BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
X-WR-CALNAME:2026wagisconference
X-WR-CALDESC:Event Calendar
METHOD:PUBLISH
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
PRODID:-//Sched.com 2026 WA GIS Conference//EN
X-WR-TIMEZONE:UTC
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T150000Z
DTEND:20260519T153000Z
SUMMARY:Registration and Refreshments
DESCRIPTION:Get checked in for the conference and enjoy morning refreshments including coffee and tea\, pastries\, and fruit.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:fb594ba2425a33c2994743a7b13c63a1
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/fb594ba2425a33c2994743a7b13c63a1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T153000Z
DTEND:20260520T000000Z
SUMMARY:Applied Drone Mapping Workshop - From Collection to GIS Integration
DESCRIPTION:Full day workshop is divided into three main parts. Part one will focus on the essential knowledge to establish and manage a successful drone program within your organization. This section covers the fundamentals of drone technology\, including hardware\, software\, regulatory requirements\, and staff training. Part 1 will also cover typical workflows and various use cases.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:2ddbca20e0a6b54a21ea12751c5d87ee
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/2ddbca20e0a6b54a21ea12751c5d87ee
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T153000Z
DTEND:20260519T190000Z
SUMMARY:Beginner Experience Builder Course
DESCRIPTION:This introductory course provides a hands-on foundation for building web applications with ArcGIS Experience Builder.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:78ab9bfca89bc0fbf2c38a67bf93fda1
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/78ab9bfca89bc0fbf2c38a67bf93fda1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T153000Z
DTEND:20260520T000000Z
SUMMARY:GIS Management Boot Camp
DESCRIPTION:GIS management is part of the knowledge economy – a system driven by knowledge\, innovation\, information\, and experience. Intellectual capital is a GIS manager’s most valuable asset. But our intellectual capital must be nurtured by lifelong learning\, professional connections\, and shared experiences.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:305f62f5cc93737479f79d10795fec80
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/305f62f5cc93737479f79d10795fec80
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T153000Z
DTEND:20260519T190000Z
SUMMARY:Real-Time GIS
DESCRIPTION:Incorporating Real‑Time GIS into an organization’s operations workflow enables organizations to move from reactive response to proactive\, data‑driven decision‑making. This workshop demonstrates how real‑time solutions such as Winter Weather Operations and Street Sweeping provide transparency for leadership and the public by visualizing live operational status\, materials usage\, and service coverage as events unfold. Participants will see how real‑time analytics transform streaming data into actionable metrics\, allowing decision makers to track progress\, measure performance\, and manage resources such as salt\, fuel\, and labor with greater accountability. The session also highlights how big data analytics built on real‑time GIS can streamline workflows by automating data collection\, reducing manual reporting\, and integrating operations data into a single\, authoritative operational picture. Concepts covered in this workshop are applicable to workflows beyond public works\, such as emergency management and transportation. Designed for executive leadership\, yet technical enough for GIS practitioners\, this workshop focuses on how Real‑Time GIS drives operational efficiency\, improves public trust\, and delivers measurable return on investment across public works programs.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:0742f920a74cc4713cb3e349018f8a25
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/0742f920a74cc4713cb3e349018f8a25
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T190000Z
DTEND:20260519T203000Z
SUMMARY:Lunch On Your Own
DESCRIPTION:Lunch is on your own. Note! No outside food or drink allowed at Meydenbauer Center.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:TBA\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:16b28a3845c8240b72929a1dcb088d4f
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/16b28a3845c8240b72929a1dcb088d4f
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T190000Z
DTEND:20260519T203000Z
SUMMARY:YPI & WGGL brownbag lunch
DESCRIPTION:YPI & WGGL lunch at Bellevue City Hall. Check in at registration desk. Bring your own food.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:Bellevue City Hall\, 450 110th Ave NE\, Bellevue\, WA 98004
SEQUENCE:0
UID:6fcd5c210cb233dc28b63dfef859dc6a
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/6fcd5c210cb233dc28b63dfef859dc6a
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T000000Z
SUMMARY:Advanced Experience Builder Workshop
DESCRIPTION:This advanced course is designed for users who want to deepen their Experience Builder skills and create highly interactive\, data driven web applications. Materials from the beginner course will be provided for participants who choose to attend only this session.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:d314b4badfd8ea0e32adf6219eb65c4b
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/d314b4badfd8ea0e32adf6219eb65c4b
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T000000Z
SUMMARY:WGGL Forum
DESCRIPTION:This year’s WGGL forum will follow the pattern of previous events. GIS Professionals and Leaders from the region present information to their peers\, with opportunities for questions and discussion\, and to meet peers and learn from their own\, unique experiences. In the workshop\, we will explore navigating the relationships between IT and GIS\, GIS job titles\, and branding your GIS. Content will be developed by a committee of presenters\, but will likely be similar to past events.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:b5504cb3d083f64a9e493699c2c0e5ab
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/b5504cb3d083f64a9e493699c2c0e5ab
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260519T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T000000Z
SUMMARY:YPI Special Interest Group
DESCRIPTION:YPI Workshop at Meydenbauer Center from 1:30-3:00pm.Casual social at Zeeks 315-5pm.\n\nOptional&nbsp\;YPI & WGGL lunch at Bellevue City Hall 12-130.\n\nThe session will begin with a structured networking activity intended to help participants connect with peers and more experienced professionals in a supportive\, low-pressure environment. Guided prompts and facilitated small-group rotations will encourage meaningful conversations around career paths\, technical skill development\, workplace expectations\, and navigating early career challenges. Participants will leave this portion of the workshop with new contacts\, conversation strategies\, and a stronger sense of belonging within the geospatial community.
CATEGORIES:WORKSHOP
LOCATION:404-406\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:a8c908db6ae6449f1dabbc9c624da287
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/a8c908db6ae6449f1dabbc9c624da287
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T000000Z
DTEND:20260520T020000Z
SUMMARY:Welcome Social
DESCRIPTION:Join us at The Redd Dog at 10598 NE 10th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004. Food will be available for purchase.
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL
LOCATION:The Redd Dog\, 10598 NE 10th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004
SEQUENCE:0
UID:34148ba5f3a1dfba018929d417f49fa2
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/34148ba5f3a1dfba018929d417f49fa2
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T150000Z
DTEND:20260520T160000Z
SUMMARY:Registration and Refreshments
DESCRIPTION:Get checked in for the conference and enjoy morning refreshments including coffee and tea\, pastries\, and fruit.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:0563cae7b4e9ed65530c01cfcfb7bf40
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/0563cae7b4e9ed65530c01cfcfb7bf40
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T160000Z
DTEND:20260520T171500Z
SUMMARY:Plenary and Keynote
DESCRIPTION:OpenStreetMap (OSM) is the world’s largest crowdsourced geospatial database\, powering thousands of applications across corporate\, government\, nonprofit\, and academic sectors. As an open\, community-driven resource\, OSM offers GIS professionals a unique platform for collaboration\, innovation\, and data sharing at a global scale. Far more than a map\, OSM has become critical infrastructure for data-driven decision-making\, humanitarian response\, and digital cartography.
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:404-406\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:c42eedd964ff0e28253d135264144a58
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/c42eedd964ff0e28253d135264144a58
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T173000Z
DTEND:20260520T180000Z
SUMMARY:Teaching GIS After April 24\, 2026: A University Perspective on Title II WGAC 2.1 Accessibility Standards
DESCRIPTION:This presentation is co-authored by four Eastern Washington University faculty\, Brian Buchanan\, Robert Sauders\, Lauren Stachowiak\, and the speaker. In this presentation\, we share our experiences with efforts to comply with current federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations in a university setting. The university offers a range of GIS-related courses within the curriculum and a stand-alone GIS certificate\, reaching both in-person and online audiences. Much course content is digital\, including online lecture\, virtual labs\, and more. In addition\, we host a variety of public-facing GIS products via ESRI apps such as Story Maps and Experience Builder. Federal WGAC 2.1 Accessibility Standards impact both curriculum delivery and our mapping products. A work in progress\, we offer insight into our approaches -- and some dead ends -- tackling adaptations for GIS curriculum and end products in the university setting. You’ll hear about our struggles to improve map readability (color contrast\, font legibility)\, navigation\, keyboard control\, focus order\, and more while meeting student and client needs. We conclude with thoughts about the broader negotiations underway as both the university and GIS communities try to figure out how the new regulations should be interpreted in a GIS context.
CATEGORIES:ACCESSIBILITY
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:806c0804231960d48f477b592b26b2b6
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/806c0804231960d48f477b592b26b2b6
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T173000Z
DTEND:20260520T180000Z
SUMMARY:Modernizing DNR's Custom GIS Viewers
DESCRIPTION:DNR maintains a suite of custom GIS viewer applications for different divisions. To improve performance and maintainability\, we refactored the shared modular codebase from Angular to React. The modernization streamlined deployment\, expanded functionality\, and introduced an admin interface that lets business users manage layer tables\, increasing flexibility while maintaining consistency across applications.
CATEGORIES:MAPPING TO THE FUTURE
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:17e7208ac98ccd13956a789373bfd07c
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/17e7208ac98ccd13956a789373bfd07c
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T173000Z
DTEND:20260520T183000Z
SUMMARY:Esri's GeoAI Capabilities
DESCRIPTION:Esri’s GeoAI capabilities fuse advanced machine learning\, deep learning\, and spatial analysis to automate feature extraction and accelerate insight generation across imagery\, video\, point clouds\, text\, and other geospatial data sources. By integrating pretrained models\, configurable geoprocessing tools\, and extensible Python APIs\, ArcGIS empowers users to rapidly transform raw sensor data into actionable information. These capabilities now extend directly into field workflows through Survey123’s computer vision integration\, image classification and feature detection to validate field observations\, streamline QA/QC\, and enrich survey data collection with automated intelligence. Building on advancements in large language models\, Esri is enhancing GeoAI with natural‑language‑driven analysis and intelligent assistants that help users discover data\, generate workflows\, and interact with GIS more intuitively. LLM‑powered text AI complements traditional feature extraction by enabling semantic understanding of unstructured content while Survey123’s vision‑based automation strengthens the connection between field capture and enterprise analysis. Together\, these innovations make spatial AI more accessible\, scalable\, and efficient by unlocking new levels of productivity for analysts\, field crews\, and decision‑makers across industries.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:be15468538a73a871720e228f7b6de43
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/be15468538a73a871720e228f7b6de43
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T173000Z
DTEND:20260520T180000Z
SUMMARY:Using risk & condition to develop asset management strategy
DESCRIPTION:Providing safe\, sustainable water\, wastewater and stormwater solutions is a critical priority for community leaders\, utility managers and a reasonable expectation of citizens. Many utilities rely solely on age based deterioration to forecast asset condition and replacement strategies. This session will discuss best business practices for incorporating risk and physical condition into your asset maintenance strategy. Risk is defined as Probability of Failure and Criticality of Failure. Maintenance workers can score their assets based on these risk factors to better understand potential impact to services provided. Furthermore\, adding condition assessment based on physical deterioration of assets helps prioritize where the maintenance dollars should be spent.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:a3c327354792d757ae49dfddfc44211f
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/a3c327354792d757ae49dfddfc44211f
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T180000Z
DTEND:20260520T190000Z
SUMMARY:GIS Digital Accessibility at the City of Seattle
DESCRIPTION:The GIS team in Seattle IT has partnered with a citywide digital accessibility effort to advance digital access and inclusion for people with disabilities. This presentation describes the organizational and technical strategies and tools that the City of Seattle has launched to support departmental communications teams and technical owners of GIS applications. A brief description of the City’s centralized approach to the Department of Justice ruling on digital accessibility offers context for the technical resources that Seattle IT is providing to City department owners of GIS content\, to inventory\, assess\, remediate\, and track progress towards compliance with the WCAG 2.1 AA standard. The Seattle IT GIS team works closely with the Citywide Digital Accessibility Compliance (CDAC) project to establish methods for managing inventories of items\, methods and tools for assessing accessibility compliance\, and resources for remediation. In addition\, the team developed time-saving guides that note the level of maturity of commonly used GIS vendor products\, which helps direct attention to areas where GIS content creators can have an impact on accessibility. A citywide emphasis has been established to ensure that any new content is built to be digitally accessible. Recommendations\, best practices\, documentation and tools are delivered to staff in many modes\, from newsletter tips about built-in tools for making slide decks more accessible\, to content-rich SharePoint sites with guidance for GIS content creators. Strategies (keep it simple!)\, resources\, outreach\, self-help channels\, training\, and cohorts are important pieces of the formula to help content creators learn digital accessibility skills and gain confidence.
CATEGORIES:ACCESSIBILITY
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:aff9d33eda8c8e5618aabf332a9f1330
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/aff9d33eda8c8e5618aabf332a9f1330
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T180000Z
DTEND:20260520T183000Z
SUMMARY:Building the future broadband map of your county
DESCRIPTION:This presentation will walk through the broadband datasets available and how you can use them to project what broadband will look like in your county in the next few years. We will go through currently funded project and show methods for determining which locations will receive what service. This can enable your community to advocate for future investments based on what we know now!
CATEGORIES:MAPPING TO THE FUTURE
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:9f382ee4036b66782cccddd1ea2a5070
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/9f382ee4036b66782cccddd1ea2a5070
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T180000Z
DTEND:20260520T183000Z
SUMMARY:Happy Citizens and Empowered Agencies Using GIS Permitting Technology
DESCRIPTION:For public agencies\, applying for permits\, licensing and rights-of-way often results in long lines\, overloaded phone systems and frustrated citizens. Incomplete application data causes repeated follow-ups\, and chasing information. Agencies can make better decisions\, streamline payments\, and make the overall process easier for their citizens. In this session\, you’ll learn how Trimble Unity Permit\, powered by Cityworks PLL\, leverages GIS and accelerates better community development\, land use\, and public infrastructure.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:5ec00e44fbfbc084011bedc3fd6cc56a
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/5ec00e44fbfbc084011bedc3fd6cc56a
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T183000Z
DTEND:20260520T190000Z
SUMMARY:Mapping Aquatic Biodiversity in Washington using Environmental DNA
DESCRIPTION:The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Aquatic Biodiversity Study\, led by the Native Aquatic Species Unit\, documents species presence across Washington’s river systems using environmental DNA (eDNA). eDNA sampling identifies organisms by collecting genetic material shed into the environment\, without the need for direct observation or capture. Samples are analyzed using a DNA sequencing method called metabarcoding\, which allows detection of multiple identifiable species from a single sample. Results from this work are compiled and presented through an ArcGIS Online Web Experience. The interactive map displays detections of genetic material from a subset of freshwater fish\, shellfish\, and crayfish species across the state. Data is aggregated and displayed at the HUC12 watershed scale\, providing a consistent spatial framework for viewing species distributions and biodiversity patterns. This presentation includes a preview of the application prior to public release. Sampling is ongoing statewide\, and the dataset will continue to expand over time. The Aquatic Biodiversity Map is designed to support resource management\, planning\, and public access to eDNA datasets.
CATEGORIES:MAPPING TO THE FUTURE
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:9939d4ad1bfd8284a2625beb746e43e6
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/9939d4ad1bfd8284a2625beb746e43e6
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T183000Z
DTEND:20260520T190000Z
SUMMARY:Modernizing Valuation: Leveraging GIS to Improve Assessment
DESCRIPTION:Explore how Assessors are using GIS to enhance valuation accuracy\, uncover inequities\, and improve efficiency across the assessment process. Learn how configurable maps and data-driven workflows support the analysis of sales\, help assess the impact of special assessments\, and provide deeper insight into neighborhood trends. See how tracking parcel history over time adds critical context for valuation decisions and supports transparency. Discover how these capabilities come together as part of a broader strategy to modernize land records management and streamline assessment operations.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:d30734f4501a8e49d51e586530288945
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/d30734f4501a8e49d51e586530288945
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T183000Z
DTEND:20260520T190000Z
SUMMARY:One and a half centuries of topographic mapping at USGS
DESCRIPTION:The first USGS topographic maps in 1884 started as hand-engraved copper plates\, and in the early 1900s\, relief was hand-shaded. By the 1960s\, maps were scribed on mylar sheets\, labels were applied letter by letter\, and technicians field-verified map features. Since 2009\, maps are made using GIS software with remotely sensed data\, produced on a predefined grid\, and updated every three years. The 2022 release of topoBuilder allows users to create custom topographic maps centered anywhere in the U.S. and territories with the latest available data from The National Map.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:81a4a13257508efe0bd0d353c58d4a42
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/81a4a13257508efe0bd0d353c58d4a42
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T190000Z
DTEND:20260520T203000Z
SUMMARY:Lunch
DESCRIPTION:Boxed lunches will be provided at Meydenbauer Center. Enjoy your lunch in the ballroom\, hallways\, or take it to the outdoor terrace and get some fresh air! There will be four options to choose between on-site.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:267870de750dba2d0a027beebbb31be2
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/267870de750dba2d0a027beebbb31be2
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T213000Z
SUMMARY:GIS Career: How to Map it?
DESCRIPTION:This panel discussion brings together experienced GIS professionals and hiring managers to explore practical strategies for launching and advancing a career in Geographic Information Systems. Designed for recent graduates and early-career GIS analysts\, the session will address the evolving landscape of the geospatial industry\, including in-demand technical skills\, emerging tools and technologies\, and the growing intersection of GIS with fields such as data science\, urban planning\, environmental management\, and public utilities. Panelists will offer firsthand perspectives on navigating the job market\, building a compelling professional portfolio\, and understanding what hiring managers are actively seeking in today's competitive geospatial workforce.
CATEGORIES:CAREER & LEADERSHIP
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:273fe0c9c3abcca92ed60eec6e71c425
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/273fe0c9c3abcca92ed60eec6e71c425
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T213000Z
SUMMARY:Using GIS to Understand Tribal Treaty Rights
DESCRIPTION:The Tulalip Tribes were signatories of the Treaty of Point Elliot\, 1955. This treaty established the Tulalip Tribes Reservation as well and provided for access to treaty reserved resources\, including "hunting and gathering roots and berries on open and unclaimed lands". It further reserved "[t]he right of taking fish at usual and accustomed grounds and stations". Interpreting these words onto maps is one of the primary requests I receive from outside organizations and proves to be one of the most challenging components of my job. In this session\, I will explain a few ways I have worked through these challenges and how non-tribal GIS professionals can better support tribes\, treaties\, and tribal treaty rights.
CATEGORIES:EXPLORATIONS IN GIS
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:5a4aa37b76a5101b0a577eb2a6990308
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/5a4aa37b76a5101b0a577eb2a6990308
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T210000Z
SUMMARY:Identifying Wildfire Risk Using Geospatial Technology
DESCRIPTION:As heat\, drought\, and fuel accumulation converge\, wildfires are intensifying across the Western United States. At the same time\, expanding human development into wildland areas is placing infrastructure and lives at greater risk. Geospatial science has a critical role to play\, but doing so effectively requires accurate\, appropriately-scaled data. While excellent datasets exist for broad landscape wildfire modeling\, and many agencies conduct on-the-ground infrastructure risk assessments\, a meaningful gap remains at the intermediate scale. To address this need\, information presented here utilizes airborne Lidar and aerial mapping to derive high-resolution landscape data for wildfire risk mitigation at the wildland-urban interface (WUI). This presentation describes how these technologies are applied to a northern California community to extract terrain\, features\, and vegetation datasets relevant to wildfire risk analysis. The results provide a detailed characterization of landscape conditions threatening defensible space around structures\, evacuation routes\, and utility corridors. Ultimately\, this work equips agencies and decision-makers with actionable information to mitigate wildfire risk and strengthen community-level planning.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:cc44e71a1a65ba5535d3d5f2baafbe3e
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/cc44e71a1a65ba5535d3d5f2baafbe3e
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T203000Z
DTEND:20260520T213000Z
SUMMARY:Zero to Production: A GIS Professional's Process for Building Real Apps with AI
DESCRIPTION:Since December\, I have been building open-source GIS tools on my own time\, learning what it actually takes to deliver production-ready applications using AI. I started as a GIS developer. Today I am a manager. Both perspectives matter here\, but this talk is not about management. It is about process. The most important thing I learned was the difference between "vibe coding\," where AI drives\, and you follow\, and Vector Coding\, where the human provides clear architectural direction and the AI executes it. That distinction is what turns an interesting demo into something you can actually ship. With that process in place\, FeedSimple went from idea to production-ready widget in four days: a universal XML parser\, real-time search\, map integration\, spatial joins\, and 137 unit tests. I will walk through the process that made that possible: * The Anatomy of the Prompt: How to structure AI conversations for intentional\, architectural results * The Guardrails: How specs\, plans\, and code reviews keep a codebase honest across a long build * Course Correction: How to spot when AI is solving the wrong problem and redirect it without losing momentum * The Human Moat: Why domain expertise remains the most important thing in the room\, regardless of coding role AI is the tool. You are the Architect.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:b0deb67ab627b384f096e005279cac22
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/b0deb67ab627b384f096e005279cac22
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T210000Z
DTEND:20260520T213000Z
SUMMARY:Drone to map\, Now What? – KC Wastewater Drone Program to Support Sustainable Infrastructure
DESCRIPTION:The King County Wastewater Treatment GIS Drone Program utilizes drones to collect high-resolution aerial imagery. This imagery is processed to generate detailed 3D models\, which are then integrated with the wastewater treatment's capital project layer to spatially align field conditions with planned infrastructure work. The combined data is converted into Esri 3D Scene Layers\, enabling optimized 3D rendering within the ArcGIS platform.\n The 3D Scene Layers are loaded into a Scene Viewer and embedded within an ArcGIS Experience Builder application\, hosted on the King County Esri Portal (ArcGIS Enterprise). This provides project managers and engineers with a centralized\, interactive tool to monitor and visualize capital project progress in real time.\n GIS/Drone Specialists from WTD will present an end-to-end workflow illustrating how public utilities can harness drone technology and GIS to improve infrastructure visibility\, streamline project oversight\, and enable data-driven decision-making.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:4fcb0095a26f2c418a3bf6f0e95c1f34
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/4fcb0095a26f2c418a3bf6f0e95c1f34
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T213000Z
DTEND:20260520T220000Z
SUMMARY:Break Time
DESCRIPTION:Unwind and have refreshments in the hallway along the terrace
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:fd93386681ff58310411f75604002b7a
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/fd93386681ff58310411f75604002b7a
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T220000Z
DTEND:20260520T230000Z
SUMMARY:GIS vs. IT—or GIS with IT? Defining the Future of Enterprise GIS
DESCRIPTION:As GIS evolves into a core enterprise capability\, its alignment with IT is critical to organizational success. This panel brings together leaders from government and the private sector to explore how high-performing GIS programs are structured\, governed\, and sustained. Panelists will examine the tension between supporting line-of-business needs and advancing enterprise platforms\, and how emerging technologies are reshaping that balance. Attendees will gain practical insights on positioning GIS strategically\, strengthening GIS–IT partnerships\, and making the organizational and technology decisions that enable long-term success.
CATEGORIES:CAREER & LEADERSHIP
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:625b24e9d998c066f806d85e1e10d389
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/625b24e9d998c066f806d85e1e10d389
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T220000Z
DTEND:20260520T223000Z
SUMMARY:Land Cover for Environmental Applications
DESCRIPTION:High resolution land cover datasets have become essential for a variety of environmental assessment and monitoring applications. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been creating High Resolution Land Cover (HRLC) data to supplement the change detection dataset since 2010 – with an original purpose of evaluating riparian habitat conditions. WDFW's High Resolution Land Cover dataset spans 2011 to 2023 with statewide availability for 2017. This presentation will explore the details of what makes this data product unique and provide a general status update on availability. We will give an overview of how the dataset is created\, how to access it through the Riparian Data Engine tool or as a standalone product\, and some example use cases. With several land cover datasets available in Washington\, we will explore one way to select which data product to use for a given project\, including considerations for Eastern vs. Western Washington and vector vs. raster products.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:672a57a15d7639d1753f178bc44aa388
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/672a57a15d7639d1753f178bc44aa388
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T220000Z
DTEND:20260520T230000Z
SUMMARY:Building Statewide GIS Career Pathways to Agriculture and Natural Resources
DESCRIPTION:Agriculture and natural resource (ANR) jobs are expected to increase in Washington\, yet employers struggle to find applicants with the skills needed to succeed in this industry. Our presentation will describe how PEI works with employers\, K-12 and post-secondary education\, and tribes to use GIS to build ANR Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways that address employer-identified barriers to recruitment and retention. 92% of CTE program participants graduate from high school\, vs. 86% of all students\; students who focus on ANR CTE pathways are more likely to earn a postsecondary credential\; and students who complete more than one ANR CTE course earn higher wages after high school. \n \n GIS skills are transferrable across jobs in forest management\, restoration ecology\, education\, aquaculture and fisheries\, urban and community forestry\, and water resource management. Working with Joanne Pearson (WaTECH) and Washington’s Employment Security Department\, we’ve identified 66 Standard Occupational Classification codes that relate to GIS and ANR jobs. ANR career pathways provide opportunities for the future workforce to gain meaningful employment in rural and urban communities\, and ANR job skills transfer across all industry sectors\, further increasing the value of this field to our state economy. \n \n A Riverview School District teacher will share his experiences using GIS in a hands-on ANR CTE program that offers entry level job skills\, participation stipend\, and a statewide industry recognized credential. Our GIS StoryMap shows the impact and growth of the summer programs. \n \n Our session will gather feedback from GIS employers and provide ways to be involved in developing the new statewide GIS CTE pathway. Session findings will be presented to our statewide GIS CTE writing team in spring 2026. We'll submit a follow-up proposal for the 2027 WAGISA conference to present final pathways with recommendations for training the next generation for GIS careers.
CATEGORIES:SPONSORS & CAREER
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:a2a526544fbbf1660bd12bc467ccdc15
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/a2a526544fbbf1660bd12bc467ccdc15
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T220000Z
DTEND:20260520T223000Z
SUMMARY:What "They" Don't Tell You About WAB-to-ExB Migration
DESCRIPTION:Modernizing a complex\, long-lived GIS application is harder than it looks on paper. King County's iMap has served residents and agencies for years\, and rebuilding it on ArcGIS Experience Builder Developer Edition meant confronting real challenges that go well beyond swapping frameworks. In this presentation we will walk through the real obstacles we encountered and how we navigated them. Along the way\, we filled gaps in ExB's native capabilities with custom widgets developed through an AI-assisted workflow\, including open-source tools from the MapSimple project that are now running in production. We'll share the process\, the tradeoffs\, and the practical techniques we developed along the way\, with iMap as the case study that ties it together illustrating what it truly takes to modernize a mature GIS system.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:dde89bc43738b5095adcb536631ab75e
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/dde89bc43738b5095adcb536631ab75e
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T223000Z
DTEND:20260520T230000Z
SUMMARY:High Resolution C-CAP Land Cover Data for Puget Sound
DESCRIPTION:For over three decades\, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management has produced consistent\, accurate land cover and change information through its Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP)\, available through the Digital Coast. C-CAP land cover data have been essential for comprehensive regional management\, assessment\, and planning. In recent years\, NOAA has moved toward higher-resolution (1-meter) products\, bringing the national C-CAP framework to the local level. By providing significantly more detail (900 times that of the past 30-meter products)\, these new 20-class products support site-specific applications\, including water quality assessment\, flood inundation modeling\, and stormwater management. In Washington specifically\, improved riparian habitat modeling\, 6-PPD runoff source identification\, and improved urban heat island modeling will help prepare the state’s rich ecosystems and built areas for a changing climate. This presentation highlights newly released high resolution land cover data for 10 Puget Sound counties\, covering the history of the C-CAP program\, the coverage\, classifications\, and accuracy of the recently released data\, and some potential use cases.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:bbd55ce4cfbd2796ab766f7d55935940
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/bbd55ce4cfbd2796ab766f7d55935940
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T223000Z
DTEND:20260520T233000Z
SUMMARY:Beyond the Prompt: Finding and Following the Golden Thread in Long-Duration AI-Centric GIS Projects
DESCRIPTION:Every long-duration project needs a golden thread -- the through-line that holds direction when things pivot\, stall\, regress\, and push forward. When AI is doing most or all of the work over weeks or months\, that thread is what keeps you and the model aligned. This talk draws on lessons from multiple large AI-built projects\, many still ongoing\, spanning Esri-based and other GIS-related products\, data\, and services: a problem-solving intelligent ArcGIS Pro Add-in\, a public chatbot that grows in capability and knowledge\, data and research pipelines\, and full web apps and system modernizations.\n As these projects grew\, the challenge shifted from prompting to managing. Think of it like navigating terrain -- set an azimuth\, identify waypoints\, travel\, reassess\, correct\, and continue. You do not walk with the compass glued to your face.\n This framework is built on a core principle: your level of control. AI models are powerful and deeply knowledgeable. Building and maintaining confidence in the process -- through research\, clear expectations\, and ongoing collaboration -- gives both you and the model room to build. Defining your security posture -- what you expose to models and how you scope their access -- establishes boundaries before you travel.\n We cover creating bare-bones plans\, defining proof-of-concept scope\, and managing training data\, ambiguity\, and model drift as constant factors requiring ongoing attention. Knowing when to continue is as important as knowing when to stop -- practical guideposts help determine when to pause\, reassess\, redesign\, and refocus. We address how to iterate\, improve\, and provide effective feedback to strengthen outcomes through each cycle.\n By the end\, you will have experience-based insights for maintaining your own golden thread across sustained\, AI-centric projects.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:dbfbd3ec664513085bf975eb11d71d17
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/dbfbd3ec664513085bf975eb11d71d17
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T230000Z
DTEND:20260520T233000Z
SUMMARY:Cover Crop Mapping in Skagit County: A Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing Approach
DESCRIPTION:Sustainable farming practices can limit the impacts of climate change on crop production while maintaining soil and water health for local communities. Cover cropping involves the planting of vegetation on agricultural fields during the non-growing season and provides multiple agronomic benefits including reduced soil erosion and nutrient runoff\, lower water pollution risks\, and improved soil structure and nutrient cycling. As future climate projections for the Pacific Northwest indicate increasing frequency of heavy rainfall and flooding events\, adoption of these practices is becoming increasingly critical for regional agricultural resilience. The Skagit Conservation District provides education\, funding\, and technical support for sustainable farming practices including cover cropping. To support cover crop outreach and education within the Skagit community\, this study leverages multi-source remote sensing data to map and visualize winter cover crop practices across Skagit County agricultural fields from the 1980s to present. Historical Landsat Collection 2 Level-2 imagery\, courtesy of the NASA/USGS Landsat program\, provides a long-term time series\, while Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data acquired via the Copernicus Data Space Ecosystem and the Alaska Satellite Facility DAAC extend the analysis with higher spatial resolution from 2017 onward. Using agricultural field boundaries from the Washington State Department of Agriculture 2024 crop layer\, winter vegetation conditions are assessed across seasonal agricultural fields during the November–February window using three complementary indices: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)\, Normalized Difference Tillage Index (NDTI)\, and Sentinel-1 SAR VH/VV backscatter ratio\, the latter providing cloud-independent coverage during periods of persistent overcast conditions characteristic of Skagit County winters. Known cover crop fields from Skagit Conservation District farmer partnerships serve as validation data. Analysis is ongoing. Upon completion\, results will be published as an ArcGIS StoryMap and interactive Web App to support conservation outreach and communicate the long-term trajectory of cover crop adoption across Skagit County.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:e5f58b57359686d6c930317494abc075
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/e5f58b57359686d6c930317494abc075
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T230000Z
DTEND:20260520T233000Z
SUMMARY:From Maintenance Burden to Innovation Engine
DESCRIPTION:Organizations today face a growing gap between the potential of their GIS investments and how their teams spend their time. While modern GIS platforms enable advanced analytics\, real-time insights\, and emerging technologies like AI\, many teams remain focused on system maintenance and administration.\n\nThis session explores the “innovation paradox\,” where operational demands limit the ability to innovate. It highlights how organizations can shift from a maintenance-heavy model to an innovation-driven approach by rethinking how their GIS environments are managed.\nWe will examine how a managed services model can reduce operational overhead\, improve system reliability\, and provide access to specialized expertise. By freeing internal teams from routine administration\, organizations can accelerate adoption of advanced capabilities and focus on delivering meaningful\, data-driven outcomes.\n\nAttendees will leave with a clear framework for transforming GIS into a strategic driver of value and innovation.
CATEGORIES:SPONSORS & CAREER
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:5717203a6fbb435bef729dadf2a7b232
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/5717203a6fbb435bef729dadf2a7b232
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T231000Z
DTEND:20260520T232500Z
SUMMARY:OSM Efforts to Support Safe Routes to School
DESCRIPTION:Safe Routes to School is a nationwide program that supports families in helping children travel to school safely and actively—whether by walking\, biking\, or rolling. Within OpenStreetMap\, we’re exploring how mapping can play a meaningful role in that effort.\nThis presentation will highlight ways contributors can map pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure around local schools\, including key features that improve safety and accessibility. It will also introduce tools and approaches aimed at making this data more useful for parents and communities.
CATEGORIES:EXPLORATIONS IN GIS
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:8a4b483edec927eaa91fa10588dd2e1c
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/8a4b483edec927eaa91fa10588dd2e1c
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260520T233000Z
DTEND:20260521T013000Z
SUMMARY:Sponsor and Main Conference Social
DESCRIPTION:Socialize with Conference Vendors and your fellow attendees at the Sponsor and Main Conference Social. A variety of appetizers and one drink ticket will be provided per guest. Additional beverages may be purchased.&nbsp\;\n\nAdditionally\, the Map and App Competition will occur from 430-5pm. Speak with presenters and place your vote for the winners!
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:65ae8c1a3f2573c7fefed68085cb0724
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/65ae8c1a3f2573c7fefed68085cb0724
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T150000Z
DTEND:20260521T153000Z
SUMMARY:Registration and Refreshments
DESCRIPTION:Get checked in for the conference and enjoy morning refreshments including coffee and tea\, pastries\, and fruit.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:fe1f155a5f8700f56076caf663f51b79
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/fe1f155a5f8700f56076caf663f51b79
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T153000Z
DTEND:20260521T160000Z
SUMMARY:Kayak-Based Citizen Science: Mapping Real-Time Water Temperature in Puget Sound with GIS
DESCRIPTION:EcoTrackrs is a GIS-driven citizen science initiative by EarthViews Conservation Society designed to address a critical gap in nearshore monitoring: the lack of high-resolution\, spatially distributed water temperature data in Puget Sound. Existing monitoring systems are often fixed or coarse in scale\, limiting their ability to capture localized variability driven by climate change\, shoreline complexity\, and urban impacts. This project uses kayaks as mobile data collection platforms\, enabling access to shallow and complex nearshore environments that are difficult to monitor using traditional methods. Volunteer kayakers are equipped with temperature sensors and a custom mobile app to collect synchronized GPS and temperature data in real time. These data are processed and visualized using Esri tools\, including ArcGIS Online and Experience Builder\, creating an interactive and publicly accessible map. As a proof of concept\, the pilot generated over 4\,600 geolocated temperature data points across multiple locations in Puget Sound\, demonstrating both feasibility and scalability. This presentation will outline the full workflow from kayak-based data collection to GIS visualization\, as well as key lessons learned in sensor selection\, app development\, and volunteer engagement. It will also highlight how this approach complements existing agency monitoring by providing fine-scale\, flexible datasets that can inform climate resilience and waterway management. EcoTrackrs demonstrates how GIS-enabled\, community-driven data collection can expand monitoring capacity\, improve spatial resolution\, and support more responsive environmental decision making.
CATEGORIES:ENVIRONMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:ce62eb2b58464d91e0ab8e6d29185d45
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/ce62eb2b58464d91e0ab8e6d29185d45
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T153000Z
DTEND:20260521T160000Z
SUMMARY:Hexagon Content Program – off-the-shelf aerial ortho imagery and elevation data
DESCRIPTION:The HxGN Content Program\, Hexagon’s aerial data program\, offers the largest library of aerial imagery and elevation data across the United States. Hexagon designs and integrates airborne sensors\, schedules and flies aerial missions\, as well as processes the data using optimized software to the highest levels of photogrammetric and radiometric quality. This presentation provides highlights of the Content Program and focuses on some of the applications of the data.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:c1e10b4673925db16da8bd6176d091b9
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/c1e10b4673925db16da8bd6176d091b9
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T153000Z
DTEND:20260521T160000Z
SUMMARY:A Tale of Two Experience Builders: Migrating Tacoma's Map Applications
DESCRIPTION:Two of the City of Tacoma's most foundational and complex web map applications are the Equity Index and Staff DART (an internal\, "kitchen-sink" application). Over the course of 2025\, we migrated both of these highly customized applications to Esri's Experience Builder. We’ll share how we preserved core functionalities\, enhanced design and usability\, and improved performance. Along the way\, we will also highlight key lessons learned\, technical challenges\, and practical insights to support others considering migrating similar complex application solutions.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:c0a641ea9c3e66d23bf4fb4405a7f37d
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/c0a641ea9c3e66d23bf4fb4405a7f37d
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T153000Z
DTEND:20260521T160000Z
SUMMARY:The Notebook: [Python] has always been enough
DESCRIPTION:A love letter\, or rather\, 365 love letters to the Python Notebook. This presentation will cover the when\, where\, and how to use Python Notebooks\; gotchas to watch out for and quality of life tweaks to make\; lastly\, preserving your romance for your future self through effective version control.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:0155afdb2a26df392f2a4dc021d41143
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/0155afdb2a26df392f2a4dc021d41143
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T160000Z
DTEND:20260521T163000Z
SUMMARY:Using GIS to calculate geomorphological change in a river system over time
DESCRIPTION:We used ArcGIS Pro to determine channel migration over time in a river system in North Dakota. The discipline of geomorphology has defined parameters that describe river migration\, but there are no accepted methodologies for measuring these parameters in the real world. Using GIS\, we came up with unique methodologies\, some built on published papers and others built from scratch. The result is a suite of methodologies that are replicable across projects and multiple years of analysis. We used these methodologies to calculate the change over time in several geomorphological characteristics\, including bend amplitude and wavelength\, average river width\, meander belt width\, sinuosity\, and meander migration. This presentation will describe these characteristics and the GIS methods used in our calculations. Of note is the method used to calculate meander migration\, for which we successfully replicated a methodology written by Joon Heo et al. in 2009\, using least squares regression analysis.
CATEGORIES:ENVIRONMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:6cdcc87aadf911a86113c6172fba07f7
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/6cdcc87aadf911a86113c6172fba07f7
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T160000Z
DTEND:20260521T163000Z
SUMMARY:‘My Job Would be Impossible Without GIS!’ GIS Makes the Impossible Possible
DESCRIPTION:In conducting various GIS return on investment studies\, I utilize the ‘with versus without’ GIS ROI methodology developed by Professor Richard Zerbe of the University of Washington Evans School of Public Administration. With this methodology we ask GIS users to estimate how much time it would take them to do their job tasks without GIS. Although most users can conceptualize an answer to this question\, with surprising frequence GIS users say that they cannot. They claim that ‘my job would be impossible without GIS.’ This presentation breaks down what this means and how indeed we can develop an answer to the question. GIS professionals should grasp both the underlying power of GIS and the powerful message that GIS-Power provides society. GIS makes the impossible possible!
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:9fedfc84fc0592b38ed219cde831d724
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/9fedfc84fc0592b38ed219cde831d724
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T160000Z
DTEND:20260521T163000Z
SUMMARY:The Power of Digital Twins: From Complex Data to Operational Insights.
DESCRIPTION:Digital Twins will not visit your in-laws while you stay home and watch Netflix. They do\, however\, have many other uses including automated precise measurement\, asset management\, and immersive realistic visualization. This presentation will discuss concepts and examples of digital twins in both built and natural systems. From data collection to spatial analyses and operational integration\, this presentation will provide a conceptual overview to help attendees understand how digital twins can support their specific requirements regardless of application.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:e893296ea577408ccb2d9e41f0a437cf
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/e893296ea577408ccb2d9e41f0a437cf
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T160000Z
DTEND:20260521T163000Z
SUMMARY:Using Native SQL Geometry for Cloud-Ready\, Lightning-Fast Overlays
DESCRIPTION:Serving high volume\, complex reports that require querying dozens of GIS layers for a single parcel is a major performance hurdle. Our Districts and Development Conditions Report simultaneously queries nearly 60 layers\, which has the potential to severely impact application performance. This session details the architectural overhaul we implemented to overcome this challenge without changing the core query structure. Our key improvements were optimizing the underlying data storage by moving to the native SQL Server geometry type and using spatial SQL queries.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:d5a996b710041b36abd1ca92810464ea
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/d5a996b710041b36abd1ca92810464ea
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T163000Z
DTEND:20260521T170000Z
SUMMARY:Spatial patterns of foraging activity in endangered killer whales shift with changes in Chinook salmon abundance
DESCRIPTION:Critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) rely heavily on Chinook salmon as their primary food source. Declining salmon stocks\, coupled with vessel noise and habitat degradation\, are pushing the population towards an extinction vortex. By integrating 20 years of SRKW behavioral research with a regional Chinook salmon index\, we developed spatial models to compare whale distribution and behavior in the waters of the U.S. San Juan Islands and Canadian Southern Gulf Islands during periods of varying prey abundance. GIS allowed us to harmonize disparate datasets and visualize habitat use relative to static management boundaries. We found that in low salmon years\, foraging became more diffuse and shifted beyond their historical core summer habitat\, highlighting potential mismatches between dynamic ecological processes and fixed conservation zones. Our approach demonstrates how GIS can inform adaptive\, transboundary management. SRKW survival and recovery depends on international collaboration and safeguarding of habitat.
CATEGORIES:ENVIRONMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:0ae1d37718c1a50a626f53e37259e8ac
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/0ae1d37718c1a50a626f53e37259e8ac
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T163000Z
DTEND:20260521T170000Z
SUMMARY:A GIS Workflow for 3D Printing Topographic Models
DESCRIPTION:Digital elevation models are primarily interacted with through a screen\, but they can become powerful physical tools for visualization\, teaching\, and storytelling. This presentation explores the creation of tangible 3D printed topographic maps\, transforming digital elevation data into physical models that make landscapes easier to interpret and engage with. Building on a session presented at GIS in Action last year\, this updated talk expands the workflow and lessons learned from additional experimentation and projects. We will walk through a practical pipeline for turning elevation data into printable terrain models\, including sourcing DEM data\, preparing and modifying terrain surfaces\, exporting printable meshes\, and producing final prints. The workflow will demonstrate techniques using both ArcGIS Pro and QGIS\, as well as web-based tools\, to convert elevation rasters into printable geometry. The session will also introduce the fundamentals\, including how printers operate\, key components\, and an overview of the current consumer printer landscape. Along the way we will discuss scale\, vertical exaggeration\, mesh resolution\, printer limitations\, and other design considerations that influence how terrain translates from raster data to physical form. By the end of the session\, attendees will understand the conceptual and technical steps required to move from DEM to printed object and will leave with practical knowledge for creating their own tactile terrain models.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:5067d8a78bad41c85d940f860cb79b54
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/5067d8a78bad41c85d940f860cb79b54
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T163000Z
DTEND:20260521T170000Z
SUMMARY:Chehalis River Basin Early Flood Warning System - A Decision Support Tool
DESCRIPTION:This presentation will describe how GIS is used as a decision support tool providing critical and timely information to citizens and first responders in the flood-prone Chehalis River Basin as well as to communicate the value of continued investment in early flood warning to stakeholders. To highlight the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority (CRBFA) team’s National Hydrologic Warning Council (NHWC) Operational Excellence Award-winning flood warning system\, Ms. Harvey and her team\, in coordination with Scott Boettcher of SBGH-Partners LLC\, developed and actively maintains a Flood Warning System Gage Alert Program ArcGIS Data Dashboard and a Flood Warning Email Alerts Sign-up smart form with ArcGIS Survey123. Used as informational and interactive tools for the 175\,000+ residents of the Chehalis River Basin\, the Flood Warning System Dashboard has promoted accountability\, showcased results\, and monitored progress during the 2022–26 flood seasons. At the same time\, the Survey123 Email Alert System Sign-up page has become the first line of defense by providing Chehalis River Basin residents with a practical smart form that allows users to easily select gage alerts of interest and sign up online. Additionally\, the Dashboard allows users to connect to the Chehalis River Basin Flood Warning System website\, which provides a variety of forecasting tools including flood inundation maps.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:b62ed5eb75c1d2c07e150a9ee753d0b9
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/b62ed5eb75c1d2c07e150a9ee753d0b9
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T163000Z
DTEND:20260521T170000Z
SUMMARY:Covington Water District Chat Bot
DESCRIPTION:This presentation describes an AI application developed for Covington Water District that combines conversational AI with GIS-based utility analysis. The application includes dedicated GIS routes for parcel water availability and meter lookup\, allowing users to ask natural-language questions about whether water service is available to a property\, whether nearby infrastructure exists\, and what existing meter information is associated with a parcel or address. It can also combine GIS findings with district documents such as administrative code\, standards\, rate tables\, and forms to provide a single\, grounded answer. The talk focuses on the GIS side of the application: how location-based questions are routed into parcel and meter workflows\, how spatial data is connected to policy and service requirements\, and how conversational AI can improve access to GIS-driven utility information for local government and water district operations.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:2a6c4c33fc4e92bf50b581861a70aa31
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/2a6c4c33fc4e92bf50b581861a70aa31
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T170000Z
DTEND:20260521T173000Z
SUMMARY:Break Time
DESCRIPTION:Unwind and have refreshments in the hallway along the terrace
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:ee9abc158a550638200eb5ff7da23085
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/ee9abc158a550638200eb5ff7da23085
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T173000Z
DTEND:20260521T190000Z
SUMMARY:Dick Thomas Award Presentations
DESCRIPTION:Join us to celebrate the incredible work being done by Washington’s students in GIS and related fields! The Dick Thomas Award (DTA)\, hosted by the Washington GIS Association\, highlights original student research and projects in geography\, GIS\, and geospatial technologies.\n\n Finalists from across the state will present their work live\, showcasing innovative approaches to real-world challenges\, from environmental analysis to community planning and beyond! The DTA competition is designed to encourage students to share their ideas\, gain presentation experience\, and connect with professionals in the geospatial community.\n\n Come support the next generation of GIS professionals and be inspired by the creativity\, passion\, and impact of student-driven research.\n\n\n Madeleine Kopf-Patterson - Disturbing the Deep: Mapping Arctic Sedimentary Blue Carbon at the Intersection of Climate and Industry\n\n Jen Stolz - GIS-Based Prioritization of Salmon Habitat Riparian Restoration in WRIA 1\n\n Chelsea Ha\, Niko Wood\, Seth Borne - Mapping Washington’s Secondary Resale Economy – Visualizing Opportunities for Circular Markets\n\n Maureen Montiel\, Tahniat Naseem - The Invisible Layer: Modeling Seattle City Noise to Map Neighborhood Soundscapes
CATEGORIES:DTA
LOCATION:404-406\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:8cd6ebb5962d48e8366318f61e781ae1
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/8cd6ebb5962d48e8366318f61e781ae1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T173000Z
DTEND:20260521T180000Z
SUMMARY:Advancing Spatial Data Collaboration for Ecosystem Recovery: An Overview of the PSEMP Spatial Data Work Group
DESCRIPTION:Spatial data is essential for understanding complex environmental systems\, informing decisions\, and coordinating actions across jurisdictions and organizations. The Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program (PSEMP) Spatial Data Work Group (SDWG) is a collaborative network of spatial data users\, producers\, and intermediaries dedicated to advancing the effective use of spatial data in support of ecosystem recovery and decision-making across the Puget Sound region. In this session\, we’ll provide an overview of the SDWG’s purpose\, achievements\, and opportunities for engagement. Attendees will learn how the SDWG fosters collaboration\, improves understanding of available spatial data resources\, and builds shared awareness of regional spatial data needs and challenges. The SDWG’s mission is to support ecosystem recovery by strengthening coordination around data standards\, identifying critical gaps\, and bridging technical experts with decision makers. We’ll highlight key contributions and activities\, including development of curated data recommendations\, cross-partner workshops on priority topics (e.g.\, LiDAR processing workflows and wetland intrinsic potential)\, and the formation of Focus Teams - short-term collaborative groups tackling specific spatial data challenges such as riparian monitoring and stormwater data integration. The presentation will also showcase how the SDWG serves as a platform for knowledge sharing\, offering archived workshop materials\, networking opportunities\, and avenues for practitioners to influence regional spatial data priorities. Whether you’re a GIS analyst\, data scientist\, or resource manager\, you’ll discover how participation in SDWG can enhance your spatial data practice\, expand professional networks\, and contribute to impactful environmental outcomes. Join us to explore how this regional effort leverages GIS expertise to strengthen spatial data ecosystems\, address data gaps\, and drive collaborative solutions for Puget Sound’s most pressing environmental challenges.
CATEGORIES:ENVIRONMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:d96411962c4df67032dcd5487904a131
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/d96411962c4df67032dcd5487904a131
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T173000Z
DTEND:20260521T183000Z
SUMMARY:A Journey of GIS Data Integration into an Asset Management System
DESCRIPTION:A Journey of GIS Data Integration into an Asset Management System – Eliud Flores Saenz – City of Pullman This presentation details the path the City of Pullman took in preparing its GIS data into a third-party asset management system. It will discuss the challenges\, insights\, and lessons learned during that process\, as well as the strategies that were implemented and devised to centralize data into a single authoritative GIS-focused source. Among such challenges that will be discussed are: lack of geospatial data for tracked assets\, incomplete legacy data from authoritative sources\, differing definitions of what constitutes an asset across departments and workflows that were implemented to solve said challenges. I will also expand upon some Cartegraph-specific troubleshooting and creative solutions we are trying to implement to get the most use out of this system in conjunction with our Esri ArcGIS Portal. While this presentation focuses on Pullman and Open Gov’s (formerly Cartegraph) Asset Management system\, its principles and strategies detailed here are broad enough in scope to be universally useful across the spectrum of asset management systems. Such as creating a standard for asset IDs and managing data structures.
CATEGORIES:GOVERNMENT
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:89f05219d9d048f05264ca2266aca9b3
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/89f05219d9d048f05264ca2266aca9b3
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T173000Z
DTEND:20260521T183000Z
SUMMARY:Celestial Infrastructure: The History\, Science\, and Future of Global Satellite Positioning
DESCRIPTION:In 1957\, physicists at Johns Hopkins listened to Sputnik’s radio beacon and unintentionally laid the groundwork for satellite navigation. What followed was one of the most ambitious engineering efforts in modern history: a constellation of satellites\, atomic clocks\, control stations\, and launch campaigns that has evolved for more than four decades. This presentation traces the development of satellite positioning from its Cold War origins through the construction of GPS\, GLONASS\, Galileo\, and BeiDou\, examining how each constellation was architected\, launched\, and sustained in orbit\, how military systems evolved into global civilian infrastructure\, and how the underlying geometry\, atomic timekeeping\, and signal architecture combine to deliver the positions we depend on daily. It then explores the augmentation systems built on that foundation\, including RTK\, PPK\, WAAS\, and PPP\, the technologies that push raw GNSS accuracy from meters to centimeters. Each is defined by its own tradeoffs\, infrastructure requirements\, and ideal applications. Looking ahead\, the session turns to what comes next: GPS III’s new civil signals\, LEO-based augmentation that could upend the base station model\, and the spoofing and jamming vulnerabilities of a system the modern world cannot function without. Together\, these developments reveal GNSS not as a finished technology\, but as an evolving global utility. By understanding the history and architecture behind GNSS\, geospatial professionals gain clearer insight into both the power and the limitations of the coordinates they collect\, and a better sense of how positioning itself is being redesigned for the decades ahead.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:f4adc83156790468b8cf6f3a1ad3cc78
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/f4adc83156790468b8cf6f3a1ad3cc78
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T173000Z
DTEND:20260521T183000Z
SUMMARY:How to Build a Production App and ETL in One Week(ish)
DESCRIPTION:“We need this application ASAP!” Have you received this type of request before for a complex application? In this session we will walk through how a Restaurant Safety Ratings Application was created — from raw SQL data to a polished public-facing web application — designed\, built\, and deployed in roughly one week using a combination of Experience Builder and AI-assisted development. The session will be broken into two main parts. App Development in ArcGIS Experience Builder Rather than rebuilding a custom web application from scratch\, the new Restaurant Safety Ratings application was built entirely in ArcGIS Experience Builder. We will get into the weeds about how the application was configured\, some clever use of Arcade\, and tips and tricks for building scalable and accessible applications. Data Pipeline Development with VS Code and AI Assistance Data pipeline development was accelerated significantly using GitHub Copilot within VS Code. We'll explore how to develop GIS data pipelines with AI beyond 'vibe-coding' — and walk away with a better understanding of the implications of using AI to help with future GIS projects.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:aa49671f453e3d827829234f8ae7ceda
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/aa49671f453e3d827829234f8ae7ceda
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T180000Z
DTEND:20260521T190000Z
SUMMARY:Estimating the Climate Resiliency of WA Dairy Farms
DESCRIPTION:According to climate models\, northwest Washington will experience progressively wetter winters in the coming decades. Dairy farms collect and store manure in large ponds for later use as fertilizer\, and the volume of those ponds is greatly influenced by precipitation. Do these ponds have the capacity to hold additional winter rainfall? Or will dairies need to adapt to prevent overflow events? WSDA’s Nutrient Management Technical Services team has come up with winter storage preparedness estimates for over 30 dairies in Whatcom and Snohomish counties. This presentation will walk through the steps involved in completing this project\, from collecting data to generating reports to sharing results with dairy farmers. Additionally\, it will cover how Python was utilized to perform complex calculations and how reports were designed using HTML and CSS.
CATEGORIES:ENVIRONMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:579e4da81ecd98aafd2503d3ecffae98
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/579e4da81ecd98aafd2503d3ecffae98
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T183000Z
DTEND:20260521T190000Z
SUMMARY:Rebuilding King County’s Open Data Platform for the Cloud Era
DESCRIPTION:King County has undertaken a major modernization of its King County GIS Open Data portal to improve reliability\, enhance user experience\, and transition away from aging on premise infrastructure. The previous Open Data site was built on an older Esri Configurable App and depended on datasets stored on a server scheduled for retirement in June 2026—along with several datasets that will also be decommissioned at that time. To meet these challenges\, King County redesigned the site using Esri’s Hub Initiative and migrated all content to new\, hosted layer views in ArcGIS Online.\n This presentation will walk through the technical and organizational steps involved in rebuilding the King County GIS Open Data site\, including content redesign\, data retirement and redirect strategies\, and approaches for ensuring continuity of service during system and dataset retirement. The session will highlight the communication and outreach efforts used to keep internal and external users informed throughout the transition. Additionally\, challenges to sharing hosted feature layer views through a hub site will be discussed. Attendees will gain practical insights into modernizing an enterprise Open Data environment while minimizing disruption to their stakeholders.
CATEGORIES:GOVERNMENT
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:bba4fdc0db48a8fcb22403c897d67630
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/bba4fdc0db48a8fcb22403c897d67630
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T183000Z
DTEND:20260521T190000Z
SUMMARY:Connecting and Empowering Communities Through Map Guides to Inventory Trees Within Their Communities
DESCRIPTION:As cities try to mitigate the effects of rising urban heat due to climate change\, many have turned to creating Urban Forestry Management Plans (UFMPs). However\, UFMPs require extensive tree inventories that catalog trees to assess management costs\, tree health concerns\, and potential hazards. Creating tree inventories can be prohibitively expensive and a barrier for communities with fewer resources. Therefore\, many municipalities have turned to volunteer-led community-based tree inventories\, which can alleviate data collection costs. However\, managing volunteers can be challenging over large spatial scales\, requiring careful planning and resources for guiding participation. Proactively creating ‘neighborhood maps’ that guide volunteers would be helpful\, but there is a lack of open-source documentation on how to plan and create such guides for volunteers to use during an urban tree inventory. Through the Grit City Tree Count project\, we used ArcGIS Pro and created 24 neighborhood maps across Tacoma using accessible\, cost-effective methods based on city published Right-of-Way (ROW) maps and Google Street View. Additional guidance and metrics were added to these maps\, including highlighted streets to follow\, hazards to avoid\, meeting locations\, known trees\, street names\, accessible restrooms\, and any other vital information for volunteers conducting tree inventories. Sharing these methods for guiding volunteers will help city managers interested in delivering cost-effective alternatives for urban tree inventories and help empower communities to start their own tree planting initiatives or UFMPs.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:29254cdec30d9d857b4337d7b7d3e027
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/29254cdec30d9d857b4337d7b7d3e027
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T183000Z
DTEND:20260521T190000Z
SUMMARY:Experience Builder: Beyond the Map
DESCRIPTION:Experience Builder: Beyond the Map\n \n This presentation explores how ArcGIS Experience Builder can empower users to interact with complex geospatial information without ever touching a map. Using a Seattle Urban Forestry Experience Builder application as the core example\, we demonstrate how data reactive components—such as filters\, charts\, dynamic text\, and embedded Instant Apps—can transform traditional map centric workflows into intuitive\, narrative driven data experiences.\n \n The showcased application features dashboard style charts demonstrating annual forestry activities and a text based “research tool” that guides users through curated urban forestry topics\, allowing them to explore datasets through thematic pathways rather than spatial navigation. Information presented in the research tool updates in real time as users select topics or apply filters\, while embedded Nearby Instant Apps provide contextual\, location aware insights when needed. Together\, these components illustrate how Experience Builder can support rich\, interactive analysis for audiences who may be less comfortable with map interfaces or those who rely on keyboard navigation.\n \n Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how to design data forward\, user friendly experiences that broaden access to geospatial information and open new possibilities for storytelling\, exploration\, and decision making.
CATEGORIES:WEBAPP
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:54b0336400414a71eb5dee94d9bafa8a
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/54b0336400414a71eb5dee94d9bafa8a
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T190000Z
DTEND:20260521T203000Z
SUMMARY:Annual WAGISA Business Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Everyone is welcome! Grab a boxed lunch and head to Room 401/402 for the annual WAGISA Business Meeting.&nbsp\;\n\nWe will be introducing new board members\, thanking our departing board members\, and conducting our business meeting. This is a great opportunity to see how WAGISA operates behind the scenes and to find out how to get involved.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:9427db3c665787457873e6748f76711f
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/9427db3c665787457873e6748f76711f
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T190000Z
DTEND:20260521T203000Z
SUMMARY:Lunch
DESCRIPTION:Boxed lunches will be provided at Meydenbauer Center. Enjoy your lunch in the ballroom\, hallways\, or take it to the outdoor terrace and get some fresh air! There will be four options to choose between on-site.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:Meydenbauer Center\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:25df8d280b871d16ea42677eaf0eece9
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/25df8d280b871d16ea42677eaf0eece9
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T203000Z
DTEND:20260521T210000Z
SUMMARY:Relationship Goals - Linking Construction Drawings to a Map
DESCRIPTION:The City of Tacoma was retiring it's legacy document management system in 2025. The old system allowed users the ability to associate a list of related streets through an older Access database and SQL server backend. The solution worked\, but it required several steps without any kind of data integrity checking.\n \n After project stakeholders asked if there was a way to incorporate a map into the process\, the wheels began turning and started with a humble site but blossomed into a full ArcGIS Experience Builder application\, integrating a custom CSV generator to generate standardize lists of barcodes and work orders\, a map for the user to select streets related to the documents as also an FME automation to smash them all together in a Snowflake table\, accessible to the city for multiple platforms. \n \n This presentation will begin with a demo of the finished product\, then going on a tour behind the scenes to see how all the pieces work together.
CATEGORIES:ASSET MANAGEMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:fed1929da4a20d372f7f2ce6c567d350
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/fed1929da4a20d372f7f2ce6c567d350
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T203000Z
DTEND:20260521T213000Z
SUMMARY:Drone Panel - We Came\, We Flew\, We Mapped
DESCRIPTION:Drone pilots and GIS-drone enthusiasts\, come together to share real-world experiences across the full drone-to-data workflow. Panelists will cover flight planning\, data capture\, processing\, and GIS integration — with open discussion on best practices and lessons learned.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:3333a65c469621f470e0aae6d4aae26f
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/3333a65c469621f470e0aae6d4aae26f
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T203000Z
DTEND:20260521T213000Z
SUMMARY:ArcGIS for Real-Time Winter Weather and Street Sweeping Operations
DESCRIPTION:ArcGIS Street Sweeping and Winter Weather Operations empower public works agencies to monitor real-time service activity\, measure performance\, and keep communities informed. By tracking sweeper and snowplow routes\, organizations can improve service levels\, meet regulatory requirements\, and optimize responses to storms and seasonal conditions. Sharing clear schedules and status updates increases transparency\, supports resident planning\, and strengthens public trust. Together\, these solutions streamline operations\, enhance roadway safety\, and help agencies manage resources efficiently while maintaining cleaner\, safer\, and more resilient transportation networks.
CATEGORIES:SPONSOR
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:cc2f64a6b12e375bb19a22b8b1e17ed1
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/cc2f64a6b12e375bb19a22b8b1e17ed1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T203000Z
DTEND:20260521T210000Z
SUMMARY:New ArcHydro tools to facilitate connecting data to hydrography through linear referencing
DESCRIPTION:Linear referencing in hydrography is a way to locate information along rivers and streams using distance measured along the waterway\, rather than using map coordinates. This makes it easier to link data—such as sampling points\, monitoring stations\, or stream segments—to their exact position on a stream network. These linked datasets are commonly referred to as “events” and support analysis of relationships among different hydrologic observations.\n Linear referencing and dynamic segmentation are widely used in water resources to connect attribute data to specific parts of water features. This is critically important to make hydrography data useful for modelling\, policy\, conservation and a better understanding of our surface waters. Historically\, this process has relied on the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) and reach codes. However\, a modernized approach is needed since reach codes are no longer maintained and are not part of the 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP).\n Washington Department of Ecology has been working with Esri’s Arc Hydro team to develop simplified data models and tools that can be used with ArcGIS Pro\, to provide a foundation for developing an updated linear referencing system. This presentation introduces new Arc Hydro tools and workflows for managing events\, explains the development of a linear referencing system based on elevation derived hydrography (including 3DHP)\, outlines methods for transitioning existing events from NHD to 3DHP\, and demonstrates techniques for analyzing and visualizing events using dynamic segmentation.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:8e2db4c892e8b3f1fca0bab7def65556
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/8e2db4c892e8b3f1fca0bab7def65556
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T210000Z
DTEND:20260521T213000Z
SUMMARY:Taking GIS into the Well: Building a Replicable Condition Assessment Framework with Survey123
DESCRIPTION:When Kitsap County needed to move from reactive maintenance to data-driven capital planning for its wastewater pump stations\, the County was seeking not only a data collection process\, but a repeatable framework that could be managed by staff and expanded across the entire system. This presentation details how ArcGIS Survey123\, ArcGIS Online\, and ArcGIS Pro were used to develop and deploy a comprehensive condition assessment program across four pump stations spanning five decades of infrastructure. The project followed a structured progression: establishing asset management goals through workshops with County staff\, building a hierarchical asset inventory from design drawings and institutional knowledge\, developing a Survey123 form architecture with related tables for condition scoring and photo documentation\, piloting the framework at the first station\, refining it based on field experience\, then deploying across the remaining three stations with County staff taking increasing ownership. The Survey123 form design centered on using questions tailored to different asset classes. Questions are framed with discrete text descriptions easy for inspectors to understand. Responses convert from descriptive text to quantitative scores\, enabling consistent\, repeatable assessments even from different inspectors. The resulting condition scores directly support capital planning and prioritization with traceable justifications explaining values. The presentation highlights real challenges encountered during implementation: managing limited existing records\, balancing survey form flexibility with the specificity inspectors need in the field\, reconciling data across multiple survey exports\, and calibrating useful life values against industry standards. Attendees will see how the final deliverables\, including visualizations and interactive dashboards\, directly support renewal and replacement prioritization. Attendees will leave with a replicable framework they can adapt for their own utilities or organizations using standard Esri tools.
CATEGORIES:ASSET MANAGEMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:f6d6f4763626b0705d8fca58bc873080
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/f6d6f4763626b0705d8fca58bc873080
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T210000Z
DTEND:20260521T213000Z
SUMMARY:Powering the Future: Mapping Solar Potential Across WSDOT Rights‑of‑Way
DESCRIPTION:Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)\, in partnership with The Ray\, conducted a statewide GIS-based suitability analysis to identify highway rights‑of‑way with high potential for solar energy development. Using spatial criteria\, terrain analysis\, and solar radiation modeling\, the study identified over 3\,000 acres of highly suitable land capable of supporting significant renewable energy generation. A pilot effort further evaluated opportunities to co-locate solar infrastructure near WSDOT communication sites by integrating proximity analysis\, Utility Franchise Permit data\, and statewide power plant locations. This work demonstrates how geospatial analytics can optimize state-owned transportation corridors for clean energy deployment while supporting Washington’s climate and infrastructure objectives.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:8bceca4e3e4acc873c75d188c0151428
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/8bceca4e3e4acc873c75d188c0151428
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T213000Z
DTEND:20260521T214500Z
SUMMARY:Bringing Branch Editing to PostGIS/QGIS
DESCRIPTION:This short talk demonstrates a proof-of-concept\, alpha-quality project designed to introduce versioned\, branched editing capabilities to the PostgreSQL\, PostGIS\, and QGIS technology stack. It establishes a workflow directly analogous to standard version control software used in software development. The process begins by designating a feature layer as the trunk or main layer. While operating on their branch\, users perform updates\, inserts\, and deletions. Concurrently\, other team members may modify the trunk or their own independent branches. Once editing concludes\, the user reconciles their branch against the trunk to identify and resolve conflicting edits. Finally\, the approved branch edits are merged into the trunk\, establishing a new authoritative version. If you are interested in FOSS GIS software\, have a skill and the desire to contribute\, please attend for more information.
CATEGORIES:ASSET MANAGEMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:7ebf9a01a9bfb417c677d3b6b5060022
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/7ebf9a01a9bfb417c677d3b6b5060022
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T213000Z
DTEND:20260521T220000Z
SUMMARY:Understanding post-truth GIS
DESCRIPTION:Post-truth is a slippery synthesis of knowledge claims\, science\, activism\, politics and media.\; it represents an uncomfortable shift in how our society produces and validates geographic reality. This presentation introduces a multidisciplinary framework based on identity\, meaning\, transfer and appropriation. The framework is grounded in GIScience and illustrated with cases of post-truth GIS opportunity and disruption in the Pacific Northwest related to shoreline management\, best available science\, citizen activism and institutional collaboration. Finally\, we propose a stance for building post-truth resilient GIS shifting from defensive accuracy to proactive understanding through transparency\, epistemic scaffolding\, and methodological provenance\, coupled with the cultivation of distributed networks for knowledge transfer.
CATEGORIES:EXPLORATIONS IN GIS
LOCATION:403\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:af4a77f11368a3c3fab3fe28fb898fbd
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/af4a77f11368a3c3fab3fe28fb898fbd
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T213000Z
DTEND:20260521T220000Z
SUMMARY:Beyond the Map: Immersive 360 Degree Imagery and Drone Mapping for Stream Restoration in the South Puget Sound
DESCRIPTION:The success of a stream restoration project often depends on how well stakeholders can “see” the vision. Yet a persistent gap exists between restoration engineers and surveyors\, and the grant funders\, project partners\, and communities they support. Static maps and survey notes rarely convey real-world conditions in a way that is accessible to everyone\, making it difficult to fully grasp site conditions and restoration outcomes. While drone-based mapping provides high-resolution spatial coverage and critical context\, canopy occlusion\, shadowing\, and water-surface artifacts can obscure in-channel complexity.\n \n This presentation introduces a workflow that integrates georeferenced 360-degree imagery with drone photogrammetry to bridge that gap. By linking immersive\, ground-level perspectives with orthomosaics and elevation models\, users move beyond “paper fish” (on a flat map) to “real fish\,” providing a tangible\, on-the-ground sense of how restoration sites function. Our process combines RTK GNSS surveying\, UAV photogrammetry\, and oriented imagery datasets\, allowing users to seamlessly transition from high-level spatial analysis to “virtual boots-on-the-ground” views while highlighting channel conditions\, habitat features\, and project performance over time.\n \n Examples from South Puget Sound (WRIAs 10–15) demonstrate how this approach supports restoration monitoring\, virtual site visits\, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The workflow enhances both technical analysis and communication\, making complex spatial data more intuitive and accessible to diverse audiences.
CATEGORIES:REMOTE SENSING
LOCATION:407-408\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:38e0968427df1965a4a757bd02ace317
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/38e0968427df1965a4a757bd02ace317
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T213000Z
DTEND:20260521T220000Z
SUMMARY:Unlocking the Past to Empower the Future: Geo-Enabling WSDOT’s Statewide Real Estate Parcel Inventory
DESCRIPTION:The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Real Estate Services (RES) oversees an extensive archive of Real Estate Maps documenting parcels acquired to build and maintain the state’s transportation system. Many of these maps—especially those produced prior to 2010—exist solely as scanned images\, limiting their usability in modern geospatial workflows and slowing access to crucial property information.\n To bridge this gap\, WSDOT RES has launched a statewide initiative to georeference historical Real Estate Maps\, digitize parcel boundaries\, and connect key acquisition records directly to spatial features. This effort is creating a unified\, GIS-enabled Parcel Inventory that modernizes how real estate data is stored\, accessed\, and used to support planning and operational needs.\n This presentation will walk through the end‑to‑end lifecycle of the Parcel Inventory Project—from archival research and data preparation to georeferencing\, polygon creation\, and enterprise database integration. The resulting geodatabase will become a mission‑critical asset\, improving decision-making\, streamlining RES workflows\, and increasing transparency and accessibility of property records across Washington State.
CATEGORIES:TECHNOLOGY
LOCATION:401-402\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:ccc3809ce9aeb1d8666d5d892d8e4e31
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/ccc3809ce9aeb1d8666d5d892d8e4e31
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T214500Z
DTEND:20260521T220000Z
SUMMARY:Tree Canopy and Land Cover: Tacoma's GIS Approach
DESCRIPTION:Many municipalities regularly collect land cover data using aerial imagery to support land use planning\, track tree canopy\, and inform city leadership. Building these workflows requires balancing accuracy\, efficiency\, and long-term maintainability\, which becomes increasingly challenging as datasets grow and organizational needs evolve. This presentation walks through how the City of Tacoma’s Environmental Services department developed a land cover workflow using ArcGIS Pro to process and analyze aerial data. Using real project examples\, it will highlight the step-by-step approach used to generate land cover and tree canopy statistics\, along with the challenges encountered around efficiency\, consistency\, and long-term maintainability. Building on this foundation\, the presentation will also explore opportunities to improve and automate the workflow using FME. It will outline where automation could reduce manual effort\, improve documentation\, and make the process more repeatable across teams. Attendees will gain practical insight into building effective GIS workflows in ArcGIS Pro\, identifying bottlenecks in manual processes\, and taking the first steps toward automation with tools like FME.
CATEGORIES:ASSET MANAGEMENT
LOCATION:409\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:be48ad34b0f1c9498f35da20607ae123
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/be48ad34b0f1c9498f35da20607ae123
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T221500Z
DTEND:20260521T230000Z
SUMMARY:Closing Plenary
DESCRIPTION:Final conference wrap-up from WAGISA board members\, announcement of Dick Thomas Award winner(s) and raffle prize winners.
CATEGORIES:CONFERENCE
LOCATION:404-406\, 11100 NE 6th St\, Bellevue\, WA 98004\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:1b6b37aef7053cdcbfecf19390b22006
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/1b6b37aef7053cdcbfecf19390b22006
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260517T081658Z
DTSTART:20260521T230000Z
DTEND:20260522T010000Z
SUMMARY:Tavern Hall
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a casual Closing Social at Tavern Hall at 505 Bellevue Square Bellevue\, WA 98004. Happy hour is available until 5pm! Food can be purchased on site.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL
LOCATION:Tavern Hall\, 505 Bellevue Square\, Bellevue\, WA 98004
SEQUENCE:0
UID:be9b9c7113ecc4ffeca9ae2d84e32bd2
URL:http://2026wagisconference.sched.com/event/be9b9c7113ecc4ffeca9ae2d84e32bd2
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR