Douglas County GIS Analysts Helen Bontrager and Mattie Wiseman received recognition and awards at the Kansas Association of Mappers annual conference, held Oct. 28-31 in Manhattan.

Bontrager earned first place in the Printed Masterpiece category for her map titled “Patchwork,” which highlights a subset of the layers and spatial data available to county departments to support informed decision-making. Many of these layers are available to the public at https://dgcoks.gov/geoportal.

Bontrager and Wiseman received second place in the Printed Masterpiece category for their collaborative map, “Ad Astra Per Charta,” a stylized reference map of Kansas featuring origami stars representing cities and points of interest. The stars were crafted from vintage state maps ranging from 1968 to present day. The map will be displayed in the GIS office, located in the basement of the County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

Bontrager also earned third place in the Digital Masterpiece category for an interactive map developed in collaboration with Douglas County Heritage Coordinator Kaitlyn Ammerlaan. The map showcases past recipients and projects of the Natural and Cultural Heritage Grant program and can be viewed at https://dgcoks.gov/hcc/grantmap.

The awards are based on a popular vote by KAM members at the conference.