Our Work

Blue Raster helps you tell your story through interactive
mapping technology. Make your message clear, exciting,
and user-friendly for both mobile and web platforms.

ArcGIS StoryMaps

Revitalizing Main Street: Tracking Community Opportunities with BOOMS Tracker

Main Street districts across America, once vibrant centers of community life and economic activity, have faced significant challenges over recent decades. Economic shifts, suburbanization, and changing retail landscapes have left many of these historic areas struggling with vacant buildings, underutilized spaces, and a decline in local businesses. The need to revitalize these districts is critical for preserving cultural heritage, fostering economic growth, and enhancing community resilience.

Picture of historic main street buildings.

Addressing Community Challenges with Main Street America

Main Street America, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting traditional commercial districts, has launched the Building Opportunities on Main Street (BOOMS) Tracker to address the issues these areas are now facing. This innovative property inventory tool helps local Main Street leaders collect and analyze data on housing units, businesses, and civic spaces within their districts. By identifying development opportunities in vacant buildings, lots, and upper floors, the BOOMS Tracker provides actionable insights to drive revitalization efforts.

How Does the BOOMS Tracker Work?

  • Mobile Access: Users access district-specific ArcGIS Hub pages on their mobile devices to begin data collection.
  • Detailed Surveys: By selecting a parcel on the map, users complete detailed surveys to capture property information.
  • Real-Time Analysis: Collected data is analyzed and visualized to reveal opportunities, with statistics calculated in real time.
  • Aggregated Insights: Information is aggregated at regional and national levels to support decision-making and policy changes.

Users Access the Survey123 through an Experience Builder App

Users access the ArcGIS Survey123 through an Experience Builder app embedded in an ArcGIS Hub Page

ArcGIS Dashboard visualizing survey results

Data collected is analyzed and visualized in ArcGIS Dashboards to support decision making

The Impact of the BOOMS Tracker

The BOOMS Tracker serves as a central repository for valuable information about the built environment in each district. Insights derived from this tool empower local leaders to make authoritative decisions on housing and land use, driving revitalization efforts. Furthermore, aggregated data at larger regional and national levels provides evidence to influence policy changes and attract more investment into existing buildings.

Blue Raster's Role in Supporting Main Street America

At Blue Raster, we are proud to support the Main Street America's initiative with our expertise in geospatial technology. Utilizing tools such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Hub Premium, ArcGIS Survey123, ArcGIS Experience Builder, ArcGIS Dashboards, and the ArcGIS API for Python, we have developed the BOOMS Tracker to help communities visualize and analyze their data effectively. Our work supporting Main Street America ensures that local leaders have the tools they need to revitalize their downtown areas and promote sustainable growth.

Although the full functionality of the BOOMs Tracker is only available to designated Local and Coordinating Programs within the Main Street network, the public can access the BOOMS Tracker home page to see high-level statistics and the collection progress leaderboard.  Visit the BOOMS Tracker and Main Street America for more information.

BOOMS Tracker Public Statistics

BOOMS Tracker Public Statistics

BOOMS Tracker Collection Progress Leaderboard

BOOMS Tracker Collection Progress Leaderboard

BOOMS Tracker Homepage

BOOMS Tracker Homepage

Learn More About Our Work

Discover how Blue Raster’s advanced geospatial solutions can support your projects. Contact us today to learn how our expertise can make a difference in your efforts to improve community resilience and economic vitality. Click here to learn more.

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Conservation.gov Launched for Earth Day 2024

On Friday April 19th the White House announced the launch of Conservation.gov, an information hub supporting locally led efforts to conserve and restore our nation’s lands, waters, and wildlife. Designing this brand new website was an exciting project that Blue Raster was proud to support. Launched just in time for Earth Day 2024, Conservation.gov is home to a wide variety of resources that support conservation, including the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas (currently a beta version).

Home Page of the new Conservation.gov website Conservation.gov Welcome Banner

To celebrate and announce the launch of Conservation.gov the White House released a press statement, including a quote from John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy, who said:

“With the launch of Conservation.gov and its tools like the American Conservation and Stewardship Atlas, Americans can explore how they can take action to support conservation in their own communities.”

Image of Conservation.gov feature of the America the Beautiful initiative through an interactive map application. Conservation.gov Interactive Map

Blue Raster supported this project by designing the website and pages using ArcGIS Hub. Blue Raster provided the visual designs, page layouts and graphic elements for the site, as well as configuring some of the included interactive elements such as the Find Financial Assistance tool. In supporting this project Blue Raster worked closely with our Esri partners, and an interagency partnership co-led by the Department of the Interior (DOI), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

Image of prototype tool that currently aggregates financial assistance information from select programs in Grants.gov that Blue Raster was involved in building. This prototype tool currently aggregates financial assistance information from select programs in Grants.gov

Inspired by our work on Conservation.gov? Contact us to discover how Blue Raster can tailor GIS solutions to enhance your organization’s impact.

Visit our contact page to get started!

Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes: Honoring International Changemakers Who Are Making A Difference

Blue Raster is proud to announce another project from our long running collaboration with The Jane Goodall Institute.

Among Jane Goodall's many vital programs is Roots & Shoots, with the mission to empower young people to affect positive change in their communities.

In 2023, JGI collaborated with the John Templeton Foundation to award the Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes.

Jane Goodall Templeton StoryMap

From the JGI website: "The Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes are an extension of the partnership between JGI and the John Templeton Foundation to elevate the extraordinary efforts of visionary youth leaders and their adult mentors worldwide.  Awardees were selected based on their exceptional work with Roots & Shoots at the intersection of science, compassion, and community – specifically those who exemplify curiosity and wonder and the pursuit of knowledge, as well as the expression of compassion towards people, other animals and the environment we share."

When Erin Griffin, Director of Partnerships, Jane Goodall Institute-USA sought a novel way to showcase the 30 winners of the inaugural Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes she turned to trusted partner Blue Raster and the concept of an ArcGIS StoryMap.

The StoryMap showcases the 2023 winners and features an interactive map, videos and a brief write up of each winner and their vital contributions.

StoryMap screenshot

Blue Raster built several StoryMaps for The Jane Goodall Institute. The platform is ideal for visual story telling, with or without a map based visualization.

Check out the Templeton Roots & Shoots Prizes StoryMap, honoring international changemakers who are making a difference today!

Templeton StoryMap

Ready to tell your story?

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Empowering Freshwater Communities and Indigenous People through Immersive StoryMaps

Freshwater ecosystems contain an incredible 10% of the world’s known species and support the livelihoods of billions of people including many Indigenous Peoples and local communities. However, since 1970, freshwater plants and animals have declined by 84% due to threats like poor fisheries management, watershed degradation and overuse. The Nature Conservancy is partnering directly with local communities around the world to apply traditional knowledge and co-create new, science-based conservation strategies.

To tell the story of its partnership with these Indigenous People and Local Communities, The Nature Conservancy employed the services of long-time partner, Blue Raster to develop a series of Storymaps to shed light on TNC Freshwater Community-Led Conservation Program’s work with freshwater communities and indigenous people, highlighting their efforts to propagate and enhance community-led conservation initiatives across Africa and Latin America.

TNC's collaboration with communities in Africa is focused on three critical regions: the Bas Ogooué wetland area in Gabon, the upper catchment of the Okavango Basin in Angola, and the remarkable Lake Tanganyika, which borders Tanzania, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burundi. In Latin America, TNC's collaboration with communities extends to the Andean Amazon region in Ecuador, Colombia, and the Tapajos River Basin in Brazil. These ecosystems are not only home to remarkable biodiversity but also provide essential resources and cultural heritage for indigenous peoples. By partnering with local communities, TNC aims to strengthen their capacity to manage and protect their ancestral lands sustainably.

Blue Raster's expertise in utilizing ArcGIS StoryMaps has allowed TNC's conservation efforts to be communicated effectively, enabling users to engage deeply with the stories being shared. By combining rich media, interactive maps, and engaging narratives, the StoryMaps create a powerful medium for storytelling. The StoryMaps developed by Blue Raster incorporate compelling graphics, audio soundscapes, maps developed and published in ArcGIS Online and high-resolution images, capturing the essence of the fisheries, landscapes, communities, and wildlife that TNC works tirelessly to protect. These visuals not only enhance the aesthetic appeal but also serve as a means to evoke emotions and foster a sense of connection with the featured regions. Developed in English, the StoryMaps created are also available in African French, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese translations.

These maps not only offer a geospatial perspective of TNC's work but also provide users with an opportunity to explore the geographical context and understand the intricate relationships between freshwater habitats and communities. Through the interactive maps, readers can visualize the conservation initiatives, the areas of focus, and the significance of indigenous and local community participation. By utilizing ArcGIS StoryMaps as a powerful storytelling tool, TNC can effectively communicate its vision for the future, emphasizing the importance of continued partnerships and collaborative efforts with indigenous people and local communities. The immersive nature of the StoryMaps helps stakeholders envision a future where freshwater ecosystems thrive, and IPLCs actively contribute to their protection.

The collaboration between Blue Raster and The Nature Conservancy is a testament to the power of technology and partnerships in conservation efforts. Through the creation of immersive StoryMaps, TNC's work with freshwater communities and indigenous people in Africa and Latin America is brought to life. By amplifying these stories in local languages, Blue Raster and TNC empower communities to take an active role in preserving their natural heritage and build a future where people and nature thrive in harmony. Together, they are forging a path towards a more sustainable and equitable world.

“The Freshwater Community-Led Conservation Program is excited about our story map, made in partnership with Blue Raster. We hope those who engage will learn about the important efforts of the local communities, partners and TNC staff in freshwater fisheries and biodiversity conservation and feel invited to participate. The story map platform both allowed us to tell the efforts of our program as a cohesive unit across our work in Latin America and Africa and allowed us to highlight the unique impacts specific to local communities and partners.”
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Allison Aldous, Director of the Freshwater Community-Led Conservation Program

Esri ArcGIS Cloud Specialty: Elevating our clients’ GIS capabilities to the sky

Blue Raster is thrilled to be a member of the Esri ArcGIS Cloud Services Specialty. This specialty designates Blue Raster as an expert in deploying and managing ArcGIS in cloud environments such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. The Cloud Specialty program is designed to help Esri connect customers with recognized Partners that can best provide ArcGIS cloud solutions. Partners that meet the criteria for this specialty must demonstrate a track record of delivering value to their customers in implementing, managing, and designing cloud infrastructure in the Esri ArcGIS environment.  

Esri Cloud Services Specialty

To attain this specialty, Esri assessed Blue Raster’s expertise in the following areas of ArcGIS Cloud services: cloud deployments, system architecture and design, migrations, and managed services. Our deployments of ArcGIS Enterprise in the cloud include routine monitoring and maintenance to allow us to fine tune the system as needed, ensuring reliability and performance. Our system architecture and design experience encompasses single machine and multi machine architectures in both AWS and Azure that are customized to our clients’ specifications. We support all types of migrations including on-premises to cloud provider migrations, ArcGIS Online to ArcGIS Enterprise, and integration with third party providers.

Our portfolio of managed services includes the utilization of a wealth of Esri products and tools in the ArcGIS family such as ArcGIS Enterprise, Data Store, GIS Server, GeoAnalytics Server, GeoEvent Server, Notebooks, Image Server, Pro, Monitor, and Enterprise Geodatabases. Implementing these tools empowers us to provide a number of managed cloud services to our clients including design consultation, server construction, Esri software installation, infrastructure troubleshooting, distributed systems configuration, geographic redundancy configuration, OS patching, Esri security patching, routine Esri patch deployment, DevOps services, and user training services, among others. Blue Raster is primed and ready to meet our clients’ needs in all areas of the Esri ArcGIS cloud.

ArcGIS Cloud Solutions by Blue Raster

With over 10 years of experience providing ArcGIS Cloud consulting services, Blue Raster is proud to be a trusted resource for a variety of cloud solutions, including: 

    • Cloud ArcGIS Enterprise implementation 
    • Data migration 
    • System architecture and design 
    • Enterprise migration 
    • Security 

We use our cloud expertise to assist a variety of clients with a range of projects. Our dedicated DevOps team supports our cloud projects from requirements gathering through completion. Keep checking our blog posts for our latest projects as we continually grow and evolve our cloud-based service offerings.  

Are you looking to expand your ArcGIS capabilities in the cloud?
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help!

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