Latest Contributions by Paul_E

I am in a similar situation in the City of Laconia (population=18,000). The difference is that I have been in my position for 8 years now. I still don't think management has a clear understanding of the potential of GIS. (I have tried.) This is compounded by a general fear of change, old-timers who have a lot of knowledge but lack computer savvy, and administrators that are penny-wise but pound-foolish. Even though my title is "GIS Coordinator," my position is in the DPW. That said, I have done work for the City Council, the City Manager, the Planning Department, the Assessing Department, the Water Department and the Fire Department. I enjoy the variety. Yet despite this, I have been unsuccessful at broadening my position to a city-wide level like the IT department.  (That actually might be a good thing).  In a lot of ways, I have a great job. I generally set my own goals and am allowed the latitude to pursue what I think is important. In other ways, I feel like I am isolated. I don't get a lot of support or direction. At this point I have several data bases to maintain and projects to flesh out. I am never without something to do.      There have been some really good suggestions on this thread. Ultimately, I think you should make your work fun.   Do you have a GPS? Personally, I love to do field work on sunny days and deskwork during inclement weather. (Do you have a buildings layer? If so, is it maintained? I have seen some incredible homes.)  I like to attend conferences and seminars; in-person is best.  If you can anticipate what is needed, you can look like a hero when they ask you for it. Here are my suggestions. 1) Be patient. Government is a big boat. History and politics play their roles--even in a small city. Managers may want to outsource services despite the added cost. If the entire GIS Department, (one person) decided to take another job, would they have access to their critical information?  Even though the technology has been here for years (even decades), steering this boat takes a lot of time--as does inspiring one vision for the future.  While I was able to digitize most of our permits, I am embarrassed to admit that we still use carbon paper for others. Given gentle attention, I expect your work with other departments will bear fruit, but you need to give them time to figure it out.   2) Make your job fun. Take time to train yourself, or to connect with people, or to hunt for missing data points, or to digitize old records  or to do whatever it is that you like to do. 3) Take advantage of the time that you have. Before you know it, the City will be asking more of you and not necessarily GIS stuff.  It will be "Please work with the ____  event committee," "supply data to the engineers," "coordinate the 911 addressing with the state," "meet the contractors to discuss master plan," "attend the discussion on asset management," . . .    Hang in there. I think it will come together.         ... View more

I did not. It is the season to use that same workflow soon. I will let you know if I learn anything new.  ... View more

Thanks for your reply. It sounds easy but I am not seeing what you are seeing.  I tried adjusting the settings under Customize> Arc Map Settings, but without success. I need more information to figure this out.  1) Where on your screen is the distance and bearing being shown? In the lower right hand corner? 2) What version are you using? ( I am using ArcMap version 10.8.1.) 3) What  license level are you at?  Basic, standard or advanced? ... View more

Unfortunately, no. The lack of information makes it especially hard to troubleshoot. ... View more

Yes. I took a screenshot of that setting (zoomed in) and posted it with the original question. ... View more

As far as I can tell it is.  ... View more