informed demographic, feasibility, and siting analyses...
Tyler VickIt's been a big year for us and as our client sectors and services expand, so does our team! We've welcomed five new employees this year, each with different backgrounds and talents, to help us continue to meet customer needs and solve...
Jerry OelerichWe recently wrapped up the boundary review process for Central Valley School District and are happy to announce the approval of 13 new elementary school boundaries. This approval is the result of eight weeks of facilitated committee meetings,...
Jennifer AxelrodWe're happy to announce our ongoing work with Whatcom County Public Works Department. After conducting a peer review of the current process used to generate the Whatcom County Stormwater Fee Roll, our team has been selected to optimize the...
Grant Herbert, GISPFLO has teamed up with the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) to provide cities in Washington with easy and affordable access to GIS services. The AWC GIS Consortium offers four tiers of annual service, ensuring that we can meet the needs...
Tyler VickThis week, we'll be exhibiting and presenting at the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Conference at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, WA. Stop by booth 35 and chat with us about using GIS to build smarter...
Tyler VickToday we're exhibiting at the Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) Conference in Tacoma. Stop by booth 25 in the main exhibit hall and talk to us about our geographic approach to student enrollment forecasting and...
Leora WernerFor the past two months, our team has been engaged with Central Valley School District administration, parents, and community members to conduct a comprehensive boundary review of elementary and a subset of middle school attendance areas. To...
Jennifer AxelrodWe've been assisting school districts by preparing student enrollment forecasts in an effort to help them successfully plan for the future. Our unique approach goes beyond traditional enrollment forecasting by providing insight into the...
Leora WernerAs part of a multi-disciplinary team, we are setting out to evaluate Pierce County’s existing land use policy for designating agricultural resource lands (ARL). This evaluation process will also include our recommendations for alternative...
Jennifer AxelrodWe are happy to announce that our team has been chosen to complete a boundary review of solid waste and recycling collection certificate areas in Washington County, OR. History: Solid waste and recycling collection are regulated by code...
Grant Herbert, GISPWe are excited to be supporting Tacoma Public School's boundary review process by providing community engagement maps and a custom web mapping application to support on-the-fly scenario modeling during boundary review committee...
Leora WernerThe Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) annual conference is right around the corner. The annual event is the largest gathering of education policymakers in the state of Washington and a place where school directors and...
Tyler VickThe land conservation community gathered in Sacramento, CA on October 8th-10th to share their success stories, learn new skills, and strengthen relationships. FLO was there to share the interactive web maps we’ve developed to help our...
Jennifer AxelrodFLO has undergone quite the expansion recently, and we’ve brought on some great new talent to match the increasing demand for FLO’s services. With these hires, we’re stepping up our capacity in GIS development, analysis, and...
Tyler VickThe demographics of a school district drive facility needs. Its student population, composition, and distribution are tied to the larger geography in which the District is located. As these factors shift, a District must respond to both...
Tyler VickWe’re excited to be featured in a recent article by the Oregon Daily Journal of Commerce. The article touches on some of our latest work with school districts, utilities, and area businesses. Check it out...
Tyler VickIt’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so imagine the type of information that your organization can convey with interactive web maps that allow you to collaborate with partners and share your success stories! New tools...
Jennifer AxelrodIn January 2014, Mercy Corps, a nonprofit international development organization, contracted with us to conduct a GIS needs assessment and deploy preliminary GIS operations for a USD $60 million DFID-funded water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH)...
Grant Herbert, GISP