MN GIS/LIS Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Randy Johnson (2012)Randy Johnson

Randy has spent 16 years as a passionate evangelist for geospatial collaboration. He has worked to advance the cause of establishing MetroGIS - an organizational structure that is successfully sharing GIS data, including 8 Regional Data Solutions designed to become components of the NSDI, with the Regional Parcel Dataset being the crowning achievement. Randy’s zeal for data sharing has been infectious. The principals and methods pioneered by MetroGIS have set a norm for GIS data sharing and collaboration throughout Minnesota’s GIS community. Access to GIS data is an expectation of GIS professionals in Minnesota in part due to Randy Johnson’s dedication to GIS data sharing and the example he has set with MetroGIS.
Randy’s enthusiasm for GIS data sharing through organizational and policy development extended well beyond the bounds of the 7 county metro area. He participated on statewide efforts such as writing “A Foundation for Coordinated GIS Minnesota’s Spatial Data Infrastructure” (2004) and The Statewide Cadastral I-Plan (2002) and reviewing Data Practices issues and serving on Mn Governor’s Council on Geographic Information (GCGI) Data Committee.
Moreover, Randy has been recognized both nationally and internationally for his work. He wrote “Lessons from Practice – A Guidebook to Organizing and Sustaining Geodata Collaboratives” as a way to share his knowledge and experience with others. He was also instrumental in MetroGIS being awarded the URISA Exemplary Systems in Government award in 2002. And Randy served as a charter member on the National Geospatial Advisory Council, representing regions, from 2008-2010.


Lifetime 2009
Accepting the 2012 Lifetime Award for Randall Johnson was Katie and Willie Bittner (daughter and son-in-law)
with the MN GIS/LIS Consortium Chair Ben Verbick and Awards Committee Chair Mark Kotz. Katie accepted her
dad's award because he was in Africa enjoying retirement.

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