The next time you are trying to fold a new Georgia highway map or check information about your property assessment online, think of Eric McRae.
Creating standards for the state map and helping local governments digitize records for easier access by citizens are just two of the ways that McRae and his staff help public sector organizations use technology to improve their operations.
McRae directs the Information Technology Outreach Services Division at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Professionals with extensive experience in such areas as cartography, hydrology, soils and transportation/ addressing are supported by Geographic Information Systems technicians, student employees and interns. Clients include local, regional, state, national and international entities.
“Government organizations of all sizes are being required to operate more efficiently and at the same time provide more services,” McRae said. “Our job is to help them realize the benefits of GIS technology that best meet their needs and then smoothly integrate that technology into their work.”
McRae enjoys both the challenges and the diversity of working on a daily basis with clients-facilities, emergency management, roads, voting districts and natural resources to name just a few-who represent a wide variety of information technology needs and deadlines.
“What our staff brings to the table is a commitment to gaining a real understanding of how their organization functions, creating a solution and partnering with them to implement the technology,” McRae said. “You could say that we are in the capacity-building business.”
The assistance provided frequently relates to the development of Web-based GIS applications for the collection and dissemination of information. For example, the local government team has been working steadily with counties to incorporate GIS technology into their operations and manage it well.
Each project usually begins with some form of digital aerial photography, upon which a road centerline layer and parcel layer (property boundaries) are created and overlaid. These layers form the foundation for other GIS layers like zoning, public safety districts and voting districts.
A native Athenian, McRae did not always plan a career in information technology. In 1996, he got a job as a student worker in what was then the Vinson Institute’s Data Services Unit while he was taking night classes in geography at UGA.
“My supervisor told me that it was a part-time job and not to expect the work to last very long,” McRae said. “I took that as a challenge to prove that I could be a contributing member to the organization.”
He has worked in the unit ever since, eventually serving as production manager and interim director before being named associate director in 2007.
“I have been fortunate to work in a field that has seen tremendous innovations and to be surrounded by talented people who are committed to understanding and utilizing information technology to improve the quality of life for the people of our state and elsewhere,” he said.
FACTS
Eric McRae Associate Director Information Technology Outreach Services Carl Vinson Institute of Government
B.S., Geography, UGA, 1998
Years at UGA: 12