Town of Queen Creek Geographic Information Systems Coordinator Shawny Ekadis knows where 90 percent of the streets in Queen Creek are. After 15 years with the town she says its second nature. “I look at them on a daily basis while addressing for the town and verifying locations from calls our office receives,” Ekadis said. But thoroughly knowing the town layout is just a fraction of the expertise Ekadis brings to her job with the town.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are designed to incorporate hardware, software and data in order to capture, manage, analyze and display data and trends in the form of maps, reports and charts. The information is used by the town in a wide variety of functions, including utilities, public safety, trash and recycling services as well as planning, zoning and other development resources.

Starting out as an intern with the town while working towards a bachelor’s in planning from Arizona State University, Ekadis worked on everything from an exotic animal ordinance to creating one of Queen Creek’s first zoning maps. Back then, she remembers the town as a much more rural community.

“It’s interesting looking back, there were not very many people and they had different concerns about the community’s growth then they do today,” Ekadis said. “Working in a small community you are able to do a number of different things and with the town’s growth you get a lot of opportunities to learn and work on projects you might not get to in a big city.”

Ekadis received her master’s degree in GIS from ASU in 2005 and began her current position as GIS coordinator in which she currently heads up addressing for the town, creates map products, conducts analysis of data and information for various departments and works with staff who collect GPS data for internal systems. She assisted in the creation of the town’s first Fire Department five years ago, and is now working closely with the department as they work to develop Queen Creek’s fire district.

“Shawny’s accurate mapping is absolutely vital to the town’s public safety efforts,” Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney said. “Her work with the Fire Department is critical and gives the department the resources they need to accurately and quickly respond to emergencies. We look forward to seeing the outcome of the projects she is currently working on and know that they will be invaluable both internally for staff and for the public.”

Ekadis is currently working on developing a series of interactive maps for the town’s new website, which will debut later this spring, that highlight school districts, Shop Queen Creek member information and an application for parks and recreation facilities, making it easier for the public to find and make reservations. She is also working on a website feature that will be used internally to easily locate town-owned property and existing records for each one.

“Hopefully I’ve done a good job in taking information and painting a picture that gives people a better understanding of that information,” Ekadis said. “That artistic element and the opportunity to work with different people on different projects is what I love about my job.”