MN GIS/LIS Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Judy A. Winiecki (2003)

Judy Winiecki, being a registered Land Surveyor, is probably more widely known by the LIS side of our Consortium, but many activities she pursued during her 23-year career with the MnDNR had a very significant impact on the state's GIS history also. Recently Judy retired from her position as Principal Land Surveyor, but her legacy of accomplishments are well know in the agency and around the state.

• Judy was instrumental in the development of the statewide Control Point Inventory (CPI), a statewide database on section corners and other survey points. One important aspect of the CPI work was providing copies to Minnesota counties to help update and augment the CPI, and more importantly, some used it as a basis to begin their parcel digitization efforts. In DNR, the CPI was a key component in its internal effort to build its much-improved Public Land Survey GIS layer which is now available on the Data Deli.
• Judy chaired DNR’s GIS Committee for a period during the early 1990’s when DNR was beginning its efforts to organize and coordinate its GIS activities. Judy also was a member of DNR’s GIS strategic planning committee that set forth the plan that resulted in the integration of DNR GIS data, system and staffing resources. In 1995 she spent seven months at the National Center for Geographic Information at the University of Maine, where she worked on GIS dissemination policy that helped solidify her philosophy of free and easy access to GIS data, the theme followed by DNR’s GIS Data Deli.
• More recently, Judy has been instrumental in getting DNR’s historic air photos digitized and on-line.
• Judy has also pushed forward the concept of a “parcel island” database for nearly 30,000 non-PLS referenced DNR land parcels. Though this work is just beginning it will add to her legacy at DNR.

For this Consortium, Judy served on several committees, has served on the Board and in 1997 was this Consortium’s Chair.

• That year she spearheaded an committee effort that led the preparation of a practical manual describing how to measure and record the accuracy of geospatial databases. GIS specialists in Minnesota and around the world have used thousands of copies of that report.
• Later that same year, the Consortium provided local sponsorship for the broadcast of a national teleconference on implementing metadata for GIS professionals, which guided today’s metadata effort.

For all her work promoting GIS/LIS successes in Minnesota, the 2003 Board of Directors’ is pleased to present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Judy Winiecki. 

Judy's Lifetime Achievement Award plaque reads: "Judy A. Winiecki, PLS, Visionary for LIS Policy and Data Distribution; LIS Voice at DNR & the Consortium."

For more information on this award, see http://www.mngislis.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=43.