PetersonGIS

MAKE IT SPATIAL

Showing the way with superb digital and print mapping solutions

From Spatial Analysis to Web Maps, we've got you coveredAt PetersonGIS the goal is to ensure that your organization makes the most of its spatial assets by leveraging our broad mapping knowledge, which covers the latest technology, datasets, and analytical techniques. From spatial analysis to advice on acquiring the most up-to-date datasets to creating webmaps, we've got you covered. PetersonGIS is owned by world-renowned cartographer and published author Gretchen Peterson.

Analysis

PetersonGIS got its start in 2001, creating salmonid refugia maps for several counties in Washington State. This led to work with NOAA, creating Chinook critical habitat maps, and with the Hood Canal Coordinating Council, working on forest harvest loss quantification of LiDAR imagery and other salmon-related habitat analyses.
 
Many clients and many projects later, PetersonGIS continues to be passionate about natural resources spatial analysis.

Cartography

PetersonGIS has always been interested in map data visualization techniques and avant-garde design, especially as these techniques further our customer's understanding of their data and further their message to their own customers. We've made hundreds of maps and written a few textbooks on cartography that are used in university classrooms around the world.
 
Map design tools are in a constant state of flux and continual improvement by many organizations and vendors. We keep our eye on the latest developments in the spatial field to make sure your needs are met to the fullest. Tools we're loving: Fresco, Tegola, Maputnik, Mapbox GL JS, OpenLayers, QGIS, ArcMap, Inkscape, D3.js, SLD, Imposm3, and Git for collaborative cartography.

Digital Mapping

We create custom designed, interactive basemaps for the entire world at all zoom levels. We work with you on your hosting needs for these basemaps, whether they will be stand-alone or embedded within an existing site.

Community Involvement

We love to be a part of the spatial community! See the instructional live-demo on how to make this map in our FOSS4GNA presentation and the accompanying written tutorial presented and tested at Boulder Maptime.

Where We Hang Out

Blog

Tweets

LinkedIn

Our Videos

GitHub

News

We are:
working on the Landscape Assessment and Prioritization Tool Phase II for the Hood Canal Coordinating Council.
providing data layers for FieldScope via ArcGIS Server management for BSCS Science Learning.
We were recently:
styling maps for Snap.
keynoting the Manitoba GIS User Group conference on Oct. 21, 2021.
translating styles into vector tiles for the Wikimedia Foundation.
creating digital cartographic products for Zenly.
recording season 1 of the map podcast URHere with Vanessa Knoppke-Wetzel.
prepping and serving environmental data on AWS and ArcGIS Server for BSCS Science Learning.
designing a land acknowledgment webmap for BSCS Science Learning.
publishing the 3rd edition of GIS Cartography: A Guide to Effective Map Design!
speaking at QGIS North America 2020. See the talk, "QGIS 101: Examples Galore" here.
working on a team to create enterprise-level vector tile maps of the world with OpenStreetMap for Stamen Design.
designing tutorials for Planet Labs.
developing vector map styles for Microsoft.
discussing the Lewis and Clark map on GeoHipster.
profiled in the American Geographical Society I Am Geography section.
re-creating the Natural Earth Data Quickstart style with Tegola.
creating basemap styles for the Tegola vector tile server including nautical and humanitarian.
contributing to the Hood Canal pollution identification and correction program. See the maps and apps here.
producing high quality cartography of world-wide hillshade, aspect, and other raster data using SLD/Geoserver for our clients.
telling everyone about QGIS Map Design Second Edition, released in preview in September 2018 by LocatePress and co-authored by Anita Graser and Gretchen Peterson.
involved in the May 2018 foss4gna workshop titled Running your own Vector Tiles Stack.
helping OSGeo with cartography branding documents. 
guest teaching on cartography in digital map design at Front Range Community College.
judging the GeoHipster 2017 map calendar competition.
holding the first ever geo flash conference. See the recording of this highly successful mini conference that was announced and convened in the space of one hour!
celebrating our book City Maps: A Coloring Book for Adults, featured in The Atlantic's CityLab and The Guardian.
giving one of the most-viewed talks at the FOSS4GNA conference in May 2016.
giving a workshop and talk at the Manitoba Planning Conference in May 2016 and providing training to the Manitoba Community & Regional Planning department.
profiled in an Atlantic's CityLab article about the "extraordinary women making maps today."
giving an all-day cartography workshop in Sacramento on April 20, 2016 for Norcal URISA.
updating our entire resources list for aspiring cartographers in August 2018. This list has been periodically updated since 2009 and we're proud of it!
keynoting the Manitoba GIS User Group Fall Conference on October 7, 2015. Check out the slides.