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 a software developer for WIM. He has a B.A. and M.A. from Florida State University and a GIS/Cartography certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Blake works primarily client-side, developing web apps in JavaScript, but also enjoys working with Python whenever the need arises. He also spends a lot of time configuring server environments and preparing GIS data for use in web services. His main professional goal is to create useful, intuitive, geographically focused data products that advance USGS science. Outside of work, Blake enjoys cooking good food, woodworking, and spending time in the woods hiking and canoe camping.

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.

Mitch is a frontend and UI/UX developer with WIM. He has 8 years of experience creating websites and other software, having started as a freelancer before coming to WIM. Outside of work and school, he enjoys traveling, snowboarding, and hiking.

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's interests in GIS and computer science led her to join WIM in 2019. She has a B.A. from Carleton College and a Master of GIS from the University of Minnesota. Outside of work, Kathy enjoys cooking, walking, canoeing, and solving puzzles.

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 software developer for WIM. 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, gaining GIS and programming skills along the way. Since joining WIM in 2021, she has developed web mapping applications to increase accessibility to USGS science. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys geocaching, gardening, and volunteering for conservation efforts.

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 projects involving data visualization and geonarrative design. Outside of work, Milan enjoys traveling and spending time outside. In her free time, you can usually find her on a run, reading a novel, or cooking a new recipe.

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.

I got my undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point where I majored in Hydrology and minored in GIS with a strong passion for nature and for sharing that with others. I then spent the next few years working for an environmental community center (Urban Ecology Center) as their GIS and Field Data Coordinator in Milwaukee, WI where I worked on engaging the community in helping monitor wildlife and conducting research as a means of understanding biodiversity change in an urban area. While I really enjoyed doing this work and got to dabble in some technical work, I was left with a desire to dive deeper into web development, databases, and programming. This led me to pursue a Masters of GIS at the University of Minnesota that I started in January of 2022. I attended a virtual job fair where I was able to chat with the WIM team and now here I am! Other than that, I am an avid birder and disc golfer and like to cross-country ski in the winter. I think it would be awesome to start a biathlon club centered around xc skiing and putting with frisbees!

Maggie earned her bachelor's degrees 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, one that focused on modeling suitable habitat for invasive grasses and one that focused on drought-related tree die-off events. Outside of work, she enjoys painting, biking, and learning about plants.