Connecticut names its first geographic information officer

The Connecticut Office of Policy and Management announced Wednesday the appointment of Alfredo Herrera, a former geographic information systems analyst for the City of New Haven, as the state’s first geographic information officer.

Alfredo Herrera (LinkedIn)

As the state’s head GIS official, Herrera is tasked with planning and delivering location-data technology that supports “key services” for the state, OPM Secretary Melissa McCaw said in a press release. These services include routing 911 calls, planning roads, identifying dangerous intersections and preventing and responding to disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

“It is the basis for all land and real estate development that drives our economy,” McCaw said. “The existence of high-quality GIS information at the state level has broad-ranging benefits beyond state governments. A wide-range of disciplines benefit from easy-to-access, high quality and updated maps and data from managing water, land and habitats to utilities, recreation and research, economic prosperity, marketing and business. The expansion of GIS through this office will enhance the state’s abilities and provide for better decision-making.”

Before his five-year stint at New Haven, Herrera served in GIS analyst roles at GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. and New England Geosystems. He also spent four months as an aviation planning intern for the City of Phoenix. According to the state’s press release, Hererra’s past work has focused on “real estate and economic development, quality of life issues, crime reduction, tree cover, traffic accidents, licensing and permitting, overdose incidents, the impact of COVID-19, health disparities, and locating homeless encampments.”