GIS-Pro 2026

Did you enjoy GIS-Pro? Help shape what comes next—GIS-Pro 2027 starts with you! Join us for coffee and a light breakfast to share your feedback and explore how you can get involved with the planning committee.

This is your opportunity to step in, make an impact, and help design an even stronger conference experience. Learn about committee roles, expectations, and the planning timeline—and see how your ideas can help shape the future of GIS-Pro.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly at the forefront of advancing equity and social justice, offering powerful tools to uncover disparities, inform policy, and improve access to essential services. This session brings together four diverse yet interconnected presentations that demonstrate how spatial analysis can drive more equitable outcomes across transportation, healthcare, and public investment.

Attendees will explore how GIS is being used to identify transportation barriers to public health resources in both urban and rural communities, revealing critical gaps that impact quality of life. The session will also examine spatial methods for evaluating the distribution and accessibility of primary healthcare services in rapidly growing urban environments. Expanding into mobility systems, presenters will showcase how emerging techniques like graph neural networks can model and predict imbalances in bike-share systems, helping ensure equitable access to shared transportation options. Finally, the session will highlight how GIS can support equity-focused decision-making by quantifying the societal return on investment (ROI) of policies and programs, demonstrating that socially just initiatives can also deliver measurable economic benefits.

Together, these presentations illustrate the breadth of GIS applications in addressing systemic inequities and emphasize the role of spatial thinking in creating more just, accessible, and data-driven communities.

Mapping Transportation Access to Public Health Options
Natalie Blackert, GIS Specialist, Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission, De Pere, WI - USA

Using GIS for Planning the Location of Primary Healthcare centers in Jeddah City: A vector and raster-based approach
Abdulkader Murad, Ph.D., Professor, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Estimating Imbalance and Wait Times in the Boston Bluebikes System Using Graph Neural Networks
Abdullahi Bello, PhD Student and Research Assistant, Northeastern University Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Brighton, MA - USA

Using GIS to Determine Societal ROI from Applying Equity & Social Justice Focused Policies and Programs
Greg Babinski, MA, GISP, EthicalGEO Fellow, GIS Management Consultant, GIS Management Consulting Services LLC, Edmonds, WA – USA

This session shows how organizations are building business systems by configuring commercial-off-the-shelf software to meet their needs for work order management, road closures, asset management, and stakeholder engagement.

Keywords: Work Order, Water, Sanitary, Stormwater, Management, Assets, GeoAI, Operations, Awareness, Road Closure, Waze, Collaboration, Map Projections, LDP

Work It! Using GIS to Create Your Own Custom Work Order System
Tyler DeBruin, GISP, GIS Utility Project Coordinator, Town of Grand Chute, Appleton, WI – USA

Build a Modern Work Management Solution with ArcGIS—Without the Enterprise Price Tag
Steve Mulberry, Geospatial Innovation Strategist, NV5, Meridian, ID - USA

 A Road Closure Solution Recipe by the City of Grand Island
Jennifer Parmeley, GISP, Public Works GIS Coordinator, City of Grand Island, Grand Island, NE – USA

Less Distortion, More Collaboration: Washington's Stakeholder-Driven LDP Network
Jami Dennis, GISP, Geospatial Analytics and Visualization Consultant, Geodetic Analysis LLC, Silver City, NM - USA 

Formal programs can only teach so much, and curriculum often lags behind the fast-paced technological evolution, resulting in Geospatial graduates and early career professionals struggling to “catch up” with industry knowledge and skills that weren’t perhaps explicitly part of a degree program. This session explores some of the knowledge gaps in foundational IT and Data architecture knowledge, as well as what modern GeoAI means for how data is analyzed, workflows are designed, and results interpreted and integrated back into GIS for visual insights.

This session examines the skills GIS professionals which span beyond those GIS taught in traditional programs. Some key foundation concepts which are crucial but may be underdeveloped include IT infrastructure fundamentals, Networking fundamentals, Database Design, and, if an Esri ArcGIS shop, the ArcGIS architecture foundations. Also, as AI continues to evolve, it is imperative that GIS students and professionals are aware of and implementing GeoAI tools, analyses, and capabilities.

Keywords: Leadership, Professional, career, development, IT skills, GeoAI

Oregon State Geomatics: A Novel Approach for Building Soft & Hard Skills for the Classroom and Workplace
Brett Murphy, Professional Land Surveyor (PLS), Instructor of Geoamtics, Oregon State University, Albany, OR – USA

GeoAI Is Here. Are We Teaching It Right?
David Cook, GISP, Teaching Faculty/Professor of Practice/Chief Innovation Office/Co-Founder, Univ of MD/Wake Forest University/Cornerstone Defense/The Training Data Project, Washington, DC - USA

The Hidden Skills Gap in GIS. Foundational IT Knowledge Everyone Should Know
Christina Brunsvold, MS, GISP, Lead GIS Administrator/Project Manager, CAL FIRE, Sacramento, CA – USA
Liz Parrish, MBA, GISP, Sr. Manager of Geospatial Analytics & Insights, H-E-B, Dallas, TX - USA

GIS pros can explain topology, linear referencing, and geoprocessing models for hours. Decision-makers usually want the two-minute version and preferably without a map algebra detour. This session explores how AI can act as a translator between technical GIS staff and leadership by turning dense, highly technical analysis into clear, concise, decision-ready documentation. Think of it as giving your GIS workflow a public information officer with infinite patience and fewer acronyms.

Keywords: GIS, Leadership, Communication, AI, Professional

This session offers a well-rounded look at various GISP certifications through updates to the GISCI certification program, industry perspective, and firsthand experience. Attendees will hear the latest from the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI), including new programs, initiatives, and opportunities to engage with the GISP® and GISP-E® pathways, as well as how GISCI continues to advance professional standards in the geospatial field.

The session also explores the broader question of certification value in today’s GIS industry, using survey results to examine trends in adoption, perceived benefits, and how certifications are viewed by employers and professionals over time. Finally, a personal account of earning the GISP certification provides practical insight into the requirements, preparation strategies, and challenges of the process, helping attendees better understand whether certification is the right step for their own career path.

Keywords: GIS, leadership, GISP, certification, professional development, education

Certification: Is it worth the effort?
Tripp Corbin, GISP, MCP, Senior GIS Professional, Consultant /Instructor, Cultivate Geospatial Solutions LLC, Dacula, GA - USA
 
 A Personal Experience With Obtaining GISP Certification
Ryan Norton, GISP, GIS Specialist, Town of Foxborough, Foxboro, MA - USA

An Update on the GISCI: What’s Happening and What’s New
Tony Spicci, CGMP GISP, Executive Director, GIS Certification Institute, Columbia, MO - USA
 

As emerging technologies such as GeoAI, automation, and drone-based workflows continue to reshape the geospatial field, the way professionals learn and share knowledge is evolving. This 90-minute interactive session explores reciprocal mentorship as a practical approach to bridging skill gaps and supporting workforce readiness across career levels.

Designed for geospatial professionals at all stages, this session highlights how early-career professionals and experienced practitioners can exchange knowledge to adapt to rapidly changing technical demands. Insights from a pre-session survey will be incorporated to reflect current perspectives on mentorship, emerging technologies, and workforce skill needs. Participants will also gain perspective from real-world experiences that connect technical innovation with professional growth.

The session will include guided discussion and interactive activities where participants identify their own technical strengths and gaps, explore opportunities for knowledge exchange, and outline simple mentorship strategies applicable within their organizations or networks.

Attendees will leave with practical ideas to strengthen collaboration, support technology adoption, and foster continuous learning within the geospatial workforce.

Learning Objectives:
Understand how reciprocal mentorship supports knowledge exchange across career levels.
Identify emerging GIS technologies and associated workforce skill needs.
Develop practical strategies to apply mentorship for workforce readiness.

Reciprocal Mentorship for Emerging GIS Technologies and Workforce Readiness
Jordan Landrum, GIS Specialist, Montgomery Country Parks
Olamiposi Caleb Fagunloye, GIS Analyst, Atlanta Regional Commission
Mathew Ugwuanyi, GIS Analyst, Orange County Government Florida

Some advice on being a successful GIS professional drawn from Bill Huxhold’s experience of introducing GIS technology at the City of Milwaukee – one of the first urban GIS implementations back in the 1970’s and 80’s. Bill will describe how he brought a vision to the City; his experience with different department personalities who showed reluctance accepting new technology; and how important is it to share knowledge among other GIS professionals. It includes a brief history of the unusual experience that he encountered when the Wisconsin Land Information Program was created soon after he was president of the Urban Regional Information Systems Association (now GPN).