GIS Analyst Gone Bad

A GIS analyst who worked for the Indiana office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is charged with selling 41 pirated copies of ESRI's mapping software on eBay.

1 minute read

February 24, 2006, 1:00 PM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"...Hensley, a geographic information systems program technician with the Farm Service Agency of the USDA, reproduced and sold 41 infringing copies of software products made by Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc. of Redlands, Calif., on ebay.com and yahoo.com. Those products included ArcView 3.2a, and the program extensions Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst and ArcPress.

...Federal officials say Hensley then placed advertisements for the sale of the infringing software through her account on ebay.com and yahoo.com. In total, it is alleged Hensley sold 41 infringing copies of the software for about $7,120 when the total retail price of this software if purchased from ESRI is more than $70,000.

...Hensley faces a maximum possible prison sentence of five years and a maximum possible fine of $250,000."

Thanks to Danny Krouk

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 in Jackson County Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Bird's eye view of large apartment complex under construction next to four-lane road near Atlanta, Georgia.

How Atlanta Built 7,000 Housing Units in 3 Years

The city’s comprehensive, neighborhood-focused housing strategy focuses on identifying properties and land that can be repurposed for housing and encouraging development in underserved neighborhoods.

April 9, 2025 - Governing

People walking up and down stairs in New York City subway station.

In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving

Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.

45 minutes ago - Scientific American

White public transit bus with bike on front bike rack in Nashville, Tennessee.

Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan

Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.

1 hour ago - Bloomberg CityLab

An engineer controlling a quality of water ,aerated activated sludge tank at a waste water treatment plant.

Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding

The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.

2 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive