GIS-Pro 2026

Addresses are a vital data set for all local governments, and are increasingly needed for regional and state functions as well. Managing the addressing life cycles from assignment to maintenance, and serving address data to multiple departments and agencies with different user needs and requirements make addressing a complex task. This workshop will focus on understanding your addressing system, the workflows for address assignment and maintenance, and the development of standard-compliant address repositories that provide the structure and flexibility needed to meet addressing needs throughout your organization.

Target audience: Anyone who assigns or maintains address information, address users, geodatabase administrators, NG-911 administrators, and others interested in how to make your address data work better.

Cost: One full-day or one half-day workshop is included with full conference registration. The cost to add a second half-day workshop is $100 member/$125 nonmember.

Dive into the evolving technical landscape of geospatial innovation through sessions focused on agentic AI frameworks, LLM-powered geospatial interfaces, and mobile workforce optimization. Learn how open-source AI models can power automated GeoAgent workflows, including evaluation methods, cost management, and deployment considerations.

Keywords: Agentic AI, Workflow Automation, GeoAI, Machine Learning, Open-Source Tools

No Budget, No Barrier: Building GeoAgent Workflows with Open Source AI
Dave Cook, GISP, Teaching Faculty/Professor of Practice/Chief Innovation Officer/Co-Founder, University of Maryland Wake Forest University/Cornerstone Defense/The Training Data Project, Washington, DC - USA

From Maps to Meaning: Agentic AI for Natural Language Interaction with Geospatial Data and Imagery
Brianna Zumhof, MA, Partner Strategy Manager, Eagleview, San Diego, CA - USA

Your ArcGIS Monitor Has Been Taking Notes. Are You Reading Them?
Jessica Lott, Director of Technical Solutions, dymaptic, Paducah, KY – USA
Holly Kluever, COO, dymaptic, Norwalk, IA - USA

This session focuses on leadership best practices and strategies that have proven success in scaling and delivering GIS across organizations.  In this modern age of hybrid and remote work, it is more important than ever to build strong relationships and operate with best practices such as those from the Project Management Institute (PMI) so that work and teams align to organizational priorities, achieve goals on time and budget, and garner executive support.  Building trust, maintaining accountability, supporting staff development, and using governance, standards, and technology are all essential to sustaining GIS program consistency and reducing burnout.

Keywords: leadership, management, project management, executive, team building

Leading GIS Teams in a Remote World
Christian Hartnett, MSc, MBA, GISP Adjunct Professor of GIS/Vice President Practice Technology, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Austin, TX – USA

Driving GIS Success: Leveraging Executive Engagement, Governance, and KPIs
Curtis Pulford, Enterprise GIS Manager, City of Phoenix, New River, AZ – USA

Applying Project Management Principles to Geospatial Projects and Programs
Ashley Hitt, GISP, PMP, COO, Cultivate Geospatial Solutions, Indianapolis, IN - USA

Eight Ways to Identify Opportunities for GIS in Public Works
Adam Carnow, AICP, GISP, Public Works Industry Specialist, Esri, Charlotte, NC - USA

Starting a GIS consulting business can feel like stepping into the unknown: equal parts exciting, unpredictable, and, at times, downright intimidating. In this session, three small business owners will share their personal journeys of building GIS consulting firms from the ground up. Through candid stories, they’ll highlight the real-world challenges they’ve faced, the lessons learned along the way, and the practical strategies that helped them navigate everything from landing clients to managing growth.

Following the presentations, a moderated panel discussion will dive deeper into what it truly takes to start, run, and sustain a GIS consulting practice. The conversation will explore not only the technical and operational aspects of entrepreneurship, but also the less visible side - uncertainty, risk, and fear.

Attendees can expect an honest, grounded discussion about how fear shows up in entrepreneurship and how to work through it without letting it stall progress. Panelists will share practical approaches for building confidence, maintaining momentum, and creating a business that is both sustainable and personally fulfilling. Whether you’re considering going out on your own or looking to grow an existing firm, this session offers real insights from those actively navigating the path.

Keywords: small business, consulting, entrepreneurship, career growth, leadership

Panelists
Judy Colby-George, GISP, Owner/Principal, VIEWSHED, Yarmouth, ME - USA
Other panelists - TBD

Hear about diverse applications of geospatial technologies to address climate resilience, environmental change, and sustainable land management across global contexts. Presenters will showcase GIS‑enabled climate action planning tools, remote‑sensing analyses, urban heat modeling, and nature‑based flood mitigation planning. Collectively, these projects demonstrate how spatial data, community engagement, and interdisciplinary methods can drive more informed decision‑making for both contemporary and historical environmental challenges.
Keywords: Climate & Community Resilience, Land Use, Environmental Change, Urban & Ecological Planning


El Niño Southern Oscillation and Pasture Shift in the Moche Valley - La Libertad, Peru
Corey Hoover, MS, PhD candidate/GIS Analyst Section106 Reviewer, Louisiana State University/Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation, Baton Rouge, LA - USA

From Gameboard to Dashboard: Accelerating Climate Action with GIS
Teresa Townsend, AICP, President and CEO, Planning Communities, Raleigh, NC - USA
Breece Robertson, President, Breece Robertson Consulting, Santa Fe, NM – USA

Urban Development Implications on Land Surface Temperatures and Surface Urban Heat Islands in Nairobi City, Kenya
Sharon Onyango, Research Officer - GIS for Climate and Health, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya

From maps to vision: nature-based solutions in Georgetown, South Carolina
Shu-Mei Huang, Coastal GIS Specialist, SC Sea Grant Consortium/College of Charleston, Charleston, SC - USA

Attendees will leave this session with a solid understanding of address data standards and their role in supporting effective 9-1-1 systems. The session opens with an overview of NENA's Addressing for 9-1-1 document, covering governance, addressing authority policies, and the data maintenance practices that form the foundation for location validation and emergency response. It then broadens to the national landscape, examining recent changes to address data standards including NENA's GIS Data Model version 3, a comparison of address data standards across 38 states, and anticipated FGDC updates expected in 2027.

 Keywords: NENA, Addressing Standards, FGDC, Addressing, 911, NG911, Data Governance

NENA’s Addressing for 9-1-1 INF workgroup: Because saving lives starts with the right address
Deb Rozeboom, ENP, PMP, GISP, Client Success Manager, DATAMARK Technologies, Albany, OR - USA
Keri Brennan, GISP, ENP, Subject Matter Expert, GeoComm, Indianapolis, IN - USA
Matt Gerike, PhD, GISP, Geospatial Program Manager, Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN)

National and State Address Data Standards in the United States
Ed Wells, GISP, GIS Manager (retired), University Park, MD – USA

Wisconsin or NENA Standards: How our County Applies NG911 Standards - TBD

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