I keep enterprise GIS running — and build the automation and apps on top of it.
At the West Virginia Department of Transportation I administer a multi-environment ArcGIS Enterprise deployment of 12+ servers, build production Python ETL, and publish the statewide LRS network to services and open data.
Before the server room, I worked the field side — utility right-of-way, environmental surveys, and crew leadership. That is why the systems I build are designed for the people who actually use them.
SAG 2026 Esri Special Achievement in GIS AwardNamed member of the WVDOT development team2026 Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award
Esri selected the West Virginia Department of Transportation for a 2026 SAG Award — one of 197 organizations chosen from more than 100,000 Esri customers worldwide. The award recognized an enterprise data-transparency platform that replaced siloed transportation data with real-time public and internal access through ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, Dashboards, StoryMaps, and Experience Builder.
My part: I am one of the named members of the WVDOT development team. The on-premises ArcGIS Enterprise environment the platform integrates with is the one I help administer every day — servers, services, users, and the data pipelines that feed it. This is a team award, and the credit belongs to the whole WVDOT GIS group.
WVDOT AI Champion
WVDOT selected a small group of staff as AI Champions — people chosen for technical ability and enthusiasm to act as change agents, investigating how AI-driven workflows can be adopted and integrated responsibly across the agency. I am one of them.
Active roleI run the enterprise. Then I automate it.
This is my day-to-day at WVDOT: production enterprise GIS administration, service support, data pipelines, and teaching people how to use what we publish.
Enterprise administration
A multi-environment ArcGIS Enterprise deployment across 12+ servers — Portal, Server, and Data Store. I manage the agency’s GIS services and keep them performing for statewide users.
Patching, upgrades & SQL Server
ArcGIS Enterprise and Windows patching and upgrades, SQL Server configuration for enterprise geodatabases, and registered data stores across environments.
Users, roles & access
Onboarding new users, managing roles, groups, and permissions, and keeping access separated between user types and environments.
Service troubleshooting
I work IT tickets for service-level problems and partner with network staff to track down handshake failures, dropped connections, and other faults inside the GIS software stack.
Python ETL with built-in QC
Production ETL in Python — ArcPy, the ArcGIS API for Python, and pandas. My current pipeline audits staged data against production on seven checks before anything publishes. Version-controlled in Git and documented.
Statewide LRS & open data
My group manages the statewide LRS network export into ArcGIS services and hosted feature layers, including layers on WVDOT’s public open data portal, plus metadata for what we publish.
Teaching & enablement
I teach classes for state staff on accessing WVDOT’s RESTful GIS services and building them into their own maps, applications, and analysis.
Web GIS & development
ArcGIS Maps SDK for JavaScript, Leaflet, GeoServer-rendered tile maps, Experience Builder, Dashboards, Arcade, Notebooks, and geoprocessing services — from configured apps to code I write and deploy myself.
Analysis that answers questions
Spatial Analyst methods, R, and SQL applied to real operational questions — plus spatial data and FOIA-related requests for the agency.
Not just maps. Working systems.
Enterprise depth, automation instincts, and field credibility — with a track record of owning outcomes, not just tasks.
Proven under migration pressure
I was on the small team that moved WVDOT’s entire ArcGIS Enterprise system from physical to virtual servers with minimal downtime for users.
Field-to-office bridge
In utility vegetation management I configured an ArcGIS Collector system that replaced paper maps for 10–25 field users and cut right-of-way QC audit time by roughly half.
Automation mindset
If a workflow runs more than twice, I script it — with validation, logging, and documentation so it runs smoothly when I am not watching it.
Clear communicator
From the IT ticket queue to the classroom, I explain systems in plain language to analysts, crews, managers, and the public.
Where I am headed
Enterprise GIS administration, GIS systems analysis, and geospatial development roles where I can run reliable platforms, automate the data behind them, and help organizations get real decisions out of their spatial data.
Proof of value.
Production enterprise work (described without internal details), field systems, automation, and web GIS. See all projects.
GitHub repositories
Public-safe versions of my automation and web GIS work. Every script is rebuilt with sample names, paths, and data before it is published.
gis-python-automation-toolkit
LiveSanitized enterprise automation: data store inventory, migration hostname swap, Admin REST service-usage reporting, QA/QC matching, and archiving.
View repositoryfaa-airspace-webmap
Repo not yet publishedGeoServer-rendered tiles, Leaflet, Turf.js, and FAA data. The live map is already viewable from the portfolio grid above.
See it live abovechris-davenport-portfolio
Repo being preparedThis site: Vite, Bootstrap, Sass, modular JavaScript, data-driven project pages, and AWS S3 deployment.
How I work with people.
Before GIS was my job title, I led a four-person tree crew and a branch-wide safety program, and I closed more than $900K in client work in a single year. Today I teach state staff, work tickets with IT and networking teams, and coordinate across divisions. I am a member of the Society for Collegiate Leadership & Achievement (SCLA).
Fuller leadership profile in developmentFuture services.
CDGeospatial is the umbrella for independent geospatial services I am building toward. These offerings are in development; drone services will launch only after FAA Part 107 certification. Read the vision.
Drone mapping & imagery
Site imagery and mapping products for small organizations and land managers, after Part 107 certification.
Web GIS & StoryMaps
Public-facing web maps, dashboards, and spatial storytelling for agencies, nonprofits, and community projects.
Data automation consulting
Python and SQL workflow automation for organizations drowning in repetitive GIS data management tasks.