2026 WA GIS Conference: Full Schedule

9:00am PDT

‘My Job Would be Impossible Without GIS!’ GIS Makes the Impossible Possible

Thursday May 21, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am PDT

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!

Speakers

Greg Babinski, MA, GISP, EthicalGEO Fellow

GIS Management Consultant, GIS Management Consulting Services LLC

Greg Babinski is a GIS management consultant and founder of GIS Management Consulting Services LLC and the GIS Management Academy™, located in Edmonds, Washington. Between 1998 and 2021 he served as GIS Manager, GIS Finance Manager, and GIS Marketing & Business Development Manager... Read More →

Thursday May 21, 2026 9:00am - 9:30am PDT
403

Sponsor, Advocacy

11:30am PDT

Connecting and Empowering Communities Through Map Guides to Inventory Trees Within Their Communities

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:30am - 12:00pm PDT

403

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.

Speakers

Nelson Pham

Research Technologist, WSU Urban Forest Health Lab

Nelson Pham is an undergraduate student at the University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences studying Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management. He works part-time as a Research Technologist at the Urban Forest Health Lab at Washington State... Read More →

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:30am - 12:00pm PDT
403

Sponsor, Advocacy

2026 WA GIS Conference

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2026 WA GIS Conference

9:00am PDT

Greg Babinski, MA, GISP, EthicalGEO Fellow

11:30am PDT

Nelson Pham

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