Presentation Proposals Invited for GIS-Pro 2019 in New Orleans

Showcase your expertise, collaborate with peers, and share your stories with an international community. Presenters at all stages of their careers (from high school students to seasoned professionals) are invited to submit. All proposals will be considered. The deadline for proposal submissions is February 19, 2019.

Presentation Topics to Consider

The Education Committee has provided the following list to consider as possible presentation topics. The list is not meant to be restrictive, but is provided to stimulate ideas. Feel free to think outside the box! Propose ideas geared to GIS beginners, mid-career managers, or the leaders in the field.

GIS Leadership & Management: From single user to enterprise systems, learn the difference between Leadership and Management and why both are critical to your organization’s GIS success. In this track, learn more about topics such as the GIS strategic planning, ROI, maturity, and more. Suggested Topics:

• Value Proposition: Communicating benefits of GIS to decision makers
• GIS Strategic Planning
• Running/Managing a Small Business
• GIS Capability Maturity Model
• Change Management
• GIS Budgeting/ROI
• Capacity Building
• Success Stories and Challenges
• Team Building and GIS Staff Management
• Professional Development Plans
• Other topics related to GIS leadership and management

Community Resiliency and Sustainability: As communities continue to face both natural and man-made challenges, this track will present how communities are using GIS to plan for resiliency and promote sustainability. Suggested Topics:

• Climate Change
• Coastal Protection
• Disaster Preparation Planning
• Emergency Response and Coordination using GIS
• Forestry and Fire
• Hazard Mitigation
• Land Use Data for Resource Planning
• Landslide Mitigation
• Environmental Justice
• Natural Resource and Environmental Conservation Management
• Natural Resource Monitoring and Data Stewardship
• NextGen 9-1-1 GIS Data Quality
• Parks and the Natural Landscape
• Renewable Energy
• Water: Drought, Floods, and Supply
• Wildfires
• Wildlife
• Other resiliency and sustainability topics

Social Justice and Equity Implications of GIS: As GIS assists with the understanding and visualization of our world, it continues to provide context to issues of social injustice and inequity. This track will cover how communities and organizations are using GIS to better understand vulnerable populations and make analytics-driven decisions for the improvement of society. Suggested Topics:

• Applications of Census Data
• Food Deserts
• Human Rights
• Public Services
• Rural Services
• Social Responsibility
• Supporting Vulnerable Populations (homeless, aging, disabled, veterans, etc.)
• Voting/Elections
• Other social justice and equity topics

GIS Supporting Health and Human Services: Explore the numerous ways that GIS can support the development of healthy communities; fight pandemics; support our vulnerable citizens; combat the opioid crisis; and better support both the mental and physical health of the public. Share your challenges and solutions to some of these issues that impact us all. Explore the numerous ways that GIS is used to plan and facilitate effective delivery of services to the public at the individual and community level. Suggested Topics:

• Access to Healthcare / Health Facilities and Services
• Access to Healthy Foods (food deserts)
• Active living, recreation, and physical activity; obesity strategies and interventions
• Building Healthy Communities
• Chronic Diseases and the Environment, including cancers, diabetes and obesity
• Crime, Violence, Personal Safety/Health
• Data Privacy, confidentiality
• Emerging Technologies
• Epidemiology; Disease Vectors; Spread of Infectious Diseases (Zika, cholera, measles, flu outbreak, etc.)
• Exposures (air quality, water quality, lead, etc.)
• Fighting the Opioid Epidemic
• Health Impact Assessments
• Supporting Vulnerable Populations (homeless, aging, disabled, veterans, etc.)
• Well-being and Mental Health
• Other health and human services topics

Data Management and Analysis: GIS and related technologies help us manage and analyze a variety of spatial and non-spatial data. But what are the best ways to manage assets, collect data in the field, and analyze significant amounts of data to develop appropriate solutions and collaborate with others in your organization or community? Suggested Topics:

• Application Development
• Architecture & Integration
• Asset Management
• Big Data
• Census
• Crowdsourcing
• Field Data Collections and Workflows
• GIS and Cybersecurity
• Map Publication Systems and Applications
• Open Data
• Tribal GIS
• Other data management and analysis topics

Geospatial Technology Innovations: Technology changes the way we do business. Modern technology provides the GIS professional with new capabilities to perform much of what we do in our careers. Some of this technology is must-have, providing a real return on investment, while others address new business challenges, while some are just simply cool and provide the wow factor to our work. The presentations in this program track will highlight the new GIS and supporting geospatial technology and capabilities that meet defined needs, demonstrate values, and just plain impress. Suggested Topics:

• 3D GIS
• Addressing
• Aerial Photography, Remote Sensing, & LiDAR
• Agency Collaboration
• Cartography & Map Design
• Efficient Workflows
• Emerging Technologies and the Cloud
• GeoDesign
• Mobile Applications & GPS
• Open Source GIS
• Precision Agriculture
• Surveying
• UAVs/Drones
• Utilities – Water, Wastewater, Electrical, Gas, Stormwater, Phone, Broadband, etc.
• Other topics that demonstrate GIS capabilities and innovations

Inspiring the Future of GIS and Education: This track is designed to 1) share GIS Education experiences and innovations across a variety of formats (face-to-face, online, workshops) and 2) support young professionals and students in their geospatial career development. The GIS Education sessions will bring together educators from all platforms and how they teach and inspire future generations of geospatial professionals using innovative pedagogy and engaged student learning. The student and YP sessions will provide opportunities to learn about and develop the skills and relationships that will advance their understanding of professional pathways and keys to success in the geospatial workplace.

Suggested Topics for GIS Education:

• Teaching GIS to kids (K-12 education)
• Innovations in Community College and University geospatial education
• GIS education for adult learners & mid-career professionals
• GIS Across the Curriculum: Interdisciplinary Approach
• Life-long learning for geospatial professionals
• Teaching GIS to non-GIS users

Suggested Topics for Young Professionals/Students:

• Networking 101
• Translating your GIS skills into the workplace
• Mentorship
• Building the best resume
• Importance of Professional Communities
• Value of Graduate Degrees
• Certification vs. Certificates
• Importance of soft skills in a social media world
• What are employers looking for in new hires?
• Crafting a job search
• And any other topics of interest for students and young professionals

Abstract submissions are due February 19, 2019.

For complete details about guidelines, presentation formats to consider, a presenter's schedule and online submission forms, visit GIS-Pro 2019 Call for Presentations.