Fall NEARC 2024: Full Schedule

Chris Danforth is a Professor of Mathematics & Statistics at the University of Vermont. He is Director of the Vermont Advanced Computing Center, and along with Peter Sheridan Dodds runs the Computational Story Lab research group at the Vermont Complex Systems Center. He received a... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Adirondack Ballroom

General Session

Track General Session

10:00am EDT

Break and Visit Exhibitors

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am EDT

Prefunction

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:00am - 10:30am EDT
Prefunction

Main Agenda Item

Track Main Agenda Item

10:30am EDT

ArcGIS Urban for Land Use and Transportation Analyses

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT

Lake Champlain B

ArcGIS Urban is a cloud-based data-driven, collaborative and 3D urban planning platform that supports a city’s land use, housing, economic development and transportation planning.

Transportation is an integral part of city planning. In this session, you will learn how to use ArcGIS Urban to analyze how trip generation and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) can be impacted based on land use changes and development patterns. This session will also highlight the benefits of incorporating 3D elements into the planning workflows.

Speakers

Judy Fung

Urban Solution Engineer, Esri

Hi! I am a Solution Engineer on Esri's Boston State and Local Government team. I have a background in GIS, urban planning, design and environmental consulting. Previously worked as a planner in municipal, regional planning organizations and a GIS consultant in the environmental consulting... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

10:30am EDT

ARCGIS ONLINE AND HUB: Integrating Policy, Maps, Living Atlas Data and Dynamic Custom Charting with ESRI’s Hub

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT

Green Mountain B

The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) and Blue Raster will give a short oral presentation on the approach and the GIS tools used to create a user-friendly web-based experience for the ECOS Regional Plan.
CCRPC has been producing a Regional Plan to protect the county’s resources and to guide its development since 1976. CCRPC has branded their regional plan as the ECOS Regional Plan, a sustainability plan for the most populous county in VT. Currently, the ECOS Plan consists of disparate content types consisting of 8 pdf documents of existing conditions and policy, 70+ GIS Layers in a web map viewer, and 100+ indicators for tracking progress on the ECOS strategies. This has made access and useability a challenge.

For the 2026 update, CCRPC wanted a solution to better integrate all the types of content that makes up the ECOS Plan to increase understanding of the ECOS Plan among community audiences. CCRPC has partnered with Blue Raster to build the ECOS Plan website on ESRI’s Hub platform.

Using ArcGIS Hub Premium, Blue Raster designed and deployed a visually pleasing user-friendly Hub site for CCRPC’s ECOS Plan. The ECOS Plan Hub site brings to life the dense pdf document by using a topic-based icon system to connect community users with their topic of interest with just a few clicks. A user can then access key insights on that topic portrayed through short narratives, geo-spatial data and indicators. Additionally, the user can choose to translate the site into numerous languages using Hub’s translation widget.

Most of the data indicators for Chittenden County come from the Decennial Census and American Community Survey. Because CCRPC is committed to keeping the ECOS Plan data indicators current on an annual basis, they were looking for a solution to minimize manual updates and processing time. Blue Raster configured Hub to connect to ESRI’s Living Atlas and Community Analyst, so the ECOS Plan site is updated as soon as new data is available. This required custom coding of the Hub’s chart widget to connect to these services. Blue Raster also customized the chart widget to expand the number of variables and formatting of the charts shown on each ECOS Plan topic page.

Learn how CCRPC collaborated with Esri partner Blue Raster on a Hub site to connect community and increase understanding of the CCRPC ECOS plan by using the Living Atlas, dynamic charts and more!

Speakers

PHIL SATLOF

PROGRAM MANAGER, BLUE RASTER

CHRIS MESSERICH

GIS Analyst, Blue Raster

Melanie Needle

GIS Manager, Chittenden County RPC

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track ArcGIS Online and Hub

10:30am EDT

DATA QUALITY AND AI SUCCESS: Using GeoAI for Flood mitigation modeling

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT

Lake Champlain A

Innovate enhanced the geospatial products by incorporating technologies such as AI feature extraction and 3D modeling. We used geoprocessing methodologies and web-based applications to create planning decision support frameworks from a neighborhood level to the national scale. We employed server-side geoprocessing tools to further generate analytical derivatives that we then used within cartographic products, dynamic web-based and mobile applications as well as supported graphics for technical reports. Innovate used Esri’s ArcHydro software to process overland stormwater flow data from DEMs and DSMs to model how water travels, accumulates, and gains velocity over topography. The by-product of this analysis provides a municipality with the ability to identify how changing its infrastructure from impervious to more green spaces can impact the potential for flooding.

Speakers

Michael Blair

Senior IT/GIS Project Manager, Strategist & Architect, Innovate! Inc

Sr. IT/GIS Strategist & Architect | Project Manager | Subject Matter Expert | Business DevelopmentDynamic Senior IT/GIS Strategist & Architect with over 30 years managing and supporting IT and geospatial application development projects to implement complex and advanced geospatial... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Data Quality and AI Success

10:30am EDT

DRONES/UAS: Leveraging Esri for Drone Integration

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT

Green Mountain C

Municipalities across the county are combining their local GIS data with federal FAA data to help safely integrate UAVs into their community. Drone enabled cities are seeing public safety, economic development and utility department benefits. This presentation aims to explain the integration framework necessary to achieve these benefits, and to highlight communities that are operating ahead of the curve.

Speakers

Airspace Link

Airspace Link is an FAA-approved UAS Service Supplier of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) and is approved to provide FAA B4UFLY Services. Our mission is to enable the safe integration of drones into the national airspace and communities at scale through... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Drones/UAS

10:30am EDT

WATER RESOURCES - FLOODING: Improving Flood Hazard Resilience in Florida: Automated Spatial Vulnerability Analysis of Community Critical Assets Impacted by Climate Change Flooding

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT

Green Mountain A

Communities worldwide face increasing challenges from climate-induced inland flood events, necessitating effective flood mitigation strategies. Florida’s Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan to characterize community asset vulnerability to climate impacted flood hazard is being used to assess the impacts of flooding from current and future precipitation on critical infrastructure in the communities to support development of adaptation strategies.

This study employs hydrological and hydraulic (H&H) geospatial analysis to evaluate the future flood events impact from climate change on critical assets and infrastructure. H&H modeling software Hydrologic Engineering Centers – River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) was used to simulate flood depths for various climate impacted events. Then, ESRI Model Builder was leveraged to analyze and identify vulnerable areas and assets prone to flooding within the community.

The comprehensive analysis provides actionable insights for strategic stormwater management projects aimed at mitigating flood risks. Results identify specific locations and infrastructure most susceptible to flooding, guiding the placement of infrastructure improvements and adaptation measures. To facilitate planning efforts, a user-friendly web application has been developed for planners and engineers to interactively access and utilize the analysis results.

This integrative approach not only improves flood resilience planning but also supports informed decision-making processes for sustainable community development in the face of increasing climate challenges.

Speakers

Emma Estabrook

Technical Specialist, Woodard & Curran

Tuesday October 29, 2024 10:30am - 11:00am EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track Water Resources - Flooding

11:00am EDT

What's New in ArcGIS Pro

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT

Lake Champlain B

ArcGIS Pro is the premier desktop geographic information system (GIS) application, offering powerful tools for managing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data. Designed with user-driven innovations, ArcGIS Pro allows users to create detailed 2D, 3D, and even 4D visualizations and perform complex mapping analytics. Its integration within the broader ArcGIS platform enables seamless data sharing, fostering collaboration and the development of valuable GIS solutions across industries.

This session will cover exciting new features in ArcGIS Pro. Whether you're new to ArcGIS Pro or a seasoned user, this session will equip you with the knowledge to maximize the potential of ArcGIS Pro in your GIS projects.

Speakers

Krithica Kantharaj

Solution Engineer, Esri

I am a Sr. Solution Engineer and have been with ESRI for the last nine years. I enjoy the challenge of solving any business problem using GIS and spatial analysis. I have an undergraduate degree in Computer science, an MBA and a Master’s degree in Geography and Planning. I have... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

11:00am EDT

ARCGIS ONLINE AND HUB: Using ArcGIS Online to Connect Vermonters to the Internet

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT

Green Mountain B

Vermont, one of the most rural states in the U.S., is leading the charge to expand broadband internet access to its citizens. The Vermont Community Broadband Board (VCBB) is responsible for overseeing this work and distributing funding to and collaborating with regional collaborators. Stone Environmental, an Esri Silver Business Partner, empowered the VCBB with ArcGIS Online to manage data. Learn how Stone and the VCBB use ArcGIS Hub, ArcGIS Dashboards, and Experience Builder to bridge the digital divide in Vermont. We'll dive into a specific case study looking at the State-led BEAD Challenge process and the challenges and unique solutions Stone configured to meet federal requirements and the needs of Vermont addresses lacking adequate access to broadband services.

Speakers

Mary Haley

GIS Specialist, Stone Environmental

Mary is a talented GIS project professional with experience leveraging advanced-level GIS services in a range of technical projects. Before joining Stone, she applied her skills at the Vermont Agency of Transportation, where she administered geodatabases and mapping services with... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track ArcGIS Online and Hub

11:00am EDT

DATA QUALITY AND AI SUCCESS: Data Value before Data Quality before AI

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT

Lake Champlain A

Everyone is talking or attempting to use Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or AI. Industry leaders would say that data is the most important ingredient to 'make' AI work. A common theme for the proper or efficient use of AI is a need for 'good data' or data of the highest quality. GIS Practitioners have coined the phrase 'Garbage In and Garbage Out' as a rallying cry for better data since the formation of the discipline. Most organizations have some set or repository of data they utilize for their business, and some even create their data. The state of quality of these data repositories can fluctuate from abysmal to pristine. So how can organizations improve the quality of existing data or ensure that the data being collected now, is the best the organization can make it? This presentation claims that data must be valued as highly as revenue or profits if data quality is to improve. If data are valued highly, then care is taken as it is collected, compiled, and collated, and arguably, quality will improve, and there is a fighting chance for the use of AI to succeed for whatever purposes is required.

Speakers

Peter Veenstra

Director of Data Architecture, Pivvot\Terracon

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Data Quality and AI Success

11:00am EDT

DRONES/UAS: UAS for Flood Response & Recovery: From Flight Planning to Data Sharing

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT

Green Mountain C

Severe flood events had major impacts on Vermont in July 2023 and July 2024. The UVM UAS Team carried out more than 350 missions in support of rapid response and long-term recovery efforts after these events, deploying a wide range of UAS platforms and sensors to capture critical and timely data. This presentation will discuss the benefits, applications, challenges, and lessons learned from these efforts to inform the future of how UAS technology can be best applied to the next severe weather events in the Northeast, as well as the opportunities for training emergency responders and geospatial professionals on how to begin to use UAS to aid their efforts.

The University of Vermont is a core-member of the FAA’s ASSURE research center of excellence, which focuses on the integration of UAS into the national airspace. Within ASSURE, UVM’s research focus areas have centered around the application of UAS technology for disaster and emergency response. UVM’s UAS program began in the years following the impacts of Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and has remained at the forefront of using these technologies to enhance the efficiency for disaster response. UVM was the first organization in the country to respond to a train derailment with UAS and has captured data of tornados, microburst, ice jams, floods, and landslides throughout the state.

Speakers

Adam Zylka

UAS Research Engineer & Program Lead, University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab

Adam is an Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research Engineer and UAS Program Lead at the University of Vermont’s Spatial Analysis Lab, integrating his academic and industry experience with UAS and geospatial technology. As part of UVM's core membership in the FAA’s ASSURE Center... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Drones/UAS

11:00am EDT

WATER RESOURCES - FLOODING: Riverine Mapping & 2D Hydraulic Modeling with UAS topobathymetric LiDAR in Lyndon, VT

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT

Green Mountain A

Topobathymetric LiDAR has long been a technology available exclusively on fixed wing manned aircraft making it costly and inefficient for smaller targeted surveys. Recent innovations have allowed for the development of more compact systems, allowing organizations to utilize unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to provide more timely, efficient, and affordable topobathymetric LiDAR. On a UAS platform, a topobathymetric survey can produce 200 points of elevation per square meter, capturing microtopography, scours, sediment impoundment and other geomorphologic characteristics. Whiteout Solutions is one of the first commercial vendors leveraging these technological advancements working with engineering firms, scientists, governments, and conservation groups to map ecosystems experiencing the first order impacts of climate change.

The rural community of Lyndon, Vermont has been subject to substantial flooding in recent decades. In 2023, the Town of Lyndon contracted SLR Consulting to conduct a flood study and to identify flood mitigation strategies. Utilizing its topobathy capabilities Whiteout Solutions surveyed roughly six miles of the Passumpsic river and adjacent floodplain. SLR leveraged the topobathymetry data to develop high-resolution 2D hydraulic modeling, allowing them to test and validate the effectiveness of various flood mitigation strategies. The results of this work provided the community with a series of options for how to improve the flood capacity and reduce flood impacts on the community. The high-resolution data not only is providing the engineering firm with more confidence in their models but also results in Lyndonville becoming more resilient to the expected future increases in flood magnitude and frequency.

With technologic advancements in LiDAR and new programs like USGS’s 3DHP, floodplain maps across the nation will benefit from higher accuracy models, better designs and safer communities.

Speakers

Evan Carlson

Director, Product & Business Development, Whiteout Solutions

Whiteout Solutions is a geospatial technology company with a service bureau that collects high resolution geospatial data, processes and analyzes it. We also offer the GeoSAP, an application that automates the complex workflows and generates actionable insights and visualizations... Read More →

Douglas Osborne

Water Resources Engineer, SLR Consulting

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:00am - 11:30am EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track Water Resources - Flooding

11:30am EDT

Leveraging ArcGIS for Community Engagement and Collaboration

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

ArcGIS Hub is a cloud-based engagement and collaboration platform that helps you work more effectively with your community.

This session will highlight functionality of ArcGIS Hub that can help you maximize impacts to your community; we will start from talking about sharing data, extending your outreach to directly bringing your community on an important initiative.

Speakers

Judy Fung

Urban Solution Engineer, Esri

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

11:30am EDT

ARCGIS ONLINE AND HUB: Enhancing Public Engagement through ArcGIS: Integrating Survey123, Dashboards, and StoryMaps

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

In the field of public engagement, the effective collection, analysis, and presentation of data are essential to fostering community involvement and informed decision-making. Esri’s ArcGIS offers a suite of powerful tools designed to seamlessly integrate these facets, notably Survey123, Dashboards, and StoryMaps. This presentation showcases the collaborative use of these ArcGIS products to enhance public engagement across a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) planning project with the Androscoggin Transportation Resource Center.

Survey123 plays a pivotal role in gathering public input and feedback efficiently. This tool enables project teams to collect georeferenced data from participants, ensuring that public opinions and observations are spatially contextualized. Surveys can be customized to address specific needs such as community needs assessments, call out areas of concern and allows the public to voice any additional thoughts they may have. By utilizing Survey123, communities can engage with diverse demographics, ensuring that a broad spectrum of voices is heard and considered in the decision-making process.

Once data is collected, ArcGIS Dashboards deliver an intuitive platform for analyzing and interpreting the information. Dashboards can be tailored for both public and private viewers, providing real-time insights and visualizations that are crucial for transparency and responsive planning. Through interactive charts, maps, and lists, stakeholders gain a comprehensive understanding of the collected data, thereby informing decisions and strategies effectively for a successful project.

Finally, StoryMaps combines narrative text, images, and multimedia with geographic data to create compelling, interactive presentations of project findings and additional details. This tool transforms raw data into an engaging story, facilitating a deeper connection with the audience and enabling a broader understanding of the project's impacts and objectives. The storytelling aspect is crucial for bridging the gap between data and the public, making complex information accessible and engaging.

By leveraging Survey123 for data collection, Dashboards for analysis, and StoryMaps for presentation, this integrated approach not only enhances data-driven decision-making but also fosters greater public participation and engagement. Attendees will gain insights into the practical applications, benefits, and best practices of using ArcGIS products in community-engaged projects, ultimately driving more inclusive and informed outcomes.

Speakers

Stephanie Pelletier

NH GIS Team Lead, VHB

Kristina Sargent

New England GIS Lead, VHB

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track ArcGIS Online and Hub

11:30am EDT

DATA QUALITY AND AI SUCCESS: Embrace the Chaos, Provide Snacks: Lessons Learned Producing High Quality Data with a Student Workforce

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain A

The UVM Spatial Analysis Lab has a long history of high quality and high impact GIS work. In the last year alone the SAL has performed emergency response to multiple major flood events, taught numerous workshops for first responders, state/federal employees, and highschol students and produced tens of thousands of square miles of high resolution land cover data, mapping areas that contain more than 9% of the total US population. In addition to producing these high quality services and datasets the SAL has employed upwards of 350 students/recent graduates/new GIS professionals in the past 15 years and currently has a robust work force of 40 technicians/GIS operators.

The SAL would like to share some lessons learned and insights gained from decades of work in the geospatial field and running such a complex, flexible and high achieving organization in the rapidly changing technological landscape.

Speakers

Anna Royar

Geospatial Specialist, UVM Spatial Analysis Lab

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Data Quality and AI Success

11:30am EDT

DRONES/UAS: 10 Lessons Learned flying drones since before there were rules

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Green Mountain C

From checklists and risk assessments to selecting (and employing!) emergency landing sites to the importance of pre-flighting to how (and when!) to safely fly from the seat of your pants this presentation discusses some of the many lessons learned in well over a decade of commercial drone flying. Presented in easy-to-swallow bites, these lessons are easy to take, adapt, and work into your protocols and procedures. These lessons will provide good value for beginners just starting out, as well as seasoned veteran pilots. At the very least, you can learn how to recover from obliterating your drone in front of a client and still complete the project.

Speakers

Kevin Ham

Director of Homeland Security, Southeast Regional Planning & Economic Development District

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Drones/UAS

11:30am EDT

WATER RESOURCES - FLOODING: Flood Risk Analysis

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

Flooding is a growing concern in the United States and occurs across the country resulting in significant damage to property and infrastructure. Sanborn has been working with Huitt-Zollars and CDM Smith to develop a tool for the City of Oklahoma City to identify a flooding risk score for infrastructure within the city. This was accomplished by aggregating a wide range of information (FEMA and USGS floodplain data, digital elevation models, buildings, roads, and critical infrastructure) to create a score for each drainage basin, intended to identify the risk of flooding to infrastructure during a weather event. The process for building the risk scores was developed using Esri’s ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension. Sanborn configured an ArcGIS Experience Builder application to display the score within each major basin within the city.

Speakers

Rebecca Davis

Project Manager, The Sanborn Map Company

Tuesday October 29, 2024 11:30am - 12:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track Water Resources - Flooding

12:00pm EDT

Lunch and Visit Exhibitors - Sponsored by VHB

Tuesday October 29, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT

Adirondack Ballroom

Tuesday October 29, 2024 12:00pm - 1:30pm EDT
Adirondack Ballroom

Main Agenda Item

Track Main Agenda Item

1:30pm EDT

Managing Parcel Data in ArcGIS

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

Managing a Land Records dataset in ArcGIS is a critical role in local government, be it at the town, city, or county level. ArcGIS tools to achieve this have evolved over the years to include a state-of-the-art desktop editing environment, a secure online vehicle to disseminate parcel and tax data to interested and required parties, and a powerful set of tools to maintain the data in a geographically accurate and consistent manner. In this session we will discuss the role of ArcGIS Pro, Parcel Fabric, ArcGIS Solutions, ArcGIS online, and ArcGIS Enterprise, and how they fit into a plan for success.

Speakers

Mark Scott

Solutions Engineer, Esri

Mark Scott received a B.S. degree in Surveying Engineering at The University of Maine in 1984. He has over 7 years of practical surveying and engineering experience, and over 30 years industry experience in the technical sales and marketing of Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CAD... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

1:30pm EDT

ASSET MANAGEMENT 1: Indoor GIS: a history, trials, tribulations and the promise

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

The University of New Hampshire started our journey of Indoor GIS mapping more than a decade before ArcGIS Indoors was a glimmer in ESRI’s eye. We’ll discuss our early days of CAD georeferencing and conversion utilizing model builder, python and currently FME as well as poor CAD drafting versus the nobel sensibilities of GIS and realizing the third dimension. Furthermore, revelations on early indoor asset data collection via old school printed maps to Collector and finally Field maps and aligning to the ArcGIS Indoors schema. We’ll discuss the constant struggle between aligning our ever changing physical infrastructure to our “digital twin” or vice versa, whether it’s discovering “new” rooms to physical signage mismatches. Join us as we dive into the trials and tribulations of Indoor GIS mapping through the years and what it might hold for the future of space management and beyond at UNH.

Speakers

Samuel Lingeman

Spatial Data Systems Manager, University of New Hampshire

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track Asset Management 1

1:30pm EDT

GIS TOOLS 2: Utilizing Arcade Expressions for Interactive Analysis within Web Apps

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

Arcade is a versatile expression language tailored for enhancing ArcGIS maps and applications, enabling dynamic and interactive analysis within the Map Viewer. This empowers users with meaningful data driven insights quickly and effectively. Unlike conventional desktop analysis workflows, Arcade expressions provide exceptional flexibility and efficiency in situations where project limits are frequently changing, thereby enabling more responsive and insightful analysis. This presentation explores the use of arcade expressions within a web map and dashboard for conducting desktop environmental reviews to identify extents of environmental impacts along utility project routes. By configuring a custom popup with expressions that reference MassGIS hosted datasets, the project team can efficiently review summary statistics, resource area intersections, and utility routing options to make informed decisions about permitting and construction needs. This presentation details the methodology, challenges, and outcomes of integrating Arcade expressions in utility routing analysis, highlighting their role in optimizing the process for constantly evolving project areas.

Speakers

Austin Canty

GIS Analyst, Tighe & Bond, Inc.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track GIS Tools 2

1:30pm EDT

REMOTE SENSING: Extracting Vermont's Energy Infrastructure From QL1 LiDAR PointClouds

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT

Green Mountain C

As communities and states modernize their electrical grids to overcome power outages due to energy sources or extreme weather events, emphasis should be placed on equity and resilience. In collaboration with the Vermont Electric Power Company and the University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, the Spatial Analysis Lab is supporting the mission of energy resiliency and equity focused on rural Vermont. This project is in collaboration with multiple utility distributions across the state. The wider-project's intent is to support resilience and equity of Vermont’s electrical grid by using geospatial data to fill pressing informational gaps by developing models that utility providers can use to improve energy resiliency in the face of climate change and increasing extreme weather. Specifically, the lab is mapping utility electrical infrastructure information from 2023 statewide Q1 LiDAR data. This presentation will cover the series of techniques used to classify the LiDAR point clouds and custom surface model development. Techniques included such as ERSI's pretrained GEOAI models and active learning to further train LiDAR classification models. With this research, the lab will provide utilities with highly accurate vector data that can be used for utility maintenance and preparedness. This project is funded by the Leahy Institute for Rural Partnerships.

Speakers

Maeve Naumann

University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:00pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Remote Sensing

1:30pm EDT

DIVE DEEPER INTO TECHNICAL SKILLS 1: Google Big Query for ArcGIS Users

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Lake Champlain A

In this presentation, Brian Hebert will work through several workflows using and comparing both ArcGIS Pro and Google Big Query, focusing on classic geoprocessing tasks including import, export, append, spatial join, buffer, dissolve, intersect, etc. using high volume vector data. The full US Tiger Edges (All_Lines) polyline network and Meta (Facebook) sponsored high resolution population point data will be used to map out flood and evacuation scenarios. Arcpy and Google Big Query SQL source code examples will be reviewed. Particular attention will be given to getting data in/out of ESRI formats before/after processing in Google Big Query. This presentation would be of interest for anyone who is challenged with high volume vector data manipulation and will highlight leveraging the awesome power of big-database cloud engines for geospatial processing.

Speakers

Brian Hebert

Solutions Architect, ScribeKey, LLC

Tuesday October 29, 2024 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Dive Deeper Into Technical Skills 1

2:00pm EDT

A Deeper Dive Into AI in the ArcGIS Platform

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

Speakers

Andrew Turner

Manager, Esri

Andrew Turner is the CTO of ArcGIS Hub and Director of Esri’s R+D Center in Washington, DC where they are developing new technology for open data sharing and geospatial web collaboration. His work enables organizations to provide public digital infrastructure for citizen and community... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

2:00pm EDT

ASSET MANAGEMENT 1: Employing wireless access points for space utilization

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT

Green Mountain B

Higher Education has attempted to grapple with the efficient utilization of space for decades. The issues adding to the challenge vary from internal politics to the lack of reliable or complete data sources for decision making. Many techniques and tools can be used to try and assess or quantify the use of space. No single one seems to offer the solution. The University of New Hampshire leadership recently engaged with a software vendor to try and find a new technological approach to solving the space problem. We are currently implementing the use of this software platform that utilizes AI for the mapping of devices via wireless access points and uses the data collected for the assessment of space utilization. That’s the claim anyway. This talk will go over the challenge of the university’s leadership expectation for a technological “easy button” as well as implementation challenges associated with this solution. Join us as we attempt to hold a software contractor/consultant accountable for their claims in relation to leadership expectations and whether the solution holds up to the sniff test when compared to traditional tools used to asses space utilization.

Speakers

Samuel Lingeman

Spatial Data Systems Manager, University of New Hampshire

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track Asset Management 1

2:00pm EDT

GIS TOOLS 2: Top 9 ArcGIS Dashboard tips and tricks I’ve stumbled upon (and a resource to help GIS users put them to use)

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT

Green Mountain A

ArcGIS Dashboards allow GIS users to create webpages which enable audiences with a range of GIS experience to explore maps and data in an interactive, engaging way. While producing a basic dashboard is not very difficult, the process of arriving at the correct balance of form and function to craft a truly useful dashboard can be challenging and often requires a great deal of experimentation. Determining the “best” use of ArcGIS Dashboards for a specific purpose involves a combination of personal and organizational sensibilities with an awareness of the possibilities presented by the technology. During this session, I will (hopefully) make this process easier for attendees by detailing some of the tips and tricks I have discovered while working on numerous dashboard projects, as well as, unveiling a newly-developed online resource to help GIS more easily start using these approaches in their own work.

Speakers

Shane Bradt

Extension Specialist, Geospatial Technologies, UNH Cooperative Extension

Shane Bradt is a University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension State Specialist with the Natural Resources Program and an Extension Professor with the UNH Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Geography. Shane's outreach GIS outreach efforts in NH are largely... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track GIS Tools 2

2:00pm EDT

REMOTE SENSING: Using NASA Data to Analyze the Impact of Climate Phenology on Caribou Survival

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT

Green Mountain C

Each fall, Western Arctic caribou migrate across frozen Northern Alaskan rivers to reach wintering grounds. Regional climate changes have altered ice and vegetation phenology dynamics throughout caribou habitats, preventing caribou from crossing rivers and successfully calving. Caribou cannot cross partially frozen rivers and require healthy vegetation in the spring to calve. The Massachusetts NASA DEVELOP Team partnered with the National Park Service in Alaska to analyze changes in river ice formation and terrestrial vegetation. Landsat 8 and 9 Operational Land Imagery, Terra and Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Sentinel 1-Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) C-band, and Sentinel 2A/B Multispectral Instrument imagery were used to assess ecological conditions relevant to caribou survival. The timing and duration of ice formation was assessed using the Normalized Difference Infrared Index (NDII), Relative Difference River Ice (RDRI), and Vertical-Vertical/Vertical-Horizontal (VV/VH) backscatter values based on the spectral and surface characteristics of rivers. Similarly, phenology cycles were quantified using the Nadir Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function Adjusted Reflectance (NBAR) for Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time-series data. The team produced annual freezing timelines, time series plots and maps, and composite imagery at various caribou locations to analyze annual changes. This research compared various optical and radar remote sensing methods in detecting high ice extent and high-quality vegetation over remote Alaska regions where in situ measurements are often infeasible. These study results can help evaluate spatiotemporal migratory shifts and contextualize recent shifting population dynamics.

Speakers

Benjamin Silver

Systems and GIS Analyst, Ti-SALES

Levi Mitchell

Remote Sensing Analyst, NASA DEVELOP

Mahnoor Naeem

NASA DEVELOP Participant, NASA

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:00pm - 2:30pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Remote Sensing

2:30pm EDT

Imagery and ArcGIS Online

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

Curious about the imagery hosting and analysis capabilities in ArcGIS Online? Come to this session for a discussion on the imagery hosting and analysis capabilities in ArcGIS Online, including storage options, out-of-the-box tools and functions and the raster function editor.

Speakers

Tom Schwartzman

Solution Engineer, Esri

Esri guy.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

2:30pm EDT

ASSET MANAGEMENT 1: Let's talk Asset Lifecycle Management

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

70% of the total cost of ownership of most assets happens long after the asset is built and installed. Once the asset is designed, built, and installed, owners have minimal control over the total cost of ownership throughout the lifecycle of that asset. Developing a true asset lifecycle management program is a powerful methodology and allows owners to save more than 40% on the total cost of ownership over the asset's life. Trimble Unity utilized Esri GIS in a truly seamless process to take control of your asset management program and maximize the asset's true potential, reduce costs, and improve overall performance.

Speakers

Greg Zeller

Regional Sales Manager, Trimble Inc.

Trimble is an industrial technology company, concentrated on helping the world work, better. Our technology enables jobs to get done more precisely and accurately so you can build, construct, grow and move the things we need to live our lives and build future communities.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track Asset Management 1

2:30pm EDT

DIVE DEEPER INTO TECHNICAL SKILLS 1: Custom ArcGIS Widget Development and the GIS Cloud

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain A

Learn how to use JavaScript frameworks, data structures, and design principles to make your own custom, reusable Esri widgets in ArcGIS Experience Builder.

Stone Environmental’s Geospatial and Data Solutions Team will share its strategies and code for customizing ArcGIS Experience Builder widgets to push your web and mobile applications to the next level. We will share our New York Geographic Information Gateway web app, which aims to democratize New York’s geospatial data for educational, recreational, and citizen science purposes. This app brings Esri mapping to everyone, regardless of experience. It was built with ArcGIS Experience Builder, but unfortunately Experience Builder did not offer the State everything it wanted out-of-the-box, and there is little documentation on customizing this state-of-the-art Esri suite.

Join our presentation as we share what we’ve learned about customizing Experience Builder widgets and how to optimize custom code in your Esri applications. We will share how JavaScript, TypeScript, React.js and Redux can integrate cleanly into your development experience. We will also demonstrate how to access and build on open-source widget code from Esri. We will share helpful tricks we discovered in our work, as well as explore principles of design and accessibility to make a sleek and stylish front-end experience. Finally, we will unpack helpful strategies for data manipulation and control within and across Experience Builder widgets which will help any GIS developer in their projects.

This presentation will require experience with JavaScript, TypeScript, React.js, CSS, JSX, Redux, Git, and ArcGIS Experience Builder.

Speakers

Chris Aragon

Web Application Developer, Stone Environmental, Inc

Chris Aragon is a web application developer at Stone Environmental, a 100% employee-owned environmental consulting firm based in Vermont. Chris specializes in web development, building custom software with Esri suite products, JavaScript frameworks, and A11y design and best practice... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Dive Deeper into Technical Skills 1

2:30pm EDT

GIS TOOLS 2: Making Moves: Lessons in Migrating to Esri’s Experience Builder

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

The team at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) has decades of experience making maps and geospatial data available to the public in simple and accessible ways. As technology has evolved and advanced, the tools for sharing maps on the internet have also changed. From the early days of web mapping using ArcIMS, Esri Flex Viewer and more recently the Web AppBuilder and others, the CLEAR team has kept up with the changing ways in which maps are delivered to diverse audiences. This presentation will cover how we are working to manage the changing trends as we migrate dozens of viewers and websites to Esri’s latest platform – Experience Builder. We’ll talk about what has worked well for us so far (and what hasn’t) and share ideas about how to make the migration easier for those thinking of taking the leap to the next generation of web mapping.

Speakers

Cary Chadwick

Geospatial Educator, University of Connecticut, CLEAR

I make maps and teach others how to make maps, too. Sometimes I make maps that help land use decision makers make good choices. That's it in a nutshell.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track GIS Tools 2

2:30pm EDT

REMOTE SENSING: High Resolution Land Cover for Maine and the Nation

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT

Green Mountain C

Current, accurate land cover information is a common foundational data set that can be used to address a wide range of management issues, from flooding risk and natural infrastructure to policy evaluation and land use planning. Knowing what exists on the ground (and how it has changed through time) gives planners more information, and the better that data, the better our understanding.

For more than two decades, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management has been producing consistent, accurate land cover and change information for the coastal U.S through its Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP), with the goal of continually updating these maps every 5 years. In recent years, NOAA has been working to establish an operational higher resolution land cover product line, allowing for local and site-specific applications. This work has been possible because of the wealth of available imagery and lidar data, improved software and hardware capabilities, and artificial intelligence classification techniques.

This presentation will review the products that have been released for most coastal areas, nationally, plans for additional data and updates, as well as focus on our most recent products (just released) for the state of Maine. We will speak to the methods, accuracy, and potential applications of that data, as well as the partnership NOAA had with the state to fund this mapping.

Speakers

Jamie Carter

Northeast Region Geospatial Coordinator, NOAA

Jamie Carter is a remote sensing analyst with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (OCM) and serves coastal communities primarily in the Northeast Region. He has a bachelor’s degree in Ecology from Tulane University, a master’s degree in Physical Geography from Oregon State... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 2:30pm - 3:00pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Remote Sensing

3:00pm EDT

Break

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT

Prefunction

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:00pm - 3:30pm EDT
Prefunction

Main Agenda Item

Track Main Agenda Item

3:30pm EDT

Microsoft 365 and Esri

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

ArcGIS for Microsoft 365 is a suite of tools that integrates ArcGIS capabilities with key Microsoft 365 applications like Excel, Power BI, Teams, SharePoint, and Power Automate. It enables users to map and visualize their business data, enhance it with Esri’s curated datasets, and perform geospatial analysis directly within the Microsoft products they already use. This integration empowers users to gain spatial insights and improve decision-making without leaving their familiar workflows.

Learn the value that ArcGIS for Microsoft 365 can bring to your organization. Join us to explore Esri mapping capabilities within Excel, Power BI, SharePoint, and Teams.

Speakers

Krithica Kantharaj

Solution Engineer, Esri

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

3:30pm EDT

FME: Surficial Geology with FME

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

This presentation focuses on using FME to work with Surficial Geology GIS data that has been stored in everything from Feature Services to e00. Surficial Geology can refer to the unconsolidated sediment, landforms, or surficial bedrock present in an area. This project focuses on the unconsolidated sediment and landforms, which vary depending on the region. The goal of this project is to derive “high-level” insights from publicly available data where the desired information is often buried within a paragraph. This presentation will cover the challenges and techniques that were applied within FME to wrangle these data. Each state that has been processed so far has provided its own challenges and unique issues.

Speakers

Andrew Koure

GIS Analyst I, Terracon

I am currently working as a GIS Analyst for Terracon Data Services, where I tackle a variety of user needs using FME, Python, ArcGIS Pro, and PostGIS. I was previously a GIS Intern at the City of Cambridge from April of 2022-2023.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track FME

3:30pm EDT

GIS TOOLS 3: University Asset Management

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

The presentation will focus on the collaboration between Fugro, a global geospatial company, and Pepperdine University, a private university in Southern California, to create a digital twin of the university’s campus. The presentation will cover the data collection and processing methods used to create the digital twin, including aerial lidar, photogrammetry, and GIS analysis.

The benefits of having a digital twin of the campus will be highlighted, including improved asset management, enhanced safety and security planning, and the ability to simulate and optimize campus operations. Additionally, the presentation will showcase potential applications of the digital twin, such as virtual campus tours, disaster response planning, and energy efficiency analysis.

Overall, the presentation will demonstrate how collaboration between industry and academia can lead to innovative solutions for complex challenges, and how digital twins can improve the management and operation of physical assets and systems.

Speakers

Courtney Malott

Sales Development Representative, Fugro

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track GIS Tools 3

3:30pm EDT

NATURAL RESOURCES 1: Conservation through Coordinates: GIS Strategies for Monarch CCAA Enrollment for Transportation and Utility Clients

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Green Mountain C

Monarch butterfly populations are drastically declining due to habitat loss and the species may soon become federally listed. The Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) is a collaborative initiative between the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and over 50 entities from the energy and transportation sectors. This agreement provides regulatory predictability for enrolled partners and aims to benefit monarch butterflies through the implementation of existing vegetation management practices on energy and transportation lands that results in a net benefit to monarch butterflies.

This presentation will demonstrate the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and mobile data collection technologies throughout the CCAA application, enrollment, and field monitoring processes. Key topics will include an introduction to the CCAA initiative, illustrative client case studies, methodology for compiling and analyzing spatial datasets, and techniques for conducting spatial analysis of roadway networks and utility corridors to identify potential enrolled and adoptable lands. Additionally, we will discuss ground truthing methods and post-enrollment habitat monitoring procedures. Using these technological methods, these projects take an active and comprehensive effort to protect and restore vital habitats for monarch butterflies across vast areas of the United States.

Speakers

Jesse Therrien

Senior GIS Analyst, VHB

Jesse Therrien is an Environmental Scientist and Senior GIS Specialist with VHB based out of Rutland, Vermont. He has been working in consulting sciences field in Vermont for nearly 20 years, with a focus on energy and renewables, natural resources, water resources and land planning... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Natural Resources 1

3:30pm EDT

PORTAL CONTENT MONITORING: Building a Power BI Dashboard for ArcGIS Portal Content Reporting

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain A

Co-Presenter: Andrew Flynn

Join us for a discussion on developing a comprehensive Power BI dashboard designed to report all published content on ArcGIS Portal. This dashboard, created using FME, Python, and Power BI, is an essential tool for managing and understanding your GIS resources.

The session will cover:

Integration and Data Flow: Learn how FME and Python are utilized to extract, transform, and load (ETL) data from ArcGIS Portal into Power BI. We will explore the automation processes that ensure the dashboard is updated daily.
Dashboard Features: Discover how the dashboard provides a centralized view of all published services, web maps, and other content on the ArcGIS Portal. The discussion will highlight key functionalities such as:
- Service Identification: Easily locate and identify all services and web maps published on the portal.
- Impact Analysis: Understand which services are affected by schema changes to underlying layers.
- Usage Metrics: View metrics to determine the most frequently used layers and services.
- Service Monitoring: Quickly find stopped services to ensure uninterrupted GIS operations.
Benefits and Applications: Understand the practical benefits of having a holistic view of your GIS content. The dashboard enables efficient resource management, proactive problem-solving, and data-driven decision-making.

Whether you are a GIS analyst, data manager, or IT professional, this session will provide valuable insights into leveraging Power BI for effective ArcGIS Portal content management. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your GIS operational efficiency with a powerful, automated reporting solution

Speakers

Jon Atwood

Data Engineer, VELCO (Vermont Electric Power Co., Inc.)

Tuesday October 29, 2024 3:30pm - 4:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Portal Content Monitoring

4:00pm EDT

AGOL Administration Tools

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

Come learn about tools and methods to help manage the ever-growing users/content in your ArcGIS Online organization. We'll talk about setting limits, creating reports, running scripts to help manage and report on things, and 3rd party tools to help as well.

Speakers

Tom Schwartzman

Solution Engineer, Esri

Esri guy.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

4:00pm EDT

FME: Developing a Standardized Broadband Serviceable Location Dataset for Massachusetts

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Green Mountain B

With the availability of federal and state funding, states such as Massachusetts have a financial opportunity to ensure that every broadband serviceable location (BSL) across the state has access to at least one high speed internet connection. Though great progress has been made, there are still a few remaining pockets of unserved and underserved locations across the commonwealth.

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is administering federal broadband infrastructure funds allocated to Massachusetts through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. MBI saw a need to develop more accurate statewide BSL data to support its objective of deploying federal funds to achieve universal access to high-speed internet service. The licensing requirements, data sharing and distribution constraints, and low data accuracy of existing address level BSL data prevented MBI from leveraging third-party data.

To get a complete view of the broadband landscape in Massachusetts, Sanborn collaborated with MBI to create a state-owned BSL layer using publicly available 911 and parcel data using Safe Software's FME and Esri ArcPro QA/QC tools. The resulting data allows MBI to more accurately target federal funds for the state of Massachusetts to achieve viable broadband mass market service availability to every residential and business address in the state.

Speakers

Caitlyn Severy

Project Manager, Sanborn Geospatial

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Green Mountain B

User Session

Track FME

4:00pm EDT

GIS TOOLS 3: Connecticut's Statewide Geospatial Data: Technical and Outreach Activities for Data Access

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Green Mountain A

Last year the state of Connecticut acquired a suite of statewide geographic datasets including 3 inch, tide coordinated aerial imagery, high-density Lidar (minimum of 15 points per square meter), bare earth elevation (2 ft DEM), 1 ft contours, building footprints, and 3D buildings. The data processing is nearing completion and the CT State GIS Office and its partners are implementing plans to make it available and accessible to all interested users. The presentation will focus on the technical aspects of making data available including services, viewers, and download, as well as the outreach aspects including presentations, webinars, help materials, and the ability for any user to have their questions answered.

Speakers

Emily Wilson

Geospatial Educator, University of Connecticut, CLEAR

Emily Wilson is a Geospatial Educator at CLEAR. Since joining UConn in 2000, her role has been to provide GIS and remote sensing information and support to CLEAR programs including the NEMO Program, the Geospatial Training Program and other related research and outreach efforts. Emily... Read More →

Alfredo Herrara

Geographic Information Officer, State of Connecticut

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Green Mountain A

User Session

Track GIS Tools 3

4:00pm EDT

NATURAL RESOURCES 1: New York State Invasive Species Tiers: A Geospatial Data Driven Approach to Invasive Species Management Prioritization

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Green Mountain C

The New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP), a partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF), developed and currently maintains the Invasive Species Tiers ( “the Tiers”), which guide management prioritization for hundreds of invasives species with high invasive potential across New York State. Each year, NYNHP runs a spatial analysis to aggregate hundreds of thousands of species observation occurrences for invasive species in and near the state to generate population counts by species, which are then ranked to guide management decisions. After final expert review, the resulting Tier values are published to a public interactive data table which provides links to species distribution maps within iMapInvasives, as well as links to regional views by Tier Value.
This presentation will cover:
1)A brief background of iMapInvasives and community biodiversity data collection platforms,
2)The process by which the Tiers are generated,
3)How these results are shared,
and
4)The impact of the Tiers on invasive species management action and decisions.

NYNHP Invasive Species Tiers:
https://www.nynhp.org/invasives/species-tiers-table/
NYNHP Invasive Species Tier Maps by PRISM:
https://www.nynhp.org/invasives/species-tiers-maps/

Speakers

John Marino

GIS Programmer/Analyst, New York Natural Heritage Program

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Natural Resources 1

4:00pm EDT

PORTAL CONTENT MONITORING: Optimizing GIS Data Utilization: A Comprehensive Dashboard Solution

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Lake Champlain A

With a significant number of GIS users across our organization, our Data Solutions team encountered a challenge related to the abundance of data available on our portal. We faced the issue of distinguishing between high-quality and low-quality data, with the aim of enhancing data utilization.

Our primary objective was to optimize resource utilization by eliminating data that was either unused or of low quality, ensuring that our users have access to the best available data. To address this issue, we developed a comprehensive dashboard that provides insights into all the data within our portal. This platform empowers users to gain a deeper understanding of their data and facilitates our efforts to educate them about improved data standards.

Through the implementation of this dashboard, we have successfully directed our team and users towards a focus on data governance, data literacy, and data quality, thereby fostering an environment of enhanced data maturity.

Speakers

Smruti Naik

Terracon

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Portal Content Monitoring

4:30pm EDT

ArcGIS Government-to-Government Collaboration

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain B

Collaboration between and across governments, whether local, regional, state or national, is essential to their ability to effectively design and deliver constituent programs and services. GIS has played a key role in enabling these collaborations and this session will share approaches and practices to GIS-enabled collaboration as well examples of effective implementations around the Northeast.

Speakers

Scot Decristofaro

Account Manager, Esri

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain B

Esri Tech Session

4:30pm EDT

LIGHTNING TALK: Assessing health and impact street trees using UAVs and field methods in Worcester, MA

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

This project examines street trees planted in 2012 - after the Longhorned Beetle outbreak that prompted the removal of 35,000 trees - that were surveyed in the summer of 2023. Using thermal and multispectral UAV imagery, we examine how UAVs can be used to assess temperature impacts and tree health.

Speakers

Nick Geron

Assistant Professor Geography and Sustainability, Salem State University

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

LIGHTNING TALK: Estimating Mangrove Carbon Stock in the Everglades National Park

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

Atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased by more than 50% over pre-industrial levels, which has important implications for global biodiversity. Mangrove forests naturally sequester two to four times greater carbon than mature tropical forests and contains the highest carbon density of all terrestrial ecosystems. Geospatial technologies are playing an increasingly important role in mapping the structure and biophysical properties of mangroves, including biomass and carbon stocks, while increasing the range of analysis, lowering expenses, and increasing efficiency compared to typical field surveys. The objectives of this study were to estimate above and belowground carbon stock of mangrove forests utilizing geospatial technologies and publicly available data. High-resolution multispectral and LiDAR data was used for geographic object-based image analysis of mangrove forests to derive mangrove forest stands. We estimated the total mangrove carbon stock for our study area of 225 ha within the Everglades National Park to be 277.45 Mg/ha.

Speakers

Alex Fazzino

Verdantas

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

LIGHTNING TALK: Improving Stream Assessment for Trout and Salmon Restoration in Appalachian Mountain Club’s Maine Woods Initiative

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) has completed 132 fish passage restoration projects and reconnected 128 stream miles in Maine's 100-Mile Wilderness. However, inaccuracies in publicly accessible data resources, such as the USGS National Hydrology Dataset (NHD), prompted the need for a more precise stream delineation model.

In 2020, AMC launched a pilot project using GPS stream field data as a benchmark, referred to as the “GPS Streams,” to develop a model using ArcMap's Spatial Analysis package. This initial model was later refined in ArcGIS Pro using the ArcHydro package, which is specialized for hydrologic analysis within the ESRI suite. The model adheres to ESRI’s ArcHydro: Overview of Terrain Preprocessing Workflows.
The model was tested with one-, three-, and five-meter DEMs. The five-meter DEM provided the most accurate results compared to the GPS streams, as one- and three-meter DEMs overestimated stream lengths and density. Various Stream Definition thresholds were tested, and a threshold of 5000 cells was found to be most similar to the GPS streams.

To assess the model, the lengths of modeled streams were compared to GPS stream lengths using ESRI’s base tools. Errors between the modeled and GPS streams were calculated to determine under- or over-estimation. The model tended to over- or under-estimate stream lengths by at least 10%, likely due to the lack of topographic variability and interference from wetlands and forest types in the MWI area.

The integration of ArcGIS Hydro tools significantly enhanced the accuracy of stream and wetland delineation, supporting the AMC’s mission to protect aquatic ecosystems and aiding resource management agencies in making informed decisions. This initiative underscores the critical role of precise geospatial data in environmental conservation and habitat restoration.

Speakers

braedon lineman

Research Assistant, Appalachian Mountain Club

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

LIGHTNING TALK: Mapping Success: Mind Maps as a GIS Project Planning Tool

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain A

This presentation will focus on GIS project setup and using mind maps as a tool to visualize the flow of data through systems, team structures, and role responsibilities to develop a better mutual understanding of project scope.

Speakers

Garrett Goff

Terracon

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain A

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

POSTER LIGHTNING TALK: Road Centerline Update Request App

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

The Road Centerline Update Request App (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5b7c6df52704408da630658a1a922ac1) was developed using ArcGIS Experience Builder to help Vermont Agency of Transportation Mapping Unit staff and other outside state agencies report issues with the Vermont Road Centerline Data and to enter pending changes for annual updates to Town road mileage. The intent was to create a spatially enabled tracking and reporting system for the Mapping Unit and to eventually replace an access database that tracks pending changes. In the future, this app will hopefully be shared with municipalities to use to report any new, discontinued, class changes, or mapping problems with existing roads. If applicable, this reporting can then be used in conjunction with Certificates of Highway Mileage that each town must submit annually to VTrans.

Speakers

Pam DeAndrea

GIS Professional, State of Vermont Agency of Transportation, PPAID

Pam DeAndrea joined the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s (VTrans) Mapping Section in 2021 as a GIS Professional, III. Prior to her time in state government, she spent six years working for Regional Planning Commissions as a GIS Planner. Pam built her GIS skills in the environmental... Read More →

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

POSTER LIGHTNING TALK: Survey123 for Data Collection

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

Survey123 can improve data collection efforts through the use of Arcade scripting, Microsoft Power Automate, and calculations within the SurveyConnect application. By using factors like geographic location, previous survey responses, and layer attributes, Survey123 can auto-populate answers and simplify your workflow. Learn to take advantage of these features in collaboration with other services like ArcGIS Online and Field Maps.

Speakers

Liza Frassinelli

GIS Technician, Tighe & Bond, Inc.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

POSTER LIGHTNING TALK: The Common Operating Picture (COP) - Mapping During Emergencies

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain B

During major storm events, the Vermont Agency of Transportation activates the Transportation Incident Command Center (TICC) using the Incident Command System (ICS) structure. This structure includes a significant mapping component in the Planning Section that aids in situational awareness by providing a Common Operating Picture (COP) of the extent of highway closures and openings, as the Agency responds to the storm damage. A simple dashboard has been developed to provide insight to the number of closures, partial openings, and segments that were opened. The Common Operating Picture (COP) is accessible to the TICC, State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), as well as the public. The COP is generated through a feed of authoritative closure and opening information from the Traffic Management Center and the 511 system, repackaging it to provide a clear count and extent of closures across the state.

Speakers

Johnathan Croft

AOT GIS Database Administrator, Vermont Agency of Transportation - Mapping Section

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain B

Lightning Talk

Track Lightning Talk

4:30pm EDT

NATURAL RESOURCES 1: Modern Update to the Branford Natural Resources Inventory

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Green Mountain C

The Town of Branford, a Connecticut coastal community bordering Long Island Sound, was looking to update their Natural Resources Inventory (NRI) that had traditionally been a very long, encyclopedic document. The Town had a limited budget with which to update the NRI using the same methods as before; therefore, GZA proposed developing a digital web experience application (Experience Builder) to make the NRI a more interactive experience where the user can search the maps for locations of interest, turn on and off layers, print custom maps, and click web links for more information. This NRI relies heavily on mapping to tell the story while having short summary text with links to organizations that provide more in-depth information on the topic. This web experience utilized publicly available GIS data that is live-linked to the original dataset so that it will automatically incorporate future updates. Additionally, the NRI is more widely accessible to the public where it can be viewed on multiple devices including a laptop, tablet, or phone. This web experience can be used by Town officials and the general public, and also acts as a teaching tool for classrooms to learn more about the natural resources within the Town of Branford. The presentation will provide an overview of the project process, take aways, and discuss future uses of Experience Builder.

Speakers

Jackie Claver

Assistant Project Manager, GZA GeoEnvironmental

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Green Mountain C

User Session

Track Natural Resources 1

4:30pm EDT

PORTAL CONTENT MONITORING: Using ArcGIS Monitor in an Enterprise GIS

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT

Lake Champlain A

Monitoring performance and scalability in a large, multi-server environment can be difficult. Learn how we use ArcGIS Monitor in our Enterprise GIS to identify bottlenecks and create alerts for when things don't go as planned.

Speakers

Alan Hammersmith

Terracon, Inc.

Tuesday October 29, 2024 4:30pm - 5:00pm EDT
Lake Champlain A

User Session

Track Portal Content Monitoring

6:00pm EDT

Awards Reception and Banquet - Sponsored by Esri

Tuesday October 29, 2024 6:00pm - 8:30pm EDT

Adirondack Ballroom

Tuesday October 29, 2024 6:00pm - 8:30pm EDT
Adirondack Ballroom

Awards Banquet

Track Awards Banquet