Rutherford County GIS Department Receives Statewide Recognition
Rutherford County – TN (04/25/2025) Rutherford County Geographic Information System (GIS) services earned the Outstanding GIS Community award from the Tennessee Geographic Information Council.
TNGIC presented the award during their annual conference at the Embassy Suites in Murfreesboro.
This is the first year for the award and highlights outstanding organizational GIS community service in Tennessee. The award will be chosen by the president each year with the intent of honoring those communities that put service above all else and lead by example.
TNGIC Past President Christopher Pape said the Outstanding GIS Community Award shows how the Tennessee GIS communities can be and are leaders in the GIS profession.
“It’s an award that is given to shine a spotlight on a community that works for the betterment of not just the GIS profession, but also to help other communities in Tennessee and beyond,” Pape said. “An Outstanding GIS Community can be a state-level organization, a city or county government division or an educational department.“
Mayor Joe Carr commended the county’s GIS team.
“Rutherford County is proud of the work our GIS team performs,” Carr said. “Their efforts are an integral part of the success of the county whether providing mapping support for departments or drone footage during major construction projects. They have always been willing to help communities in Tennessee during severe weather incidents and have truly been an example of a good neighbor.”
Rutherford County Office of Information Technology Director Cody York is thankful to have the GIS team in his unit.
“I am incredibly proud of our GIS team,” York said. “It’s an honor to work with such dedicated professionals who are deeply committed to serving our community.”
GIS Manager Mike Curtis said he appreciated the other organizations that contributed to his team’s success.
“Rutherford County GIS is very humbled to receive this award,” Curtis said. “Our team worked hard to get Washington and Unicoi counties what they needed in the flooding from Hurricane Helene. We are grateful for the UAV teams from StormPoint, Amazon, and East Tennessee State University for capturing the imagery we used to do the work. Without them, none of this would have been possible.
“The GIS Community in Tennessee is full of people who just want to help with anything that is spatial in nature,” Curtis said. “Reach out to your local GIS folks for anything that can be pinpointed on the Earth’s surface. They can help.”
GIS services is a division of the Office of Information Technology. Their primary tasks include countywide data acquisition, collection, maintenance and coordinating efforts between county departments, other municipalities and agencies.
TNGIC was established in 1994 to improve the connection between the various agencies working with GIS in Tennessee.