GIS-Pro 2026

The GPN Board of Directors will convene during GIS-Pro 2026. This meeting is intended for board members and invited participants.

It is nearly upon us. NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has redefined the entire National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). Nearly two decades in the making, preliminary versions of all components of the Modernized NSRS are available for public review and comment. The complete system will be unleashed in 2027. Every coordinate in the U.S. will change. New “horizontal” and “vertical” datums will replace the existing datums. All zones of the State Plane Coordinate System will be replaced, with many new zones added. The international foot will replace the U.S. survey foot. All coordinates will have a date (“epoch”) to account for the fact that everything is moving. This presentation gives a peek behind the curtain to show what was done by NGS and why, along with new tools. Despite its behind-the-curtain complexity, the Modernized NSRS will be easier to use, more consistent, and more accurate than anything before, to better serve the GIS, mapping, surveying, and engineering professions.

 Keywords: National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), NSRS modernization, New datums, State Plane Coordinate System, Time-dependent coordinates, Coordinate epochs, U.S. survey foot, International foot

Attendance at technical short courses is included with full conference registration and pre-registration is not required. Note that seats are available on a first-come/first-served basis. 

Learn how to think and create visuals like a graphic designer. This workshop goes beyond visualization basics to explore the deliberate choices that make maps and charts not just correct but compelling. In this technical short course, you'll learn practical techniques for using color intentionally, balancing space to guide the reader's eye, and structuring visuals to tell a clear story. The techniques you'll learn in this course can be applied across maps, charts, dashboards, and more.

Keywords: data visualization, cartography, dashboard, storymap, presentations

Attendance at technical short courses is included with full conference registration and pre-registration is not required. Note that seats are available on a first-come/first-served basis. 

What happens when your GIS systems go down? In this session, Carley walks through the real-world consequences of losing geospatial capabilities when they’re needed most, from failed emergency response to critical decision-making gaps. Using real scenarios and lessons learned, she challenges GIS professionals to rethink their role as essential infrastructure, not just support services. Attendees will be guided through a practical framework for building a Continuity of Operations (COOP) plan tailored specifically for GIS departments. The session breaks down key components such as identifying mission-critical functions, mapping system dependencies, assessing risk, and preparing staff and resources to operate under disruption. Through structured examples, worksheets, and actionable strategies, participants will leave with a clear path to strengthening resilience in their own organizations, and ensuring their GIS programs can continue to function when everything else is failing.

Keywords: Continuity, COOP, Emergency, Resiliency, Strategy, Planning, Risk

Attendance at technical short courses is included with full conference registration and pre-registration is not required. Note that seats are available on a first-come/first-served basis. 

In this session, best practices to plan photogrammetry and LiDAR missions for sUAS mapping will be discussed. This includes flight planning including site research, mission planning, and field procedure. This technical short course will also include an overview of the differences in processing LiDAR data versus photogrammetry processing and will conclude with AI-based feature extraction and other techniques to create a map including surfaces and contour lines.

Keyworks: sUAS, drone, mapping, survey, AI, point cloud, orthoimage, dem, tin, contour, LiDAR, photogrammetry, sensor, GNSS, GPS
 
Luis Rojas, Civil Engineer, Part-107 sUAS pilot, Regional Sales Director, Carlson Software, Dubuque, IA

Attendance at technical short courses is included with full conference registration and pre-registration is not required. Note that seats are available on a first-come/first-served basis. 

Attendees will leave this session with practical insights spanning the full journey toward modern, reliable geospatial data for service delivery and emergency response. Through real-world case studies and frameworks, the session covers foundational address and building identification system development, legacy system modernization, streamlined editing workflows, improved geocoding accuracy, and cross-agency collaboration. Attendees will also explore practical approaches to GIS data stewardship — including how to maintain, improve, document, and automate data processes and workflows — before concluding with a statewide update on Wisconsin's NG9-1-1 project and the steps local agencies need to take toward full implementation.

Keywords: Location Services, Modernization, Collaboration, Addressing, Parcels, Data Maintenance, Data Governance, Automation, NG911, 911

Modernizing the Foundation: Indianapolis' Address and Parcel Modernization Initiative
Emily Simms, GIS Tower Lead, City of Indianapolis-Marion County, Indianapolis, IN - USA
Ashley Hitt, GISP, PMP, COO, Cultivate Geospatial Solutions, Louisville, KY – USA

MIDAS: Pathways for GIS Gold
Matt Gerike, PhD, GISP, Geospatial Program Manager, Virginia 9-1-1 & Geospatial Services, North Chesterfield, VA – USA

The Barbados Building ID: A Game‑Changer for Geospatial Intelligence
Paul Collymore, Manager Information Systems, Barbados Lands and Surveys Department, Warrens, St Michael – Barbados

GIS for NG911 in Wisconsin.  Where We Stand and What's Next.
Zachary Hassler, GISP, GIS Specialist, Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, Madison, WI - USA

This panel discussion explores how the City of Wauwatosa has leveraged GIS to strengthen public safety operations and decision-making. Panelists will discuss how emerging “big data” sources offer powerful insights but also introduce challenges that GIS analysts must carefully manage. The conversation will highlight how automated vehicle locator (AVL) data extends beyond basic tracking to support performance measurement, deployment strategies, and response optimization—while acknowledging its limitations.

Attendees will also learn how GIS enables real-time situational awareness during critical incidents like flood responses and crash investigations. Finally, the session will showcase how the Wauwatosa Police Department’s innovative use of GIS in policy development helped secure federal funding to expand and enhance these efforts.

Keywords: Drone, AVL, Flood, Police, Law Enforcement, Public Safety, Emergency Response


Panelists
Dominick Ratkowski, Crime Analyst, Wauwatosa Police Department, Milwaukee, WI - USA
Eric Piza, Lipman Family Professor and Director of Crime Analysis Initiatives, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University
David Cefalu, Detective, Wauwatosa Police Department, Milwaukee, WI - USA
Paul Vepraskas, Geographic Information Systems Manager, City of Wauwatosa, Wauwatosa, WI - USA

This session highlights how GIS is transforming public safety across the full emergency lifecycle—from preparedness and response to recovery and next-generation systems. Learn how Denton County used advanced network analysis and automation to design data-driven EMS response zones and implement proximity-based dispatch across multiple jurisdictions. Explore a practical, defensible GIS workflow for post-tornado damage assessment that improves consistency, supports equitable property valuation, and strengthens documentation for appeals. Finally, discover how GIS is enabling the future of 9-1-1 by supporting indoor and 3D location accuracy, helping agencies meet evolving federal requirements while enhancing real-world response capabilities in PSAPs and school districts.

Keywords: Indoors, 3D, School Safety, Z-axis, Fire, Response, Network Analysis, Parcel Assessment, GeoEnrichment, Local Government, Spatial Analysis, Hazard Analysis, Emergency Response


GIS to the Rescue: 3D, Indoor Mapping, and Federal Policy
Keri Brennan, GISP, ENP, Subject Matter Expert, GeoComm Inc., Indianapolis, IN - USA

The Creation of Texas’ First Countywide Fire Department
Christine Fox, GIS Analyst, Denton County, Denton, TX – USA

Using NWS Tornado Path Data to Support Equitable Post-Storm Property Assessments
Michael Butler, Appraiser IV, GIS Land Records Manager, Paulding County Board of Commissioners, Acworth, GA - USA

The panelists in this session will discuss how organizations handle the volume of GIS data and applications that need to be created, maintained and archived over time. The panel brings together map librarians and GIS professionals to discuss concerns, best practices, and possible futures for organizing, documenting, and preserving spatial data for ongoing use.

Keywords: Data Governance, Libraries & Archives, Historical GIS

Panelists
Matt Gerike, PhD, GISP, Virginia 9-1-1 & Geospatial Services, North Chesterfield, VA - USA
Other panelists - TBD

This session series highlights innovative approaches to measuring urban park accessibility, optimizing cloud-based imagery workflows for distributed teams, and applying lidar data to solve real-world planning, infrastructure, and conservation challenges.

Keywords: Accessibility Modeling, Spatial Analysis, Cloud Imagery, lidar, resiliency

Evaluating Methodological Approaches to Urban Park Accessibility: A Comparative Analysis of Statistical, Network-Based, and Gravity Measures in Quincy, Illinois
Arup Ratan Devnath, Graduate Assistant, Western Illinois University GIS Center, Macomb, IL – USA

Cache Me if You Can: Smarter Cloud Imagery for Distributed Teams
Laura Wilson, PMP, Partner Manager, ROK Technologies, Mount Pleasant, SC - USA

How to Apply your Lidar for the field
Adam Derringer, GISP, Senior Project Manager, Ayres Associates, Madison, WI - USA

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