GIS Hacks Weekly Turns 1 🎂

One year ago, I hit “send” on the very first GIS Hacks Weekly newsletter; an idea I’d been mulling over for a while before finally taking the plunge. I’ve always had a desire to share practical hacks and stories with the community because that’s what makes the GIS space so special. We’re a collaborative bunch who genuinely want to share what we know and help each other out.

48 issues later (this makes 49!), GIS Hacks Weekly has become a ritual I look forward to each week. Even more rewarding, it’s connected me more deeply with this amazing community of GIS pros (over 1,620+ of you 🫢) who are passionate about making their work easier, smarter, and sometimes a little lazier. When I first started, I just wanted to share tips with friends and colleagues; I never imagined it would reach this far. I’m so grateful you’ve made space for this newsletter in your inbox.

GIS Hacks: The Highlights, The Sleepers, & My Personal Favs

Crowd Favorites

1. Embracing My GIS Identity: The Road to GISP Certification
2. Studying for the GISP Exam: Real Talk from a Two-Time Test Taker
3. Not All Data is Good Data – Sourcing Reliable GIS Data

Hidden Gems

1. Attribute Rules RULE
2. Streamlining Simple Attribute Updates
3. Your Toolbar, Your Rules: Customize the ArcGIS Pro Analysis Toolbar

My Personal Favs

1. Clipping the Data Without Actually Clipping the Data
2. Speed Mapping - Fast Polygon Digitizing with Strategic Splits
3. Clean Data, Clean Results
4. Mapping Your Geoprocessing Strategy

For me, success isn’t clicks or open rates; though those are fun metrics to track. What really matters is that a small tip, a story, or a shared moment might help someone do their work just a little better (or laugh a little more while doing it). That’s what keeps me showing up.

Thank you so much for being part of this journey. Whether you’ve been here from the start or joined along the way. Your support, feedback, and curiosity mean so much to me. Here’s to many more hacks, stories, and shared moments ahead!

If you’re looking for a hack, have a question, or want to share your own tip, drop me a line or post in the comments. Let’s talk about it!

GIS You Later!

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

Meg

Pro Tip: Don’t be afraid to share your quirkiest hacks with your GISpals. Sometimes the “lazy” tricks turn out to be the best ones! After all, efficiency is the ultimate power tool in any GIS-ers toolbox!