Geospatial Advisory for Real-World Systems
We help organizations align GIS and spatial data systems with real-world workflows, decision-making, and operations.
Our work focuses on translating technical capability into practical, usable systems that support business and operational outcomes.
ES Metis is a geospatial advisory practice focused on aligning GIS and spatial data systems with real-world operational and environmental needs.
The firm is led by Edward So, a GIS professional with 15+ years of experience across enterprise GIS strategy, spatial data systems, and product-oriented delivery in both utility and environmental contexts. His work centers on bridging technical capability with practical application—ensuring systems are not just functional, but clear, usable, and grounded in how work actually gets done.
Our work is guided by the belief that complex problems deserve simple, thoughtful solutions. We ground everything we do in fundamentals, using clarity and focus to guide decisions, and approaching challenges deliberately—evaluating carefully and staying centered on what matters most.
We are organized, precise, and purposeful in how we work. We focus on what’s important and present it in a way that is clear, structured, and ready to use.
We use technology with intention. It supports how we think—it doesn’t replace it. We value presence, attention, and real understanding over passive capture, prioritizing listening, thoughtful questions, and direct engagement.
We partner with people who share our mindset, recognizing that organizations are built by individuals and that meaningful work happens when people are aligned and engaged. Ultimately, we aim to create positive change in our industry—work that resonates beyond individual projects and contributes to something larger.
GIS Product & Workflow Design
Defines how GIS and spatial data systems support business and operational workflows.
Representative Work:
GIS workflow and application design
Functional requirements definition
Use-case development and refinement
Evaluation of GIS capabilities from a business and operational perspective
Implementation & Integration Advisory
Provides hands-on advisory support to ensure GIS solutions are aligned, adopted, and effective in practice.
Representative Work:
Implementation oversight and solution alignment
Coordination across business and technical teams
Guidance on data integration and workflow execution
Identification and resolution of gaps between system design and operational use
Spatial Data Migration & Processing
Execution-focused support for preparing, transforming, and structuring spatial data across systems.
Representative Work:
Data migration between systems
Dataset transformation and standardization
Data cleaning, QA/QC, and validation
ETL-style workflow execution
Our work focuses on how GIS and spatial systems function in real-world operations.
We translate business and operational needs into functional GIS workflows and usable spatial data systems.
We typically engage in:
Defining functional requirements
Designing and improving GIS workflows
Structuring spatial data for operational use
Supporting implementation through applied execution
Engagements are tailored to organizational needs and often combine workflow design, implementation advisory, and data execution.
We do not operate as system architects or infrastructure engineers—we focus on the layer where GIS becomes structured, usable, and operationally effective.
GIS workflow and application design
Functional requirements definition
Spatial data migration and transformation
Cross-functional implementation support
Applied geospatial problem solving
Engagements are structured based on scope, level of advisory involvement, and degree of implementation support required.
Work is generally performed across three engagement types:
Strategy & Workflow Advisory — defining direction, requirements, and system design
Implementation & Integration Advisory — supporting alignment, execution, and adoption
Data Migration & Processing — execution-focused spatial data work
Most engagements combine elements of each based on organizational needs, with pricing aligned to level of responsibility, decision-making involvement, and overall complexity. Rates and engagement structure are provided as part of a scoped proposal.
ES Metis LLC
Edward So
Email: ed@esmetis.com
Location: Atlanta, GA