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I am stunned to learn that Scott Elliott passed away. He was the founder
of Wessex and of Directions Magazine. He was also a member of this
Maptitude listserv. To him we owe our Maptitude wishlist, our data
repository, and for many of us: our affordable data. Just a few weeks ago
he invited us to contribute Maptitude maps to the gallery at
http://www.directionsmag.com/mapgallery/
I'll miss his email and his good work.
Donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 777 Central Ave.,
Highland Park, IL
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http://www.directionsmag.com/features.asp?FeatureID=42
Industry Loses Scott Elliott
By: Adena Schutzberg
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on the GIS Monitor
from TenLinks.com.
Scott Elliott died January 10, 2001, losing a long battle with lung
cancer. Scotts involvement in GIS had a profound impact on the current
state of the industry. His data company, Wessex, revolutionized GIS
delivery in 1992 when it offered nationwide coverage for about $1,000 - a
tiny fraction of what other vendors were charging at the time. The
so-called "Wessex effect" not only inspired several other companies to
follow suit but more importantly, it allowed the adoption of desktop GIS
by many organizations that would otherwise have been shut out of the
market.
John Haynes, of Geodata Consultants, recalls the rollout of Wessex data
(from a post to MapInfo-L): "I was in Troy in 1992 when Scott unveiled his
$995 Wessex product that was every bit as good as the $100,000 U.S.
Streets being sold by MapInfo. Because he happened to do it at the MapInfo
Reseller conference, his ejection from the group was as dramatic as the
boys from Troy could make it. Kind of like those old Western movies where
the offending officer was stripped of his buttons with a sword and marched
out the gate of the fort to Indian territory."
After Wessex was purchased (first by BLR, then by GDT) Scott moved into
publishing. He founded Directions Magazine in 1998, the first online GIS
publication of any size. Articles by experts and quick access to breaking
news established the site as a required daily stop for the geospatial
community.
I first met Scott when I worked at ESRI. We knew him as the "Wessex guy."
Im not sure I realized the impact of his data on desktop GIS in the early
1990s. Scott himself recalled his first MapInfo (DOS) demo in 1989: "I've
been enthralled ever since." Desktop GIS was just coming of age in the
early 1990s - ArcView and MapInfo were stabilizing and users were
realizing its possibilities. Without data, of course, GIS is nothing. And,
until Wessex, data - any data - was thousands of dollars. Because Wessex
was an ESRI partner, all of the US offices, including mine in Boston, used
the data extensively for demonstrations.
The real contribution of Scott and Wessex, however, was awareness. The
introduction of low priced data invited users, for the first time, to
evaluate their data needs. How much data did they need? How much detail
was required? More and more questions about accuracy and availability came
to light and made better data consumers of us all. Specialized data
providers began to distinguish themselves and find niche markets to call
their own. That process continues today.
I was intrigued when Directions Magazine came online. I liked the idea
that a GIS insider was writing and serving GIS information. Scotts first
breaking story - the announcement of Microsofts mapping/GIS product
MapPoint - brought much of the GIS community to his site. Scott even
started a companion publication to cover MapPoint, MP2K.
Bill Davenhall, of ESRI, one of Scotts first customers and longtime
friend, puts it this way: "Its difficult for me to think about a world
without the penetrating ideas of Scott. He seemed to have a never-ending
supply of ideas that challenged every part of the business geographics
community. I am quite sure that I will never forget the day he introduced
the world to his Wessex street files. Back then I called his move "like
dropping a depth charge into snake infested waters." Now -- almost eight
years later -- I realize that Scott launched a whole new generation of GIS
practitioners, and frankly, that was what Scott was about: breaking down
barriers that kept the masses out. I will certainly miss Scott and his
unquenchable enthusiasm for challenging the status quo of our industry and
always pushing the envelope of where this exciting technology could lead."
I was a daily visitor to Directions during my tenure at ESRI. Today a
great many links at TenLinks are to articles at Directions. The future
will reveal the full extent of Scott Elliotts impact on our industry.
Funeral services were held January 13, 2001, in Winnetka, IL. Scott was 52
years old. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and his son, Johnny.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In honor of Scott, and his "Wessex effect," I quote John Haynes of Geodata
Consultants:
"Scott has now taken that unmapped journey we all face. If he were able to
communicate back, he'd show us how to do it at less than 10% of the going
rate."
_________________________________________________________
Marjorie Roswell, Spatial Analyst
UMBC Center for Health Program Development and Management
1000 Hilltop Circle Fx: (410)455-6850
Baltimore, MD 21250 E: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ph: (410)455-6802 http://umbc.edu/~roswell/mipage.html
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