GIS Team | City of Boston

Meet the GIS Team

We would like to introduce ourselves.

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From left to right: Claire Lane, Bill Toussaint, Ann Parker, Jim Alberque, Joyce John

Who we are, what we do

Claire Lane
Claire is the Manager of the GIS Team and has worked in this capacity since 2008. She has over twenty years of experience working for the City of Boston, having worked in the Department of Neighborhood Development and the Assessing Department prior to coming to DoIT. As the GIS Manager, Claire is responsible for promoting GIS as a tool for informing decisions and enabling spatial thinking across the organization, providing access to GIS data resources both within the City and to its constituents, and creating a vision for the use of GIS at all levels. She is also the project manager for the Enterprise Asset Management implementation. Claire has a Master’s Degree in Geography from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She lives in West Roxbury with her husband, five children and dog.

Jim Alberque
Jim is a Senior GIS Project Manager with DoIT. Before joining DoIT in January 2005, he was a GIS Specialist for the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Central Transportation Planning staff. Jim brings a well-rounded background in managing and implementing overall GIS technology and architecture. He currently oversees all GIS enterprise system integrations and developed and supports several custom GIS applications. Jim has a BA in Geography from Framingham State University.

Bill Toussaint
Bill is the GIS Data Manager with DoIT. He has over twelve years of experience in the GIS and IT fields and has been working for the City since February 2011. On the GIS Team, Bill is responsible for updating and maintaining the City of Boston’s Enterprise GIS (EGIS), providing supportive mapping data and analysis, and processing GIS data requests. Bill has a degree in Environmental Science at Plattsburgh State University and he is a certified GIS Professional (GISP). He enjoys traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with his dog.

Joyce John

Joyce joined the GIS Team in July 2011. Before coming to DoIT, she worked for the City of Boston at the Rental Housing Resource Center for 23 years where she gathered extensive knowledge of city functions and principles. Joyce is responsible for administrative tasks within the team, including updating and maintaining the GIS website and preparing Power Point and other media presentations. She also supports GIS projects for DoIT and other COB departments. Joyce has a Master’s Degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University. She lives in South Boston with her family.

Ann Parker
Ann is the Assistant Public Safety Systems Manager for GIS. She has been working in the GIS field for nearly ten years with a focus in local and federal government GIS applications, and has worked for NOAA’s Biogeography Program, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, and the Town of Wellesley, MA. She joined the City’s Public Safety team in August of 2011 to manage the mapping and spatial data component of the City’s new Computer-Aided Dispatch System. Ann has a Master’s Degree in Remote Sensing & Spatial Analysis from the University of Rhode Island. Originally from New Jersey, Ann moved to Boston four years ago and lives in West Roxbury with her family.

Northeastern University Cooperative Education Student Maggie Poyant
Every spring and fall the City of Boston hires a student from Northeastern University to participate in a six month internship program at DoIT. Using GIS skills acquired in the classroom, the intern works on real-life projects and tasks to help the city, thus gaining a working knowledge of GIS. During the current co-op cycle the intern assisted in mapping school districts and was responsible for adding and mapping street light data for the PWD. At the end of the six month period, each student is evaluated on their work, effort and learning ability and is then able to move on and use the valuable skills learned in future endeavors.