Data-Smart City Pod: Episode Three

Making Dynamic Data Accessible - GIS in Maryland

Read more articles by Betsy Gardner

By Betsy Gardner • April 7, 2021

Want to learn more?

Check out this Data-Smart City Solutions article about Maryland's model of data-driven governance in response to COVID-19.

In this third episode of the Data-Smart City Pod, Professor Steve Goldsmith interviews Maryland’s Geographic Information Officer ​Julia Fischer, and Maureen Regan, a deputy director at Maryland's Department of Health. In this podcast, they discuss how a centralized GIS system prepared the state to handle the dynamic and rapidly changing COVID-19 pandemic in order to best protect Marylanders, and how important it is to have a reliable and authoritative source to combat virus misinformation.

Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts, to hear Professor Goldsmith, GIO Fischer, and Deputy Director Regan discuss the value of data transparency, how to visualize and disseminate rapidly-changing public health information, and the importance of trusted partnerships. Transcript available here. 

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About the Author

Betsy Gardner

Betsy Gardner is a writer for Data-Smart City Solutions and the producer of the Data-Smart City Pod. Prior to joining the Ash Center, Betsy worked in a variety of roles in higher education, focusing on deconstructing racial and gender inequality through research, writing, and facilitation. She also researched government spending and transparency at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Betsy holds a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Policy from Northeastern University, a bachelor’s degree in Art History from Boston University, and a graduate certificate in Digital Storytelling from the Harvard Extension School.