Affiliations
The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association
Mr. Kotapish has been a member of URISA since the late 1980's. The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is a nonprofit association of professionals using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other information technologies to solve challenges in state / provincial and local government agencies and departments. He has been a certified Geographic Information System Professional, or GISP, since 1997.
The GIS Corps
Mr. Kotapish was the very first of dozens of GIS Corps Hurricane Katrina volunteers to arrive at Jackson, Mississippi where he spent almost two weeks in the control room assisting with managing the GIS-based emergency response activities. The successes in Mississippi helped to catalyze the usefulness of GIS for emergency response nationally. Listen to their stories on YouTube here. He is cited as a contributing author to the GISCorps Volunteer Deployment Handbook. Other missions include Costa Rica rain forest GIS, and various mapathons.
The International Charter
Mr. Kotapish is the Acting State of Ohio Project Manager for the International Charter. The International Charter aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through Authorized Users. Each member agency has committed resources to support the provisions of the Charter and thus is helping to mitigate the effects of disasters on human life and property. Member agencies include most International Space Agencies, some commercial satellite firms and select Federal government resources.
The State of Ohio All Hazards Incident Management Team
Mr. Kotapish is the GIS Specialist for the State of Ohio All-Hazards Type 3 Incident Managment Team. Upon request, this team of emergency response leaders from throughout the State of Ohio will assist in the management of a large scale disaster using principles of the Incident Command System (ICS), the National Response Plan (NRP) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). He has deployed with the team to the fiery hazardous materials CSX train derailment and in response to catastrophic flooding in western Ohio as well as two week deployments to both Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy in support of the State of New York.
The National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation
NAPSG's Mission is to support the public safety and homeland security communities in the advancement of data interoperability and connectivity, through Geographic Information Systems, in support of local and national preparedness goals. For more information, see NAPSG.
The GIS Users of Northern Ohio
Mr. Kotapish was a co-founder and is the manager of the GIS Users Of Northern Ohio (GUONO). This is an informal group that promotes geographic data sharing, encourages data standardization, and provides a network for the exchange of technical information between all Geographic Information System users. GUONO is one of the nation's longest running geospatial user groups, meeting since the early 1990's.
Mr. Kotapish has been a member of URISA since the late 1980's. The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is a nonprofit association of professionals using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other information technologies to solve challenges in state / provincial and local government agencies and departments. He has been a certified Geographic Information System Professional, or GISP, since 1997.
The GIS Corps
Mr. Kotapish was the very first of dozens of GIS Corps Hurricane Katrina volunteers to arrive at Jackson, Mississippi where he spent almost two weeks in the control room assisting with managing the GIS-based emergency response activities. The successes in Mississippi helped to catalyze the usefulness of GIS for emergency response nationally. Listen to their stories on YouTube here. He is cited as a contributing author to the GISCorps Volunteer Deployment Handbook. Other missions include Costa Rica rain forest GIS, and various mapathons.
The International Charter
Mr. Kotapish is the Acting State of Ohio Project Manager for the International Charter. The International Charter aims at providing a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through Authorized Users. Each member agency has committed resources to support the provisions of the Charter and thus is helping to mitigate the effects of disasters on human life and property. Member agencies include most International Space Agencies, some commercial satellite firms and select Federal government resources.
The State of Ohio All Hazards Incident Management Team
Mr. Kotapish is the GIS Specialist for the State of Ohio All-Hazards Type 3 Incident Managment Team. Upon request, this team of emergency response leaders from throughout the State of Ohio will assist in the management of a large scale disaster using principles of the Incident Command System (ICS), the National Response Plan (NRP) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). He has deployed with the team to the fiery hazardous materials CSX train derailment and in response to catastrophic flooding in western Ohio as well as two week deployments to both Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy in support of the State of New York.
The National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation
NAPSG's Mission is to support the public safety and homeland security communities in the advancement of data interoperability and connectivity, through Geographic Information Systems, in support of local and national preparedness goals. For more information, see NAPSG.
The GIS Users of Northern Ohio
Mr. Kotapish was a co-founder and is the manager of the GIS Users Of Northern Ohio (GUONO). This is an informal group that promotes geographic data sharing, encourages data standardization, and provides a network for the exchange of technical information between all Geographic Information System users. GUONO is one of the nation's longest running geospatial user groups, meeting since the early 1990's.