• Our Process
  • About Us
  • Portfolio
  • Contact Us
Blue Water GISBlue Water GIS
Blue Water GISBlue Water GIS
  • Our Process
  • About Us
  • Portfolio
  • Contact Us

Blue Water GIS The Explorers Behind the Maps
Explorers
Storytellers
Geographers
We are

Blue Water GIS is a small, family owned firm that was born out of a passion for understanding and conserving our natural world. The powerful geospatial programs and data visualization software available today allow us to interpret our physical surroundings like never before, and that is what we offer you:

We clarify data into captivating stories.

We are based out of Bellingham, WA, but being explorers at heart, we always look for opportunities to map new terrain, meet new people and discover new projects around the globe.

Have drone, will travel...

map2

Hello there....

Katie Gaut

Data Nerd and Map Guru

A love of people, places and data have drawn me down the path of a digital storytelling geographer.  I’ve been using geospatial tools for over a decade to meld these interests together and help tell the stories of organizations that are doing good in the world.

Exploration and curiosity are inherent in my nature and serve me well in my work.  This work has taken me across the globe, from the estuaries of Alaska, to the jungles of Hawai’i, and to the seas of British Columbia.  And while adventure fuels the soul, numbers and maps fuel my spirit.  Few things make me happier than guiding good people through the creative process of telling the story of meaningful work.

Katie Gaut Bio Photo

Experience

  • 15 years tinkering with ArcGIS products
  • 10 years crunching data and making it shine
  • 12 years experience in water rights analysis

Degrees

  • University of Hawai’i,  MS – Conservation Biology
  • Southern Oregon University, BS – Computer Science & Biology

Certifications

  • FAA Section 107 Drone Pilot License
  • US Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain’s License

Special Powers

  • Professional sailing captain for 10+ years
  • Freediving and spearfishing in tropical waters
  • Milking our small herd of dairy goats daily

Mark Thompson

Writer, Editor, Naturalist

Since Blue Water’s inception, I have provided various talents as both copy editor and graphic designer.  While my main focus is the written word, I also take lead on data visualization, cartographic design and photography.

Underlying all my crafts, both at work and at play, is a desire to explore.  If I’m out collecting plants, as I’m prone to do, my map may be a dichotomous key.  If I’m in the mountains, a topo, at sea, a nautical chart.  Different journeys require different sets of information as a guide, but all good maps share the trait that they inspire you to explore further.  This is our goal as well in all that we do.

Mark Thompson Bio Photo

Experience

  • 12 years of project management related to natural resources
    • Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
    • Vegetation mapping
  • Lifetime of creative and technical writing
  • 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture

Degrees

  • University of Montana,  BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies

Special Powers

  • Plant propagation
  • Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology

Our Partners

Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers

While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional.  Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others.

If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends. Similarly, if your organization has overlapping or complimentary skills, we are happy to work alongside your team to make the best product possible

Partners Photo

Our Partners

Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers

While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional.  Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

Similarly, if your organization has overlapping or complimentary skills, we are happy to work alongside your team to make the best product possible
Partners Hand

Experience

  • 12 years of project management related to natural resources
    • Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
    • Vegetation mapping
  • Lifetime of creative and technical writing
  • 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture

Degrees

  • University of Montana,  BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies

Special Powers

  • Plant propagation
  • Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology

Our Partners

Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers

While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional.  Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

Similarly, if your organization has overlapping or complimentary skills, we are happy to work alongside your team to make the best product possible
partners water falling

Experience

  • 12 years of project management related to natural resources
    • Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
    • Vegetation mapping
  • Lifetime of creative and technical writing
  • 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture

Degrees

  • University of Montana,  BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies

Special Powers

  • Plant propagation
  • Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology

Our Partners

Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers

While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional.  Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

Similarly, if your organization has overlapping or complimentary skills, we are happy to work alongside your team to make the best product possible
partners drops water on leaf

Experience

  • 12 years of project management related to natural resources
    • Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
    • Vegetation mapping
  • Lifetime of creative and technical writing
  • 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture

Degrees

  • University of Montana,  BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies

Special Powers

  • Plant propagation
  • Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology

Our Partners

Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers

While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional.  Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

Similarly, if your organization has overlapping or complimentary skills, we are happy to work alongside your team to make the best product possible
partners team pic

Experience

  • 12 years of project management related to natural resources
    • Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
    • Vegetation mapping
  • Lifetime of creative and technical writing
  • 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture

Degrees

  • University of Montana,  BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies

Special Powers

  • Plant propagation
  • Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology

Contact Us

Send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message

© 2023 Blue Water GIS | Web Design by FoxFern Media

Subscribe to our newsletter