We are geographers, cartographers, and scientists who are passionate about science communication.

Hans got his start as a CH-53 Super Stallion Helicopter Crew Chief from the USMC, callsign: 'Wedgie.' He turned ITIL disciple at the UW-Madison Division of Information Technology (DoIT) while earning a BS in Computer Engineering and Computer Science. After a 8 years at DoIT wearing Configuration, Incident, and Change Management hats, Hans moved to USGS-WIM to head up Project Management duties and earned a PMP certification. Hans currently spends most of his day coordinating a highly skilled and motivated team of developers, doing his best not to slow them down too much. Outside of work, Hans enjoys a good game of ultimate, hiking, camping and the occasional novel.

Nick is a senior developer with WIM. He received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University in 2001. His work with the USGS was initially focused on publishing, but has since developed an interest in and a knack for developing mapping applications and optimizing GIS services used by those applications. While most of his free time is spent with his family, he finds time here and there to write and record music.

Blake is the WIM Development Team Lead and is honored to be a leader of a talented group of people creating science delivery products that serve the USGS mission. He has a BA and MA from Florida State University and a GIS/Cartography certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Blake built his career as a front-end JavaScript developer and also dabbles in Python-based API work. He leads coordination of WIM's collaborative development efforts, including code management standards, development workflows, and tooling. Outside of work, Blake serves as a volunteer firefighter on his local fire department and enjoys canoeing, gardening and generally spending time in the outdoors.

Aaron Stephenson is a full stack developer and solutions architect at WIM, but essentially he is their jack-of-all-trades. He has a decade of experience in system administration, database administration, information management, systems analysis, as well as back end and front end development, almost all of which have been in support of GIS data, services, and applications. Currently, most of his time is engaged in supporting WIM's migration to a service-oriented architecture and cloud computing. In his free time, Aaron loves reading, getting outdoors to hike and canoe, and attempting to become a decent cook.

Erik is a software developer for WIM. He earned bachelor's degrees in geography and Asian studies from Augustana College in Illinois, and a master's degree in geography from Ohio University. He also holds a GIS Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to Erik's work developing web applications for WIM, his major areas of interest are cartographic and user experience design. Erik enjoys travel, photography, and outdoor sports. In his free time, he can usually be found rock climbing, skiing, cycling, canoeing, or kayak touring.

Lauren is a software developer with WIM. She received her B.S in Geographic Science from James Madison University. While she enjoys work centered around GIS and cartography, her interests have expanded into the world of open source internet mapping. She currently resides in Northern Virginia and is working out of USGS HQ in Reston. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys snowboarding and ultimate frisbee.

Lorraine is a developer and operations coordinator with WIM. She earned bachelor's degrees in Geoscience and Water Science from Northland College, and a master’s degree in Geographic Information Science from Denver University. She joined the USGS in 2018 and then joined the WIM team in 2020. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time in the outdoors, reading, and hanging out with family and friends.

Kathy is a front-end developer. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Carleton College and a master's degree in GIS from the University of Minnesota. During her lunch breaks, she enjoys playing four square, visiting the UMN sheep barn, and making snowmen (weather permitting).

Anders is a developer for WIM. He has a BA from Luther College and a Masters of GIS from the University of Minnesota. Anders' interests include designing maps, drawing conclusions from raw datasets and solving spatial problems. When not working, he can be found riding one of his many bikes, rock climbing or reading.

Julia Prokopec is a hydrologist, project manager, and USGS Water Mission Area liaison for WIM. She received her B.S. in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Geohydrology from Bemidji State. Julia has worked on projects studying groundwater and surface water interaction, persistence of pesticides in groundwater and surface water, and water quality monitoring. Her focus is hydraulic modeling and flood-inundation mapping where she has led studies to be used by communities for hazard mitigation. Outside of work, Julia enjoys being outdoors, canning and spending time with family.

Andrea is a hydrologist and software developer of web applications and services that increase access to USGS water science. She received a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina and an M.S. in Natural Resources from North Carolina State University. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys native plant gardening, pickleball, and walking.

Harper is a software developer for WIM. She received a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of North Dakota. She joined the USGS in 2015 and then joined the WIM team in 2021. Outside of work, Harper enjoys playing board games, sewing crafts, and hanging with her pets.

Chad has a B.S. in Computer Science from Nicholls State University. He has been with USGS since 2011 and with WIM since 2021. Outside of work, his interests include video games, drawing, writing, and anime.

Milan has degrees in International Politics and Geography from Penn State University. Her interest in GIS and cartography brought her to WIM, where she works on mapping, data visualization, and science communication through geonarratives. Milan enjoys reading and cooking, and outside of work, you can often find her exploring the Front Range on a run or by bike.

Joe Federer is a full stack senior research developer and solutions architect at WIM. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Honors program at St. John’s University with Departmental Distinction in Computer Science and a thesis focused on Genetic Programming AI/ML techniques and High-Throughput Distributed Computing Systems, and has multiple decades of experience leading an IT team at the USGS. Joe founded and leads the Advanced Technology Group portfolio of projects, and currently most of his time is engaged in AWS-based microservice serverless solutions, researching AI/ML within imagery-as-data solutions, workflow automation, and pioneering approaches for innovative web applications. Joe loves spending time with his family, playing hockey, and coaching/leading a wide array of activities within the community including soccer, hockey, Lego league, scouts, lacrosse, and other volunteering activities.

Daniel has a B.S. in Public Affairs from Indiana University and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Affairs from Indiana University. Prior to joining USGS Danny worked as a software designer and business analyst helping state and federal agencies solve challenges involving training, compliance, personnel management, organizational management, and more. Danny loves the outdoors and has a lifelong goal of visiting all the national parks.

Andrew received his M.S. from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. As a self-described geospatial geek, Andrew is interested in learning everything geospatial and programming. The opportunity to learn more about software development, in particular front-end and development pipelines, brought him to WIM. Andrew is an avid home chef, baker, and burgeoning cheesemaker when he is not in the woods hiking, on the bike trail, or drinking coffee while reading a good book.

Maggie is a front-end developer with interests in UX/UI and data visualization. She earned B.A.s in geography and environmental studies from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she gained skills in GIS and remote sensing. Before coming to WIM, Maggie completed two remote sensing research projects with NASA DEVELOP. Outside of work, she enjoys painting, biking, and learning about plants.

Branton is a SysOps Specialist for WIM. He works with a full range of AWS cloud services in support of USGS web map applications. Branton has a B.S. in Human Geography and a M.S. in GIS/Cartography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Branton is a Returned Peace Corps volunteer having served two years in Costa Rica. Outside of work Branton is often out on the water gaining sailing experience to become a skipper or dreaming up the next camping or travel adventure.

Patrick holds a B.S. in Geology and Geography from the University of Miami, an M.S. in Hydrology from the Colorado School of Mines, and is pursuing his M.S. in Geospatial Data Science at Penn State University. Prior to joining WIM, Patrick has worked in the water-geospatial nexus both as a hydrology intern for the USGS, as well as a water resources engineer for several consulting firms. Outside of work, Patrick enjoys playing tennis and table-top games, flying his drone, and exploring new hiking trails.

Max is a student contract developer. He received an undergraduate degree in Art from Cornell College and is pursuing an Associates in Front End Wed Development from Madison College. Outside of work, Max enjoys spending time outdoors with his partner, dog, fly fishing as much as possible, and throwing some pottery on the wheel.

Prabvir is a student contract developer. He earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Data Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to joining WIM, Prabvir worked as a developer for the Center for Healthy Minds Research Center. Outside of work, he can be found climbing rock walls, swimming in lakes, and hiking remote trails. He also practices yoga, breathwork, and cold plunging.

Matt received his B.S. in Computer Science from USC and spent time as a software engineer intern with backend teams at a few large companies. In his free time Matt enjoys reading in public parks, trail running, and occasionally studying USGS maps to find historic cabins.

Alex is a contract developer for WIM. He graduated from Metropolitan State University in 2024 with a B.S. in Computer Science. Alex spent seven years as a conductor on the railroad before making a career transition into the software development space. He has interests in science-focused software, automation, and machine learning. In his free time you can find him adventuring into new worlds whether it be by book, film, or games, rock-hunting near a waterfront, or in line at a concert.