The Marc Berryman Memorial GIS Award honors the life and legacy of a foundational leader in public safety GIS. Starting in the early days of basic 9-1-1 GIS technology, Marc was a vital resource for agencies navigating the challenges of emergency addressing, even authoring a guidebook to help others master its components. Throughout his career, including managing the GIS department at the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network and his impactful work at Mission Critical Partners, Marc was a pillar of the professional community. He dedicated endless hours to Texas and NENA working committees, shaping the very standards that govern public safety GIS today. Remembered by colleagues as a "silent hero" who always went above and beyond. He was a deeply passionate advocate for the critical role GIS plays in transitioning to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911). This scholarship is awarded to individuals who share Marc’s passion for innovation, standard-setting, and public service.

 

Eligible nominees are individuals, teams, or agency that have made a significant contribution to the advancement, accuracy, reliability, innovation, or effective use of GIS within the 9-1-1 and public safety community.

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Purpose:

• Recognize Excellence in Public Safety GIS

        Honor an individual, team, or agency that demonstrates exceptional use of GIS to improve 9-1-1 operations, location accuracy,                  emergency response, or public safety outcomes.

• Encourage Innovation and Advancement of 9-1-1 GIS

         Recognize creative solutions, technologies, workflows, or practices that advance GIS within the 9-1-1 community, particularly                   efforts supporting NG9-1-1, data quality, interoperability, automation, or operational efficiency.

• Promote Leadership, Collaboration, and Industry Standards

          Highlight individuals, team, or agency that strengthen the 9-1-1 GIS community through leadership, collaboration, knowledge                    sharing, mentoring, and commitment to accurate and reliable GIS data.

 

Criteria:

• 9-1-1/Public Safety Connection:

        Nominee must work in, support, or provide GIS services to a 9-1-1, emergency communications, public safety, or NG9-1-1                        organization.

• Professional Excellence:

        Nominee should demonstrate high standards of accuracy, reliability, professionalism, and stewardship of public safety GIS data.

• Knowledge Sharing:

        Nominees may demonstrate contributions through mentoring, training, presentations, documentation, development of best                        practices, or helping other agencies improve their GIS programs.

• Recent Contribution:

        The primary achievement should have occurred or demonstrated significant results within the previous 12 months.

 

Award Criteria:

The TX-NENA Executive Board will determine the recipient of the Marc Berryman Award as nominated by the TX-NENA membership and as presented by the TX-NENA Nominating Committee.  The Award will be presented if an appropriate nomination is made.  If an appropriate nomination is not made, no award will be given.

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