GIS-Pro 2026

As utilities continue transitioning from ArcFM and ArcMap models to the ArcGIS Utility Network (UN), organizations are navigating different paths depending on resources, infrastructure, and operational needs. This session brings together three perspectives from municipal and utility organizations that are actively implementing or operating within the UN. Representatives from Wisconsin's City of De Pere, Kaukauna Utilities, and WPPI Energy will present their respective journeys - from vendor-led migrations to internally managed implementations. The City of De Pere will share their experience working with Avineon to migrate sanitary, stormwater, and water data to the UN. WPPI Energy will discuss their work supporting smaller electric utilities by transitioning using migration software. Kaukauna Utilities will provide the perspective of a mature UN implementation, highlighting five years of operational use for electric, along with internal migrations for water and communications.

Kristen Vincent, GISP, GIS Manager, City of De Pere, De Pere, WI
Kayla Coonen, Operational Technology Specialist, Kaukauna Utilities, WI
Tyler Caulum, GIS Manager, WPPI Energy, Sun Prairie, WI

From backyard burials to digitally mapped legacies, this session explores how GIS is reshaping the way we document, manage, and honor the spaces of the dead. Through three distinct but interconnected projects, presenters will share how modern tools like Survey123, Experience Builder, and municipal GIS systems are bringing new visibility and structure to cemeteries, private burial sites, and veterans’ graves.

But this work isn’t just technical - it’s deeply human. Attendees will hear how unexpected challenges, community partnerships, and evolving policies shaped each project, revealing the sometimes messy, emotional, and surprising realities behind the data. Whether it’s navigating the complexities of private land burials, mobilizing volunteers to honor veterans, or helping towns bring order to aging cemetery records, this session highlights how GIS professionals act as stewards of both data and memory.

Expect practical lessons, candid reflections, and a reminder that even in the most grounded datasets… there are stories waiting to surface.

Keywords: Cemetery Management, Commemoration, Community Engagement, Digital Stewardship, GIS Applications or GIS Databases

Modernization and Mishaps in Private Burials
Monique Hassman, MS, PhD., GIS Coordinator/Land Information Officer, Vernon County Land Information Office, Viroqua, WI – USA

Using Community Engagement and GIS to Honor Washington County Veterans
Michael Vander Sanden, GISP, GIS Coordinator, Washington County, West Bend, WI – USA

Cemeteries: Helping towns manage and provide access
Rosemary Mosher, GIS Specialist, VIEWSHED, Yarmouth, ME – USA
Judy Colby-George, GISP, Principal, VIEWSHED, Yarmouth, ME - USA