This week we’re shining our Staff Spotlight on a woman behind the scenes whose work helps our community stay safe, clean, and informed. Barbara Marlin is the GIS Manager in our IT Department. GIS stands for “geographic information system” and is the grouping of data and information into maps for various purposes. If it sounds complicated, it is! But Barbara is the perfect person to explain.

“In my nearly 25-year career I’ve gained a passion for map making, data management, and enabling better decision making. Eighty percent of government information has a location connected to it,” says Barbara. “We use this data and location markers to help us fight blight, set up the Clean Streets Matter program, help firefighters and deputies know where they’re going, keep up with tax records, and a lot more.”

Other ways Barbara’s work helps us out: you can look up which Commissioner represents your district, when your trash pickup day is, and where your property lines are.

“I have a passion for public service and I feel like this is the best fit for me to make a difference in the community,” says Barbara.

Barbara has been with our IT Department for a little over a year, and has worked in GIS technology for nearly 25 years. She’s got a degree in Geography from Middle Tennessee State University and moved to Macon specifically for this job. When not in the office, she can be found with her family, gaming, and spending time with their six cats – Bullet, Merlin, Charlotte, Bentley, Oreo, and mischief-maker Loki.