About me
Brian Footen is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of EarthViews Conservation Society, where he directs the application of GIS and immersive mapping technologies to protect waterways across Washington State and the Western U.S. With over 20 years of experience working with Tribal and regional partners, he focuses on making environmental data accessible and actionable.
Under his direction, EarthViews Conservation Society has mapped more than 12,000 miles of rivers, lakes, and coastlines, including over 2,500 miles of Puget Sound nearshore that had never before been comprehensively documented. This work is conducted primarily by kayak, enabling fine-scale, on-the-water data collection. By integrating 360° imagery with water quality data, these efforts contribute to informed statewide agency monitoring and support science-based decision making.
He is expanding this work into citizen science through GIS-enabled tools that allow kayakers to collect localized water temperature data across Puget Sound. This approach leverages human-powered watercraft to generate high-resolution datasets while directly engaging the community in monitoring climate impacts.
Brian’s work highlights the role of GIS as a practical conservation tool that connects data, people, and policy to protect vital water resources.
