Meet Grant Herbert, Senior GIS Analyst/Developer

Where are you from and where do you live now?

I’m originally from New Zealand, and now I live in Seattle, Washington.

What do you do at MFA?

I manage a number of Local Government and Utilities Sector projects. I also provide MFA projects with expertise in programming, database integration and technical GIS, SQL, Python, JavaScript, and Esri products.

What’s rewarding about your job?

I think the most rewarding part is solving difficult technical problems or building something that makes somebody’s day a little easier or better. It is also satisfying to know that I am helping the larger community through our efforts to improve GIS use at smaller cities and utilities.

Why is what you do important?

Location plays a key role in today’s society. GIS can help us understand and evaluate impacts on natural and social environments, and it can have a measurable impact through improved services, reduced costs, and better decision making.

What skills do you bring to your work?

An ability to learn new technology quickly and apply it to solve a problem, a desire to automate and simplify tasks, and the ability to dive deeply into the details while keeping the goal within sight. And perseverance helps too.

What do you like to do off the clock?

Fly fishing and hiking.

If you were not a GIS Analyst/Developer, what would you be?

I always wanted to be a pilot.

What’s on your bucket list?

Flying a plane or helicopter and visiting awesome places that have fishing and hiking!