About Marylee
Marylee Murphy is a Geospatial Developer with U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she has worked since 2021, first as a GIS Specialist and, since 2025, as a Geospatial Developer.
She holds an M.P.S. in Geospatial Information Sciences from the University of Maryland, an M.S. in Geology from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in Computer Science and Geology from Colby College. Her expertise spans geographic information systems (GIS), spatial data management, environmental analysis, water resources, and geospatial application development.
Marylee manages Minnesota's lead service line mapping effort, overseeing the integration, standardization, and quality assurance of data from public water systems across the state into the Lead Inventory Transparency Tool (LITT).
In addition to her work on lead service lines, she supports applied research projects such as WinterTurf, where she collaborates with project teams to collect survey data, manage spatial datasets, and use satellite imagery to analyze turf management practices and detect winter turf damage.
Key Projects and Initiatives
Lead Inventory Transparency Tool (LITT)
Marylee coordinates the U-Spatial team dedicated to Minnesota's service line material mapping effort, overseeing the processes that ensure data from public water systems across the state is displayed accurately in the public-facing tool.
WinterTurf
A holistic research project studying the mechanisms behind, and ways to mitigate, winter stress on turfgrasses in northern climates. Marylee works with the project team to collect survey data, manage spatial data, and use satellite imagery to detect management practices and turf damage.
Areas of Expertise
- Combining computer science and geosciences to build spatial applications, manage enterprise databases, and construct technical data systems.
- Advanced expertise in hydrologic and environmental modeling—including SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool)—to evaluate sediment delivery, watershed health, and water quality.
- Designing and managing large-scale data systems for Great Lakes ballast water compliance, aquatic research, and freshwater ecosystem monitoring.
- Integrating geological, climate, and spatial metrics to support academic research, environmental management, and state agency collaborations.
Work with Marylee
Reach out, consultations are free for the U of M community.