Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Top Recognition Bio: Mr Ballwin

By The National Map Corps

After editing more than 6,000 structures points, Mr Ballwin is the first volunteer in 2022 to become a member of our top recognition category, the Squadron of Biplane Spectators! Read on to learn more about this long-time volunteer. Thanks for helping us out all these years, Mr Ballwin! 

“Hi I’m Jim (aka Mr Ballwin), 

Image of volunteer, Mr Ballwin, on the job.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
Image of TNMCorps volunteer, Mr Ballwin, on the job. Mr Ballwin is the newest member of the top recognition category, the Squadron of Biplane Spectators. 

“I have 32 years of service for the City of Ballwin, Missouri. I’m married to a terrific woman from Holland. One of my hobbies is collecting vintage photo and film equipment. I also cut down trees as a side job and it’s amazing how great the view is atop a 100-foot tree. 

“The past 12 years I have been in charge of Traffic Control (Signs and Pavement Markings) and Utility locates. I started using GPS receivers for collecting points and lines for our ArcGIS program and I’ve been hooked on GIS ever since then. 

“I first learned about USGS when looking for related metadata of our city and then noticed TNMCorps on the home page and created my account. I like seeing the names and size of some locations. Sometimes it’s sad when I find a location that has several educational points closing. Some of the more difficult points to verify I think are fire departments and cemeteries. I only put in a few hours a week so that’s why it’s taken 5 years to reach the ‘Squadron of Biplane Spectators’! 

“If you are just starting make sure to take your time and double check what information you fill in. When I first started, I received an email from TNM Corps showing me some points that were formatted incorrectly or that points should have been moved. Don’t feel bad if that happens, we all make mistakes so just learn from it. I still have a fat finger problem and find the city or zip is incorrect and may notice this after I saved so always make a note and fix it that day. Sometimes the updates take a day before you can edit but make sure you fix it. 

“HAVE FUN VOLUNTEERS!!!” 

-----

Check out our Recognition Program page to learn more about the Squadron of Biplane Spectators and our other recognition badges!