GIS pioneer honoured for decades of leadership in expanding Calgary’s use of geospatial solutions to improve city services

Gord Rasmussen, recipient of the Roger F. Tomlinson Lifetime Achievement Award

In his more than three-decade career in the surveying, mapping and geographic information system (GIS) field, Gord Rasmussen has championed the transformative potential of geospatial technology. His leadership at the City of Calgary has driven the integration of GIS tools across departments, reshaping how the City manages data and makes decisions.

From his early work in the Parks Department to his current role as the Manager of Geospatial Business Solutions, Collaboration, Analytics and Innovation, Mr. Rasmussen has consistently advocated for the power of GIS to solve complex urban challenges and improve city services—and done so with such vision and aplomb that he has become a respected leader in municipal GIS across North America. His influence has been so profound that Esri Canada is honouring Mr. Rasmussen with the Robert F. Tomlinson Lifetime Achievement Award. 

“Gord was instrumental in developing and growing Calgary's Enterprise GIS Program, which is now recognized as one of the most robust and advanced municipal GIS programs in North America,” says Alex Miller, president of Esri Canada. “Under his guidance, the City’s geospatial capabilities evolved from a niche technology to an essential tool empowering multiple departments and the public.”

One of his most significant achievements was leading Calgary’s adoption of Esri’s cloud GIS service ArcGIS Online in 2013-2014. Tasked with evaluating the platform, Mr. Rasmussen steered the City through this major technological shift. The result was that Calgary became one of the first major municipalities to integrate and expand its use, allowing city departments to share data more effectively and reap the many benefits of adopting cutting-edge geospatial technology. Aligning technological advancements with organizational needs is one of Mr. Rasmussen’s signature talents.

By 2015, Calgary’s GIS team had rebuilt the entire City of Calgary Map Gallery using ArcGIS Online. For the first time, a wide range of interactive maps was available to the public—a development that would have been out of the question even a year before. And more recently, the GIS team helped replace mailed voter information cards with an online system, allowing citizens to easily find their polling stations.

Mr. Rasmussen’s career has been marked by his forward-thinking vision, but just as importantly, by his inspiring leadership style. "As Gord says, you can only implement change as fast as the speed of trust,” says Mary Butler-Gretton, senior account executive at Esri Canada. “Gord always takes the time to understand where people are coming from, and to learn about their priorities and concerns.”

Colleagues describe him as a leader who fosters an environment where teamwork is paramount and diverse opinions are welcomed. He is particularly known for his ability to relay complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences, including senior leadership.

"Gord builds trust by truly listening,” says Melanie Mackenzie, leader of geospatial business development at the City of Calgary. “He’s great at understanding people’s concerns, challenges and victories, and relates to people on their terms rather than just talking at them.  Whether it’s with clients, leadership, technical or operational staff, he creates a genuine two-way dialogue, which sets the stage for digging into the bigger problems that need solving."

This approach has built a dedicated group of professionals who contribute to the ongoing success of the City’s GIS infrastructure. Spearheading technological evolution has been a constant throughout Mr. Rasmussen’s tenure. “He is the technical conscience of the City of Calgary when it comes to anything to do with mapping or spatial solutions,” says David McChesney, director of Prairies Region at Esri Canada, who collaborated closely with Mr. Rasmussen for over 16 years.

Mr. Rasmussen was a key leader in successfully navigating Calgary through several transitions, from early Unix systems to the modern cloud-based and mobile platforms that the City uses today. His ability to anticipate the future and embrace innovation is perhaps best exemplified by his team’s rapid deployment of mobile GIS tools during Calgary’s "Snowmageddon" storm. The initiative, which helped catalogue urban forest damage in real time, highlighted the potential of mobile GIS in crisis management and cemented support for ArcGIS Online.

As Mr. Rasmussen approaches his retirement at the end of November 2024, he isn’t content to leave the future of GIS to the hands of fate. Instead, he’s focused on ensuring a smooth transition for his team and the GIS program. To that end, he has initiated a "Health Check" of the City’s GIS capabilities, a comprehensive review aimed at assessing the current state of the program and providing strategic recommendations for its future. “Most people would say, ‘I’m retiring, so it’s not my problem anymore,’ but that's not Gord," says Shane Long, Esri Canada’s program director of community maps.

Mr. Rasmussen’s influence on the GIS community is widely recognized beyond Calgary, and his insights are frequently sought after by peers in other cities.

“Gord’s leadership has set a standard for municipal geospatial programs across North America,” continues Mr. Miller. “Gord’s contributions to the field of GIS will be felt long after his retirement. His legacy of innovation, collaboration and bold vision will shape Calgary’s operations for years to come.”

Watch this video: Gord Rasmussen, Roger F. Tomlinson Lifetime Achievement Awardee