Mack Johnson

Close up image of a smiling man standing in front of a shaded river.

Mack Johnson – GIS Analyst and Asset Manager for the City of Boulder

I work in the City of Boulder Public Works and Utilities department as a GIS & Asset Management Analyst. I manage various types of water data and support the following work groups: Stormwater, Water Quality, Water Resources, and the Water Resource Recovery Plant. I help these groups maintain and update their data, perform various types of analysis, and create maps. This position is unique in that it allows me to work with different water focused disciplines on a day-to-day basis, from the source water reservoirs in the mountains to the final stages of the wastewater treatment plant. I am pretty much working with all stages of the city’s water cycle. At home, I am an avid gardener with experience in building home aquaponics systems.

Earth Science in High School

Taking an earth science class my senior year really shaped my college application process. I ended up at CU Boulder, where I saw myself gravitating to the natural sciences. My environmental science classes led to me discovering GIS, a tool that lets you visualize spatial data and use it to tell stories, and the rest was history. I started to focus on resource management, and I really resonated with the professor teaching my Western Water Management class. I double majored in environmental science and GIS – I was able to finish both in about 5 years.

GIS and Transportation

My first job with local government was as a GIS Technician with the transportation department at Boulder County. I learned a lot but realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Transportation data that tracks our roadways is important, but it wasn’t my passion.

City-Wide GIS Support

At my current job at the City of Boulder, I get to support multiple workgroups and dive into analyzing the data I’m working with. Working with the Stormwater, Water Resources, and Water Treatment Plant teams, some of what I work on includes calculating source water volume and analyzing water distribution through our networks. There is a lot of work that goes into understanding each team’s data and needs and then figuring out how GIS can help answer the questions they have.

City asset management

The city has, manages, and maintains many assets (roads, buildings, trails, and more). I help the city track these assets and information about them.

Data Management

Each workgroup has their own GIS and asset management data that I manage. I build dashboards and maps that visualizes their data in a way that is going to help them with their programs and project goals. I think show people how to use these tools, and collaborate with them to make improvements.

Build relationships with workgroups

I need to build relationships with each of the three workgroups I work with. They each have subject matter experts, I learn about their day-to-day tasks and big picture goals to understand their data needs.

A man stands in front of a shaded river.

My Why

Water is one of our most important resources, and I get to help several workgroups work on different aspects of water. Even if I don’t see it firsthand, I make a direct impact on projects related to the entire process water goes through in our city, from our source water to how its used to how its cleaned and returned to streams.

My Advice

Build relationships with your teachers and professor and maintain that network. You can go back to them if you are stuck, need advice, or have questions.