A remarkable GIS legacy...Muiris de Buitleir retires

20 July 2010

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Muiris de Buitleir pioneered the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Ireland’s public sector. On the occasion of his retirement, his colleagues and associates pay tribute to his achievements and leadership.

A land surveyor by training, Muiris became fascinated with computers in the early 1980s. It was a natural progression for him to then combine his love of surveying with his growing interest in technology.

When ESRI Inc launched the world’s first commercial GIS software, Muiris was quick to recognise the potential of this ground-breaking technology. A GIS enables organisations to consolidate a vast amount of spatially referenced information, analyse it and display it clearly on interactive maps. In 1988, he became one of the first people in Ireland to invest in ESRI GIS software.

“At a time when GIS was still in its infancy, Muiris had the vision to recognise the value that GIS could add for Heritage Services,” says Jack Dangermond, ESRI President. “He was instrumental in introducing GIS into Ireland’s public sector.”

In his early career, Muiris worked in the National Parks and Monuments Service of the Office of Public Works. Following a succession of public sector reorganisations, the name of the department changed many times, but Muiris remained steadily committed to his work conserving Ireland’s natural, archaeological and architectural heritage. In the years leading up to his retirement in July 2010, he held the position of Departmental GIS Manager in the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG).

For a long time, Muiris was the only person in the public sector in Ireland with a GIS-specific job title. “This was extremely important for the industry as a whole and for graduates in particular,” says Paul Synnott of ESRI Ireland. “By defining this role and excelling in it, Muiris succeeded in raising the profile of GIS as a profession. His example helped to create career opportunities in GIS across the public sector in Ireland.”

One of his biggest accomplishments during his career was the creation of a GIS to maintain, manage and integrate three sets of data from Heritage Services: archaeological surveys, natural heritage data and the architectural inventory. This web-based infrastructure gives users around the world easy, free access to data about all aspects of Ireland’s heritage via an interactive map. “It is a priceless national archive that is accessible to everyone – professionals and amateurs alike,” says Frank Pendergast, who uses the system to support his academic research.

Willie Cumming, one of Muiris’ colleagues at the DEHLG, adds: “This incredible system would not have happened without the work that Muiris did. It is his legacy.”

Under Muiris’ leadership and guidance, GIS has evolved from a stand-alone desktop solution into a true enterprise application that is crucial for Heritage Services. “GIS now underpins all of the work we undertake,” says Rob Ovington, a GIS coordinator at the DEHLG. Paul McDonald, principal of DEHLG’s ICT unit, concurs: “GIS has become business critical – and this criticality is going to increase in the future.”

Over the years, Muiris’ influence has spread far beyond the DEHLG. He has sat on a number of interdepartmental committees and been actively involved in several industry bodies. In particular, he has played a key role in steering Ireland’s compliance with the European Union’s INSPIRE Directive, which aims to create a common spatial data infrastructure for the whole of Europe.

“Muiris has had a huge influence, at a high level, on the strategic development of GIS within central and local government in Ireland,” says Paul Walsh, who has worked alongside Muiris for over ten years. “He has brought GIS to the attention of a wider community, by highlighting how DEHLG benefits from its use.”

Muiris was also a founding member of Ireland’s Organisation of Geographic Information (IRLOGI) and held the position of treasurer for many years. “His was always a balanced voice, and he contributed a perspective based on experience,” says Bruce McCormack, current president of IRLOGI and a colleague at DEHLG. “He was always very focused on delivering value and addressing the needs of members.”

In addition to his work in Heritage Services, Muiris has played a key role in helping to educate the next generation of GIS users in Ireland. He has been associated with the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) since the early 1970s, when he began to provide opportunities for the institute’s students to gain work experience. Kevin Mooney was one such student and first met Muiris on a work placement in 1974. Now a lecturer at DIT Bolton Street, Kevin says: “Muiris has been very supportive of the DIT and its students over more than thirty years.”

As well as providing work experience and employment for students, Muiris has acted as an external examiner for DIT, helped to interview staff and advised the institute on the content of new GIS-related courses. Frank Prendergast is head of the department for spatial information sciences at DIT. Speaking on behalf of all of his colleagues in the institute, he says: “We would like to acknowledge Muiris’ support and express our eternal gratitude to Muiris for his dedication and willingness over many years.”

As Muiris retires from DEHLG, his colleagues and associates are sad to see him go. Reputedly the best-dressed surveyor in Ireland, he is known to enjoy fine wines, sailing, dancing, foreign languages, exotic hats and Irish music. Expressing the sentiments of many, Bruce McCormack says: “We’re going to miss him. He’ll leave a hole in the department that will be difficult to fill.”