The Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS) sadly informs you of the passing of our former employee James Smith on March 16, 2025, after a brief yet hard-fought battle with cancer. James attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1987 with a Bachelors in Geography and Cartography. Along with his career in the Air Force, James served our country at the Naval Oceanographic Office. He surveyed and mapped the world's oceans and produced the maps of the Persian Gulf for the Gulf War in 1991. His 30+ year career in state and federal agencies continued after his honorable discharge from the Air Force. He served at ATF, USGS, MARIS, and MDEQ. Most recently, James spent twenty years working for the USDA Farm Service Agency before retiring in 2023. That same year, he opened a consulting and cartography firm, Waypoint Mapping. He was very active in several projects with Mississippi Rural Water. James's skills as a geographer and cartographer made a lasting impact in countless ways to our state and country. He will be greatly missed by the MS GIS/Remote Sensing community.

We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends. Obituary