GIS Days 2022 Program

Empowering Communities Through GIS

Registration is now closed for this event.

Flier image with UW-Milwaukee Logo and the following text: GIS Days, Hybrid Event, April 6th through 8th, 2022

The world’s a very spatial place.

Geographic Information Science is everywhere. It keeps us from getting lost as we drive. It smooths logistics. It unlocks patterns that are invisible until mapped. And it entertains us with games like geocaching and Pokémon Go.

We’re not bound by geography so we’re again offering a panoply of virtual content on April 6th and 7th available world-wide with topics designed for the curious neophyte to the seasoned expert. And new this year, In-Person Friday, April 8th, a health-conscious gathering on campus to learn and be inspired featuring short talks, exhibits, a poster session, and an inspiring keynote.

Space is limited so register today! It’s free and takes only a couple of minutes. Scroll down the program to see more information about our workshops and other events.

The future? Autonomous vehicles? Augmented reality? Let’s discover it together.

We’re adding more events daily. Check back to find additional events to add to your agenda.

Keynote Speaker: Eva Reid, MPA, GISP

A professional portrait of the Keynote Speaker, Eva Reid

Keynote Title: Community is Everything

Friday April 8th, 11:00AM
Golda Meir Library Conference Center

Eva Reid, GISP, is the data manager for the Washington, DC, Department of Health. She’s also featured as the GIS hero in the Winter 2022 issue of ArcNews magazine.

At DC Health, Reid is giving direction to the department’s effort to put staff in touch with the data that they need to do their jobs. She’s got the right background to do this. In a former role at the DC Office of Chief Technology Officer, she led the construction of the office’s Enterprise Dataset Inventory that cataloged internal data and guided the public toward data and maps that were easy to use.

Reid stumbled on to GIS after a geography class at Macalester College in St. Paul led her to a course in computer-based cartography. Later, while working at the Arizona Geographic Information Council and serving as the GIS manager at the Arizona DOT, she earned a master’s in public administration from Arizona State University.

It dawned on Reid that she was often the only woman in a department. This realization motivated her to encourage women to pursue careers in fields where women were traditionally underrepresented, like GIS. After she moved to Washington, DC, she started Eva Reid Consulting to coach women considering GIS and other STEM fields. She has also served as an adjunct associate professor in geospatial studies at Northern Virginia Community College.

Reid has demonstrated the parallel nature of connecting data and connecting people to empower communities. We’re very fortunate to have Ms. Reid as our 2022 GIS Days keynote speaker.

Registration is now closed for this event.

Schedule

Wednesday,
April 6
Thursday, April 7 Friday,
April 8
8:30 AM Welcome and Check-in
9:00 AM Law Enforcement and Disaster Response*
9:30 AM GRAV2022 Spatial Reference system* AGSL Tour
10:00 AM Virtual
Workshop: Basic LiDAR Handling using PDAL
Virtual Workshop: Census Data and Tools for GIS Groundwork
USA’s Climate Safe Neighborhoods initiative
10:30 AM Creating
Different Layers of Crime Data using the Select by Date/Time Tool
AGSL Tour
11:00 AM Keynote: Eva Reid – Community is
Everything*
11:30 AM BOF: Climate and Ecology
12:00 PM BOF: Python Break
12:30 PM BOF: Open Source GIS
1:00 PM Virtual Workshop: ArcGIS Dashboards Student Poster Session
1:30 PM AGSL Tour
2:00 PM BOF: Crime Prevention BOF:
Geocaching and Geogames
Hybrid
Archaeology of the Pre-Columbian Sechín River Valley, Peru (and Milwaukee)
2:30 PM Introducing
Social Explorer
3:00 PM Virtual Workshop: How to set up
an ESRI Field Maps Project
Frequent Aerial Capture Program Improves Government
Planning/Operations
3:30 PM Virtual
Workshop: How to Build a Map When You’ve Never Built a Map
Geophysical Exploration: The non-invasive future of Archaeology*
4:00 PM
4:30 PM Virtual Workshop: ArcGIS
StoryMaps: Visual Storytelling with Maps
5:00 PM
5:30 PM Virtual
Workshop: Incorporating GIS into your elementary curriculum
6:00 PM
6:30 PM BOF: Teaching with GIS
7:00 PM

* Joining Us Virtually

 


Virtual Birds of a Feather Sessions

Virtual – Via Zoom

Informal, half-hour virtual gatherings to share, learn, and network…Links will be sent to all who register for GIS Days.

Topic

Moderator

Date/Time

Climate and Ecology Neal O’Reilly Wednesday 11:30 AM CDT
Open Source GIS Brett Ketter Wednesday 12:30 PM CDT
Crime Prevention David Salazar Wednesday 2:00 PM CDT
Python Greg Latsch Thursday 12:00 PM CDT
Geocaching and Geogames Greg Latsch Thursday 3:00 PM CDT
Teaching with GIS Sarah Ryniker Thursday 6:30 PM CDT (Updated time!)

 


Basic LiDAR Handling using PDAL

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 6th, 10:00 AM CDT
Taught By: Brett Ketter, GISP
Virtual – Via Zoom

In this tutorial, we will use publicly available LiDAR data and the open source and free software packages PDAL and QGIS to create a high-resolution digital terrain model (DTM) that we can use in maps and 3D visualizations.

Brett Ketter is Teach Learn, & Tech Specialist I at the UWM Department of Geosciences.

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


How to Build a Map When You’ve Never Built a Map

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 6th, 3:30 PM CDT
Taught By: Greg Latsch
Assisted By: Brian Nicholls
Virtual – Via Zoom

A gentle introduction to GIS, this hands-on workshop is for those with little or no GIS experience. Participants will learn to make useful maps using the free, open-source QGIS software on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. The week before the workshop, I’ll send instructions for installing QGIS and confirming that it’s working properly. For each step, we’ll watch a short video and then I’ll guide you as you build your map. You’ll also get a manual to follow during the workshop and for reference.

Greg Latsch has used GIS since 1990 in telecom and health care. He completed the coursework for the UWM GIS graduate certificate. He now works as a marketing analytics consultant. Brian Nicholls is the Research Program Manager, Cultural Resource Management at the UWM Archaeological Research Laboratory Center.

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


Incorporating geographic information systems (GIS) into your elementary curriculum

Date/Time: Wednesday, April 6th, 5:30 PM CDT
Taught By: David Buehler
Virtual – Via Zoom

Incorporating GIS into your elementary classroom is easy. GIS can be used in any program and for any subject. Come learn what GIS is and how GIS can fit into your classroom. We will cover available resources, analyzing the syllabus for opportunities, geometors, and look over a custom designed GIS lesson designed for 6th graders. Bring your syllabi, learning goals, your state testing standard goals, and we can discuss ways to incorporate the spatial component. If you supply these early to david.buehler@ci.marshfield.wi.us, the presentation can incorporate examples from supplied goals.

David is a Senior GIS Coordinator for the City of Marshfield, Wisconsin and . He’s the chair of the Membership and Outreach committee of the Wisconsin Land Information Association (WLIA).

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


Census Data and Tools for GIS

Date/Time: Thursday, April 7th 10:00 AM CDT
Taught By: Stephen Appel
Virtual – Via Zoom


This workshop will provide an introduction to the US Census and American Community Survey (ACS), discovery and access to data products, and using Census and ACS data in ArcGIS Pro.

Stephen Appel is the Geospatial Information Librarian at the American Geographical Society Library and a UWM Alum. Besides working with Census Data in GIS, he teaches students about geospatial information literacy and manages the GIS Data services at the UWM Libraries. You can learn more about Stephen at his website or check out some of his projects on GitHub.

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


ArcGIS Dashboards

Date/Time:  Thursday, April 7th, 1-2:30pm CDT
Taught by:  Muriel Marseille
Virtual – Via Zoom

ESRI defines dashboards as, “a view of geographic information and data that allows you to monitor events, make decisions, inform others, and see trends. Dashboards are designed to display multiple visualizations that work together on a single screen. They offer a comprehensive view of your data and provide key insights for at-a-glance decision-making.” In this workshop, we will create a simple dashboard using ArcGIS Dashboards.

Muriel Marseille is a graduate student in the Urban Studies Department.

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


How to set up an ESRI Field Maps Project

Date/Time: Thursday, April 7th, 3:00PM CDT
Taught By: Neal O’Reilly
Virtual – Via Zoom

ESRI’s ArcGIS Field Maps for smartphones and tablets is a powerful tool to quickly collect and edit data in the field.  Field data can be georeferenced to points, lines, and polygons that are drawn in the field or uploaded before a field trip. While the phone app is easy to use, the setup can be complicated.  This workshop will walk the attendants through the steps to set us an ArcGIS Field Maps project and get it ready to use in the field.

Neal O’Reilly is the program director and lecturer for UWM’s Conservation and Environmental Science program. He is an environmental engineer and hydrologist with over 37 years of experience in the field of water resource management. He has worked throughout the United States on projects that have involved lake, stream and wetland restoration, fish passage, stormwater management, watershed planning, and environmental assessment.

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


ArcGIS StoryMaps: Visual Storytelling with Maps

Date/Time: Thursday, April 7th, 4:30 PM CDT
Taught By: Shana Crosson
Virtual – Via Zoom

This workshop guides participants through the process of telling stories with maps using the ESRI ArcGIS StoryMaps platform. We’ll start with a step-by-step tutorial on creating your own StoryMap, followed by discussion of good storytelling practices and teaching with StoryMaps.

Shana is a Spatial Technologies Consultant at the University of Minnesota. Her focus is on geospatial technologies and spatial thinking in the classroom, especially those that don’t normally use digital maps. Shana works with students and instructors from all levels, including K12, undergraduate and graduate content in all subject areas to bring spatial thinking to all students.

Registration is now closed for this workshop.


Friday, April 8th


Short Talks

Ben Kennedy, BAE Systems – Law Enforcement and Disaster Response*

Jacob Heck, NOAA – GRAV2022 Spatial Reference system*

Lawrence Hoffman, Groundwork Milwaukee – Groundwork USA’s Climate Safe Neighborhoods Initiative

Jonah Riggle, Milwaukee Police Department – Creating Different Layers of Crime Data using the Select by Date/Time Tool

Dave Pacifico, Mónica Suárez, Morgan Moore, Karen Meza – Hybrid Archaeology of the Pre-Columbian Sechín River Valley, Peru (and Milwaukee)

Stephen Appel, UWM Libraries – Introducing Social Explorer

Kevin Korth, nearmap – Frequent Aerial Capture Program Improves Government Planning/Operations

Sean McConnell, Bigman Geophysical – Geophysical Exploration: The non-invasive future of Archaeology*

*Joining us virtually


Keynote: Eva Reid – Community is Everything

Date/Time: Friday, April 8th, 11:00 AM
Location: Golda Meir Library Conference Center*
*Speaking virtually


Student Poster Session

Date/Time: Friday, April 8th
Location: Golda Meir Library

To encourage and support contributions made by UWM students to the development of geographic information science and technology, GIS Days 2022 will include a student poster session. Learn about what UWM students, both undergraduate and graduate, are working on!

Students should register their submission and get more info on the Student GIS Poster Session page.


American Geographical Society Library Tours

Tour the world class American Geographical Society Library with AGSL Librarian Georgia Brown. See our oldest map from 1452, see our impressive collection of geographical materials, and learn about the types of research and programs that take place at a geographic research library.