Ryan Hall Wins the 2024 GIS WebTech Award for Leadership in Technology for Economic Development

Like most economic developers, Ryan Hall of The Shoals Economic Development Authority in Alabama is interested in highlighting his major properties. When considering his options a few years ago, Ryan quickly decided that an off-the-shelf property plug-in from a property data provider would not suffice. Instead, Ryan wanted technology that would let him highlight each property’s unique strengths. He also wanted a technology and a provider that would innovate continuously, keeping him on the cutting edge.

Ryan quickly selected GIS WebTech’s Guru technology and utilized its integration with Esri’s ArcGIS Online and its advanced features to customize major properties with individualized 3D virtual buildings and clear, striking views of major local assets. In fact, Ryan used these tools in ways our team had not anticipated, showing a great deal of creativity in displaying his local properties and local data and making them stand out in the competitive world of business attraction. For example, Ryan created one layer with property enrichment features for all sites and then added it to each applicable property, ensuring that any user who clicks on the property sees the local data Ryan wants them to see, every time. Users do not need to open menus and go through a trial-and-error process to find important local data; instead, by simply clicking on the property to learn more, they see the critical local data Ryan has added.

Ryan does not have any formal GIS training. Ryan is self-taught and utilized GIS WebTech training and a few simple Esri tools to create competitive advantage for his community.

GIS WebTech is pleased to name Ryan Hall one of three winners of the 2024 GIS WebTech Award for Technology Leadership for his ground-breaking work. Our entire team congratulates Ryan!