Adaptation science serves a strong practical need – the people who manage our lands and waters need information to support ecological resilience in the face of climate change. Maps and mapping tools are intuitive ways of conveying information – particularly for understanding risk from introduced, invasive species. However, getting needed science into the hands of managers remains a challenge in fields like ecology that suffer from a prominent gap between research and practice (the ‘knowing-doing’ gap). In this presentation, I’ll tell the story of the creation of the Northeast Regional Invasive Species & Climate Change (NE RISCC) Management Network, which aims to narrow the knowing-doing gap for invasion science and practice. Many NE RISCC products have focused on spatial analyses to understand risk and convey recommendations and I hope to convince you that your skills in spatial analysis are critical and needed to bridge the knowing-doing gap!
Bethany Bradley is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research focuses on the biogeography of terrestrial plant invasions, including how invasive plant distributions, abundance, and impact are affected by climate... Read More →
Tuesday May 26, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT Auditorium
Take some time to visit with sponsors and peruse the posters! Learn more about our generous sponsors via the sponsor section of the app, and see more detail about the posters here. Don't miss the Lightning Talks at 1:15 (bolded posters below)!
From T to Trees: Examining Park Access via the MBTA - Yves De Jesus, Transitivo
Comparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt Marshes: Evaluating Traditional Field Methods and UAS for Precision Assessment - Sonam Sah, University of New Haven
Conflict and Forced Displacement in Colombia: A Municipal-Level Econometric Analysis - Kaori Kimitsuka, Tufts University
Enabling Connections between Communities, Campus, and the Commonwealth: The UMass GIS Hub - Forrest Bowlick, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Mapping Rural Healthcare Accessibility in Syunik Province, Armenia - Arev Kaligian, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Beyond the Storm: The lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina on Housing Equity in New Orleans - Dankweli Mwaka, Dartmouth College
From Endangered to Vulnerable - Steavi Swinson, Beta Group, Inc.
Lidar and Geomorphological Evidence of Pre-Colonial Mariculture in the Westbrook Marsh, CT. - Alexander Angulo, Salem State University
Mapping the Post-Pandemic Housing Affordability Crisis in the Adirondack Park: A GIS Analysis - Arianna Roeder-Fabos, St. Lawrence University
Patterns in emergent and epifauna distributions in the Central Basin. - Faith Chepchirchir, University of New Haven
Predictive habitat suitability modelling for beavers using remote sensing and machine learning - Caitlin Rogers, University of Connecticut
Spatial Analysis of Elderly Populations, Nursing Homes, and Hospitals in New Hampshire - Hyun Joong Kim, Plymouth State University
Using Earth Observations to Quantify Methane Concentrations Produced by Landfills in New Hampshire - Sadie Lockwood, Oregon State University
Optimizing the Digital Interface of Connecticut’s Coastal Access Guide {Digital Visualization} - Adelaine McCloe, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Spatial Analysis of Methane in Henan, China: The Silent Accomplice - Jorge Santiago Rodriguez , Salem State University
A 20 year NDVI time series analysis using BFAST to identify logging in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine - Jacqui Parker, Salem State University
The City of Cambridge is committed to climate change resiliency and sustainability. The City recently hired a Chief Climate Officer, created an Office of Sustainability, and launched the Sustainable Cambridge Website. GIS has been an integral part of the City’s new Sustainability Division. This presentation will explore some of the more innovative projects focused on how GIS is used to help inform planners and decision makers on city policies, especially those focused on zoning and heat impacts. We will take a look at various AGOL (ArcGIS Online) apps configured to support projects related to buildings, urban forestry, flooding, heat, open space, and transportation, utilizing both 2D and 3D environments to deliver comprehensive perspectives.
Jeff Amero is the GIS Manager in the Information Technology Dept. for the City of Cambridge, MA. Jeff has over 30 years of experience in the GIS field, and has been with the City for the past 25 years. Jeff’s latest challenge in municipal GIS is to bring 3D GIS and emerging technologies... Read More →
GIS Web Technology Specialist, City of Cambridge, MA
Katie Grillo is a GIS Web Technology Specialist. Her mission is to empower data owners to understand how they can visualize their information through maps and digital storytelling. She provides hands-on trainings, presentations, live demos and support, all designed to help educate... Read More →
Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT Room 174
Data visualizations are increasingly used to communicate important information, making it essential that this information is accessible to everyone. Learn about digital accessibility essentials for improving mapping and data visualizations according to current accessibility standards. Discover the relationship between accessibility and GIS, and the features supporting accessibility across ArcGIS web, desktop, and mobile technologies. This presentation also introduces methods for evaluating and remediating data visualizations according to best practices.
Account Manager, Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.)
Claire Smith is an Account Manager on the Northeast State & Local Government team. She supports cities and towns across New England with a smooth adoption and expansion of GIS technology. Her main role is to help guide local governments in leveraging technology and services available... Read More →
Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT Room 163
Overture Maps is a new open geospatial dataset providing a shared base map of the world. The project was launched by Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, TomTom, and Esri, with its first public data release in 2023. Overture integrates contributions from multiple sources into a unified data model and is updated monthly.
This presentation demonstrates workflows for using Overture data in ArcGIS environments, including ingesting GeoParquet datasets, conversion to file geodatabases features, and deriving geocoding locators, network datasets, and 3D building layers. Strategies will also be shown for transforming nested Overture-native hierarchical attributes into simpler geodatabase tables.
A major focus will be on multi-value matching between Overture places and other POI datasets using location, name, address, phone, website and feature type attributes.
The session will also review Overture’s fully sharable and game-changing open data license. Links to the sample datasets will be provided.
Parcel data supports planning, assessment, environmental management, and emergency response, among others. Differences in how this information is created and maintained, and the lack of shared guidelines, limit its usability statewide. Municipalities are required by law to submit GIS parcel and assessor data to their Councils of Governments, who voluntarily share it with the CT GIS Office for statewide aggregation. While compiling data from 169 municipalities, significant variations in quality and consistency have been identified. In response, the GIS Advisory Council’s Parcel Data Creation Working Group and the GIS Office developed the Connecticut GIS Parcel Data Creation Guidance and Specifications. Drawing on expert knowledge, this guidance offers a practical framework and best practices to improve consistency, accuracy, and interoperability. This presentation reviews the statewide needs that led to its development, the recommendations, and their value for better decision making.
This drone workshop walks through a complete UAS project from start to finish—because flying the drone is only the easy part. Participants will follow a real-world project from initial request through airspace checks, flight planning, and field operations, to data processing, QA/QC, and final deliverables. Along the way, we’ll cover what can go wrong (and how to avoid it) with real stories. We'll discuss weather surprises, site challenges, and data management mistakes. Attendees will learn practical workflows for safe, compliant operations and how to turn drone data into GIS-ready products for internal teams or external clients. The session emphasizes real tools, checklists, and repeatable processes that can be applied immediately.
Rapid urbanization and climate change are increasing exposure to environmental hazards in urban areas, including flooding, reduced air quality, water pollution, and urban heat island effects. Vulnerable communities, such as those with lower socioeconomic status, face greater risk due to limited adaptive capacity and exclusion from mitigation strategies. Historically, efforts addressing climate change have lacked equitable implementation. Nature-based Solutions (NbS), such as bioretention, urban tree canopy, and parks, offer low-cost, sustainable strategies to address environmental hazards. This research develops an equitable approach to NbS implementation in Providence, Rhode Island, scalable to major U.S. cities. Using GIS-based suitability analysis, it maps locations of need and opportunity based on various criteria and overlays results with a social vulnerability index. This research aims to identify priority sites in vulnerable neighborhoods to support equitable climate resilience.
Graduate Student Research Assistant, University of Rhode Island
Cate Arnold is a graduate student obtaining her MS in Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. She specializes in Earth and Environmental Science and is pursuing graduate certificates in GIS & Remote Sensing and Coastal Resilience. As a Graduate Research... Read More →
Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT Room 174
Tasks, a new functionality within Field Maps, provides field operations with a better way to plan and coordinate fieldwork. Tasks not only enable better collaboration and accountability, but also provide field staff with clear, prioritized to-do lists built directly into the app they already use for data collection and inspections. In this session, we’ll talk about how to get started with Tasks and configure them to support your team’s workflow.
Tom has worked at Esri for many (many) years and has helped customers both large and small in their efforts to make best use of their investment in the software. He is often seen presenting at user groups and other conferences.
Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT Room 163
Oftentimes, the options for automating attribute calculations in ArcGIS hosted feature services can seem limited. One of the most common approaches is leveraging external tools such as Python, FME, or Power Automate. While powerful, these solutions can be difficult to maintain for end users who have limited exposure to ArcGIS. This presentation will highlight a novel alternative solution for automation when working with hosted services. We will discuss how our team created an ArcGIS field map that enables complex, automated data calculations on hosted services to track stormwater asset inspection and maintenance statuses year-to-year and determine their optimal inspection schedules based on newly collected data. Our solution leverages a combination of Arcade-powered smart form calculations and map symbology in conjunction with a hosted join layer to achieve all automation on-the-fly within the web map, eliminating the need for external processes.
With the passage of Connecticut Public Act 25-1, An Act Concerning Housing Growth, the CT GIS Office has been tasked with developing tools and guidance to support municipalities in preparing local Housing Growth Plans and determining developable land inventories, as required by statute.
This presentation focuses on how statutory requirements are translated into spatial workflows. We will highlight mapping guidance, analysis scenarios, a statewide data library, and targeted map viewers that support transparent and consistent approaches to identifying developable land. These resources are designed to align with statutory requirements while promoting comparability and accountability across municipalities.
GIS-based spatial analysis and web mapping offer powerful tools for communicating about climate hazards and risks to residents, planners, and policymakers. This presentation will demonstrate how we leveraged ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps to support the City of Syracuse’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment for New York State’s Climate Smart Communities Program. We used GIS to visualize climate data, historical weather events, community assets, and vulnerable people and places to aid the city’s efforts to publicly communicate locally relevant climate change risks, including increased extreme weather events, flooding, and heat. The maps reveal uneven geographies of climate risk vulnerability, such as flood-prone neighborhoods, aging infrastructure, and socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and present opportunities to empower residents and inform place-based policy interventions at the local scale.
The term “Digital Twin” is increasingly used across industries, yet its meaning and practical value within GIS can often be unclear. This session demystifies Digital Twins in the context of GIS by clarifying what they are, what they are not, and how they differ from traditional maps and models. The presentation will highlight how Digital Twins are used to support monitoring, simulation, and decision‑making, and will connect the concept to real‑world applications across planning, infrastructure, facilities, and public sector operations.
This presentation highlights BETA Group, Inc.’s Snow Route Optimization Program, developed within its Asset Management and GIS division to modernize municipal winter maintenance operations. Many communities still rely on static PDF maps for plowing and salting activities, creating challenges for contractors, new staff, and crews adapting to changing conditions. BETA’s GIS-driven approach addresses these limitations by mapping and analyzing existing routes, balancing lane mile workloads across equipment and personnel, and generating optimized routing solutions. Through these tools, municipalities can improve operational efficiency, enhance decision making, and support more resilient winter maintenance strategies.
Local government teams face growing pressure to speed up permit approvals despite limited staff and increasing development complexity. A key challenge is the disconnect between electronic plan review and GIS, forcing staff to switch between systems and lose up to 40 minutes per permit.
This session explores how integrating GIS into plan review improves efficiency by providing instant access to utility maps, right-of-way data, and infrastructure assets. It highlights real-world challenges, shows community benefits, and demonstrates how integration accelerates decision-making and reduces review cycles.
Attendees will learn to identify workflow inefficiencies, eliminate data silos, and streamline processes across planning, public works, and development services. The session also covers evaluating integration opportunities, maximizing technology ROI, and building strong business cases focused on faster permits and improved service delivery.
Take some time to visit with sponsors and peruse the posters! Learn more about our generous sponsors via the sponsor section of the app, and see more detail about the posters here. Don't miss the Lightning Talks at 1:15 (bolded posters below)!
From T to Trees: Examining Park Access via the MBTA - Yves De Jesus, Transitivo
Comparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt Marshes: Evaluating Traditional Field Methods and UAS for Precision Assessment - Sonam Sah, University of New Haven
Conflict and Forced Displacement in Colombia: A Municipal-Level Econometric Analysis - Kaori Kimitsuka, Tufts University
Enabling Connections between Communities, Campus, and the Commonwealth: The UMass GIS Hub - Forrest Bowlick, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Mapping Rural Healthcare Accessibility in Syunik Province, Armenia - Arev Kaligian, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Beyond the Storm: The lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina on Housing Equity in New Orleans - Dankweli Mwaka, Dartmouth College
From Endangered to Vulnerable - Steavi Swinson, Beta Group, Inc.
Lidar and Geomorphological Evidence of Pre-Colonial Mariculture in the Westbrook Marsh, CT. - Alexander Angulo, Salem State University
Mapping the Post-Pandemic Housing Affordability Crisis in the Adirondack Park: A GIS Analysis - Arianna Roeder-Fabos, St. Lawrence University
Patterns in emergent and epifauna distributions in the Central Basin. - Faith Chepchirchir, University of New Haven
Predictive habitat suitability modelling for beavers using remote sensing and machine learning - Caitlin Rogers, University of Connecticut
Spatial Analysis of Elderly Populations, Nursing Homes, and Hospitals in New Hampshire - Hyun Joong Kim, Plymouth State University
Using Earth Observations to Quantify Methane Concentrations Produced by Landfills in New Hampshire - Sadie Lockwood, Oregon State University
Optimizing the Digital Interface of Connecticut’s Coastal Access Guide {Digital Visualization} - Adelaine McCloe, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Spatial Analysis of Methane in Henan, China: The Silent Accomplice - Jorge Santiago Rodriguez , Salem State University
A 20 year NDVI time series analysis using BFAST to identify logging in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine - Jacqui Parker, Salem State University
Tuesday May 26, 2026 12:00pm - 1:15pm EDT Auditorium
Across the Northeast, organizations responsible for complex facilities - utilities, public agencies, and institutions - are challenged by disconnected spatial, 3D, and asset management systems. This presentation demonstrates how NV5 integrates reality capture, BIM, ArcGIS, and Cityworks into a unified, GIS‑centric operational framework. Using real municipal implementations, we show how scanned facilities are transformed into ArcGIS‑native 3D Building Scene Layers with authoritative asset data preserved. A key innovation is NV5’s multi‑asset 3D Select Tool, enabling GIS users to select multiple assets directly in 3D and initiate consolidated work orders. The result is a scalable, GIS‑driven approach to predictive asset management that extends asset life and moves organizations beyond traditional 2D workflows.
AI-powered assistants in ArcGIS are transforming how users interact with the ArcGIS platform by making interactions more intuitive and efficient. These assistants allow you to use natural language prompts to simplify GIS tasks, helping you complete common workflows more quickly and access the information you need faster. In this session, we will discuss the current and upcoming AI assistants in ArcGIS and demonstrate how they can be used.
Tom has worked at Esri for many (many) years and has helped customers both large and small in their efforts to make best use of their investment in the software. He is often seen presenting at user groups and other conferences.
From T to Trees: Examining Park Access via the MBTA - Yves De Jesus, Transitivo
Comparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt Marshes: Evaluating Traditional Field Methods and UAS for Precision Assessment - Sonam Sah, University of New Haven
Enabling Connections between Communities, Campus, and the Commonwealth: The UMass GIS Hub - Forrest Bowlick, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Mapping Rural Healthcare Accessibility in Syunik Province, Armenia - Arev Kaligian, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Spatial Analysis of Elderly Populations, Nursing Homes, and Hospitals in New Hampshire - Hyun Joong Kim, Plymouth State University
Graduate Research Assisstant, University of New Haven
I am a student at the University of New Haven interested in GIS, spatial analysis, and real-world applications of geospatial data. I enjoy working on projects that connect data with community and environmental impact.
The USGS, in cooperation with Federal, State, and municipal agencies, have recently incorporated watershed-scale stormwater infrastructure data into the publicly accessible StreamStats web application for Washington, D.C. and the Mystic and Neponset watersheds in Massachusetts. Using high-resolution lidar-derived elevation data and municipal stormwater infrastructure datasets, StreamStats can compute a connected network of surface and piped flow that more accurately represents urban topography and stormflow. The updated StreamStats functionality supports stakeholder efforts to address stormwater challenges in urbanized areas by allowing users to view the network of stormwater pipes and inlets, delineate drainage areas, and compute available basin characteristics. This presentation will describe the data, methods, challenges, and advantages to developing this urban stormwater functionality in StreamStats.
The Women in GIS (WiGIS) Northeast Chapter invites women and their allies to join a welcoming, community-centered session designed to foster connection, conversation, and mutual support. This gathering creates dedicated safe space to reflect on shared experiences, explore geospatial topics, and strengthen professional networks across all stages of GIS careers.
Note for conference organizers: This session can be fit into the schedule to meet your needs as a full session, part of a session, or a meetup/gathering. Please contact me to coordinate different options. I can restructure the title and description based on where you decide the session fits best. Thank you!
GIS Web Technology Specialist, City of Cambridge, MA
Katie Grillo is a GIS Web Technology Specialist. Her mission is to empower data owners to understand how they can visualize their information through maps and digital storytelling. She provides hands-on trainings, presentations, live demos and support, all designed to help educate... Read More →
This presentation will go over products made for a large city's lead service line replacement program. The specific products covered will cover the methods used to collect and do QA/QC on Right of Entry (ROE) forms for material verifications in the program. This presentation will cover the Experience Builder and Survey123 products used to conduct ROE Outreach via calls and door knocks, the public-facing Survey123 product used to collect ROEs from residents of the city, and the Experience Builder product used to QA/QC collected ROEs, including various auto-flags used to identify potential errors in the ROE. It will also cover various products used for construction management in the lead service line replacement program.
Are you looking to streamline and automate your organization’s GIS and non-GIS processes? ArcGIS Workflow Manager provides an easy to use, scalable workflow management system for managing people, processes, and products in both ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. Its powerful automation tools transform processes like digital submissions, parcel editing, and inspections into efficient, repeatable workflows. Workflow Manager's service-driven architecture orchestrates seamless end-to-end workflows, both within and beyond GIS. This session will cover the product's capabilities and demonstrations of building a workflow process to increase organizational efficiency.
Mark Bowen is a Solution Engineer Team Lead on the Mid-Atlantic State & Local Government Team at Esri. He has nearly a decade of experience deploying and managing ArcGIS Enterprise and providing system architecture recommendations to support government agencies. His areas of expertise... Read More →
Since the release of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II federal mandate, the GIS community has been working on making their apps and maps accessible. As part of our work the last two years, we’ve held accessibility office hours each week to help our fellow Creators within the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. During this presentation, we’ll cover some tips on how to host effective office hours, and we’ll go over some of the most-asked questions we’ve received.
Digital Experience Coordinator, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game
Hi! I'm a Digital Experiences Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. What does that mean, you ask? I take GIS, social media, and our Commonwealth website, mix them together, and create meaningful stories for our audiences. I also work with our small team to... Read More →
Watershed GIS Coordinator, MA Dept. of Conservation & Recreation
I am the GIS Director for Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation, Division of Water Supply Protection. I’ve been with DCR since 2017, and have helped push the agency into being one of the leaders in GIS use within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs... Read More →
Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT Auditorium
This presentation will examine the procedures for obtaining and implementing the stormwater data for the MassGIS 3DHP project. The 3DHP data product is high quality surface water mapping derived from high-resolution LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) elevation data. The project connected the 3DHP surface water dataset to stormwater infrastructure datasets, enabling modeling of water diverted by inlets, pipes, and culverts and should assist municipalities in mitigating and planning for intense rainfall events. The stormwater data set will also improve stormwater infrastructure planning, design and construction going forward.
The official 3DHP dataset would include elevation derived stream data and the “connectors”. The connectors could be culverts, stormwater infrastructure, or ditches. Furthermore, MassGIS wants to aggregate municipal datasets to create a state-wide stormwater dataset as a feature data service. The feature service could be protected with login and password credent
Municipal asset management initiatives often begin with basic GIS layers, spreadsheet inventories, and fragmented workflows that do not scale. These constraints can reduce data quality, hinder coordination, and limit program maturity.
This presentation outlines practical steps to evolve these foundations into an operational, GIS-enabled asset management program supporting service delivery, coordination, and capital planning. Based on recent New England municipal projects, it presents an Esri-aligned path from static datasets to an integrated geospatial environment.
Topics include migrating inventories to centralized geodatabases, supporting multiple asset classes, aligning with business processes, and mitigating implementation risks. The session also shows how ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online enable field capture, inspections, dashboards, and decision support using out-of-the-box capabilities, emphasizing governance, role-based access, and phased delivery.
Vice President/Director of Innovation, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI)
John W. Diaz, PE, PTOE is a Vice President at GPI. After leading the New England Traffic Engineering Department for more than twenty years, he now runs GPI’s Innovation Services Group. His group explores and utilizes advancing technologies to improve transportation projects through the planning... Read More →
Bringing real-time data into your GIS enables you to connect with live data feeds from sensors, devices, vehicles, social media, and more. This capability allows you to understand and discover patterns and trends, as well as gain situation awareness. Come to this session to learn about real-time tools and solutions within the ArcGIS platform.
Tom has worked at Esri for many (many) years and has helped customers both large and small in their efforts to make best use of their investment in the software. He is often seen presenting at user groups and other conferences.
Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI) supported the City of Rochester, NH with their ADA Transition Plan by using GIS to coordinate desk review, field data collection, and deficiency analysis. This session walks through the GIS-led workflow that supported the Project Manager and engineers from kickoff to final report and data delivery. Early communication aligned office and field staff on ADA review criteria and how data would be collected, accessed, and evaluated. Using municipal datasets as a foundation, GPI implemented a standardized schema with ADA-specific attributes for sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps, pedestrian access buttons, and traffic signals. A combination of ESRI-based desktop and web GIS supported all aspects of the project, allowing deficiencies to be identified, symbolized, and filtered without duplicative workflows while producing the final report and a comprehensive database deliverable to the City.
The USGS has launched the 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP), an initiative to remap the Nation’s hydrography using a nationally consistent, 3D stream network derived from high-quality lidar data. 3DHP aims to greatly enhance the locational accuracy of mapped streams, provide z-elevation data to the stream network, and increase the mapping density of headwater streams.
Using elevation as the foundation for 3DHP hydrography ensures that these fundamental datasets are aligned, enhancing their compatibility and usability for scientific analysis, modeling, and other applications. Additionally, 3DHP provides a network-addressable hydrographic framework that enables users to reference, index, and link external datasets—such as water quality measurements, infrastructure, and features like wetlands—to stream networks.
This presentation highlights the key advancements of 3DHP, explores its current development in New England, and showcases examples of how 3DHP addresses local needs.
Adam studies the anthropogenic modification of rivers and land surfaces. He specializes in using remote sensing to monitor and predict landform change through time with a focus on integrating field-based site measurements with regional-scale geospatial datasets. He received his Master’s... Read More →
Take some time to visit with sponsors and peruse the posters! Learn more about our generous sponsors via the sponsor section of the app, and see more detail about the posters here.
From T to Trees: Examining Park Access via the MBTA - Yves De Jesus, Transitivo
Comparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt Marshes: Evaluating Traditional Field Methods and UAS for Precision Assessment - Sonam Sah, University of New Haven
Conflict and Forced Displacement in Colombia: A Municipal-Level Econometric Analysis - Kaori Kimitsuka, Tufts University
Enabling Connections between Communities, Campus, and the Commonwealth: The UMass GIS Hub - Forrest Bowlick, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Mapping Rural Healthcare Accessibility in Syunik Province, Armenia - Arev Kaligian, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Beyond the Storm: The lasting impact of Hurricane Katrina on Housing Equity in New Orleans - Dankweli Mwaka, Dartmouth College
From Endangered to Vulnerable - Steavi Swinson, Beta Group, Inc.
Lidar and Geomorphological Evidence of Pre-Colonial Mariculture in the Westbrook Marsh, CT. - Alexander Angulo, Salem State University
Mapping the Post-Pandemic Housing Affordability Crisis in the Adirondack Park: A GIS Analysis - Arianna Roeder-Fabos, St. Lawrence University
Patterns in emergent and epifauna distributions in the Central Basin. - Faith Chepchirchir, University of New Haven
Predictive habitat suitability modelling for beavers using remote sensing and machine learning - Caitlin Rogers, University of Connecticut
Spatial Analysis of Elderly Populations, Nursing Homes, and Hospitals in New Hampshire - Hyun Joong Kim, Plymouth State University
Using Earth Observations to Quantify Methane Concentrations Produced by Landfills in New Hampshire - Sadie Lockwood, Oregon State University
Optimizing the Digital Interface of Connecticut’s Coastal Access Guide {Digital Visualization} - Adelaine McCloe, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Spatial Analysis of Methane in Henan, China: The Silent Accomplice - Jorge Santiago Rodriguez , Salem State University
A 20 year NDVI time series analysis using BFAST to identify logging in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine - Jacqui Parker, Salem State University
Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:45pm - 3:15pm EDT Concourse
Realize the full potential of ArcGIS across your organization or enterprise by overcoming integration challenges with key business systems. This presentation explores high-level strategies for integrating ArcGIS with business systems, including enterprise asset management (EAM), Salesforce, Microsoft, and other systems. We will highlight technical integration patterns at the application, services, and data tiers. Find out how ArcGIS integration can support your organization's needs through native integration solutions for specific software and system providers.
Mark Bowen is a Solution Engineer Team Lead on the Mid-Atlantic State & Local Government Team at Esri. He has nearly a decade of experience deploying and managing ArcGIS Enterprise and providing system architecture recommendations to support government agencies. His areas of expertise... Read More →
Understanding roles in GIS becomes more complex each year. The field has expanded beyond traditional responsibilities into a wide range of users, specialized skills, and subjects. Yet we still use “GIS Specialist” to describe roles requiring anywhere from five to thirty years of experience. This mismatch creates real challenges. Titles and expectations are often unclear and projects are scoped without a full understanding of the expertise required. Esri user models now use a license structure designed to help but can be tricky to implement well. The result is not a lack of skill, but a lack of shared structure for understanding how GIS work is organized. This presentation explores how keeping up with new skill sets requires shared terminology across the organization. It highlights why evaluating roles is critical to organizational capabilities and how to address this shift moving forward with changing Esri models. Especially relevant for people in organizations with many GIS users and limited capacity for designing the systems and workflows behind them.
Michelle Toner is a Senior Technical Specialist - Spatial Solutions Lead at Haley & Aldrich. Her work includes designing and implementing approaches for environmental and climate-related analysis on projects that require new or adapted methods. This includes infrastructure vulnerability... Read More →
This presentation outlines the evolution and operational framework of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Drone Program, established in 2017. The program strategically integrates Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to enhance transportation infrastructure management across multiple domains, including emergency response, aeronautics, highways, and rail and transit systems. Central to this effort is the development of a scalable and secure approach for capturing, processing, managing, and delivering aerial data as actionable intelligence to support decision-making. The presentation will highlight the end-to-end MassDOT UAS workflow, including mission planning, data acquisition, processing pipelines, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), and enterprise data dissemination. A key focus will be the implementation of the Aeronautics Data Hub—an enterprise UAS data management solution.
Dr. Sinan Abood is a GIS Scientist and Environmental Engineer with over 15 years of experience in geospatial modeling, remote sensing, and natural resource management. He serves as Aeronautics Data & Analytics Chief at MassDOT Aeronautics, leading UAS data processing, LiDAR analytics... Read More →
Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT Auditorium
Abstract: This study systematically validates Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) ocean color products against standardized AERONET-OC SeaPRISM measurements at the Banana River site within Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL) system. Matchup datasets spanning 2023–2024 were constructed from Sentinel-2 overpasses (±3-hour temporal window) processed through both ACOLITE and RadCOR atmospheric correction algorithms. Complementary environmental observations from the IRL Observation Network (IRLON) provided context on the dynamics of turbidity, wind speed, CDOM, and chlorophyll-a influencing optical variability. Results demonstrate excellent spectral agreement between satellite-derived and in situ remote sensing reflectance (Rrs), particularly at 560 nm, where both processors achieved R² > 0.90 and low bias. Peak Rrs consistently occurred near 560 nm across all matchups, validating the sensors' ability to capture the dominant water-color features in this optically complex environment.
Kalu Okigwe holds a B.S. in Geography and Environmental Management and is currently pursuing an MSGIS at Clark University. Before joining Clark, he worked as a Geospatial Data Scientist and Analyst in waste management, environmental engineering, and urban planning, as well as Deputy... Read More →
Are you ready to unlock the power of precision field mapping for your organization? Join us for an exciting workshop tailored for beginners and experienced GIS professionals alike, where we delve into the art of field data collection with cutting-edge GPS technology!
Zero to Hero: No prior experience needed! We'll guide you through every step at your own pace, ensuring you feel confident from the start. Intermediate users can also refresh their skills and master fundamental best practices. Quality Assurance and Visualization: Learn how to verify data quality and present your results in visually compelling formats, making insights accessible to all. Spatial Communication: By the workshop's conclusion, you'll have the skills to confidently gather GIS features for your organization.
Discover the world’s foremost collection of geospatial information with ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. This resource curates ready-to-use maps, apps, and layers from Esri and the global GIS user community. Learn how to leverage this content—and contribute to it—to support work across the ArcGIS system. We will also highlight recent additions and updates to ArcGIS Living Atlas.
Matthew Deal likes connecting ideas and people through location. Using modern technology to improve cooperation and solve real world problems is a worthy task and it is one of his goals to improve and refine processes. Nothing is perfect, and so constant progress is itself a goal... Read More →
The Regional GIS Hub at UMass - Amherst is a partnership between UMass - Amherst's Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences and Massachusetts’ Bureau of Geographic Information (MassGIS), part of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS). The Hub's goal is to support geospatial data and technology development and use throughout the region. Once operational, the Hub will assist local, state, and regional organizations—including regional planners, private businesses, and higher-education institutions—in using geospatial data and technology, and acquiring data, software, and consulting services. Students will conduct much of the work of the Hub, under the direction and close supervision of campus GIS faculty and research staff. This will provide real-world experience and training for the next generation of the geospatial workforce. This poster provides an update on the Hub's formation and operations.
Many organizations have infrastructure information in drawings, PDFs, spreadsheets, and older records, but still struggle to turn that material into GIS people can actually use. This presentation will look at the space between data conversion and day-to-day use, and why converted infrastructure data is often difficult to work with in practice. It will also consider how the pressure to make messy records look complete can undermine long-term editing, maintenance, and decision-making. The session will center on the kinds of decisions that affect whether the final GIS is something people can trust and maintain. It is intended for anyone working with infrastructure data that needs to become more usable over time, not just more digital.
The Rhode Island Stone Wall Mapping Project is the first comprehensive inventory of the state's stone walls. Using ArcGIS Pro, the project developed an original methodology to extract linear wall features from the 2022 Rhode Island Statewide LiDAR dataset using relative height filtering of the point cloud. The resulting dataset documents over 5,200 miles of stone walls, revealing historical land-use patterns tied to agriculture, settlement, topography, and geology. With the mapping phase complete, the project has transitioned to research and outreach. This includes a pilot citizen science effort to use mobile data collection and Python to gather field-validated data for future machine learning applications. This presentation offers a case study on the challenges of linear feature extraction from LiDAR, and will discuss the limitations of automated approaches, the role of manual digitization, and practical strategies for operating low-budget, community-driven geospatial projects.
This session explores how GeoAI and AI Assistants are enhancing the ArcGIS platform to help turn spatial data into actionable insight. We’ll highlight how GeoAI automates analysis across imagery, 3D, vector, time series, and unstructured data, while embedded AI Assistants use natural language to streamline mapping, analysis, and workflow creation. Together, these capabilities improve situational awareness, operational efficiency, and service delivery across various industries.
Local governments maintain thousands of infrastructure assets across the right of way, but the data behind those assets is often incomplete, inconsistent, or years out of date. Updating it typically means manual field surveys, disconnected spreadsheets, and time that GIS teams do not have. This session looks at how computer vision and machine learning models trained on street-level imagery and LiDAR point clouds can automate the production of structured, geospatially referenced infrastructure data: pavement condition scores and distress classifications, sign inventories coded to MUTCD standards, pavement markings, and right of way assets like hydrants, poles, and curbing. The session walks through the full data pipeline from sensor to GIS-ready outputs, including how imagery is collected, how models detect and classify assets with spatial precision, and how the resulting datasets integrate with existing tools through standard export formats. For GIS professionals supporting public works teams, the practical question is whether this approach fits into current workflows and what it changes about the quality, coverage, and frequency of the data they manage. This session addresses that directly.
Salt marshes are an important ecosystem that protects shorelines and provides key habitat for many species. Rising sea levels are threatening coastal marshes; however, the marshes have shown resilience by migrating upland. The ability of marshes to migrate depends on the nature of the surrounding landscape. Knowing where salt marshes have potential to migrate can give land stewards the ability to facilitate migration. This study uses the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) to simulate future salt marsh migration in 9 different National Parks along the east coast of the US. We use the best available elevation and land cover data for each park to model marsh migration at 1m spatial resolution under various sea level rise scenarios. The models will also account for anthropogenic barriers to help identify where facilitating marsh migration makes sense. This study will provide higher resolution salt marsh migration models than currently exist to guide NPS conservation efforts.
Graduate Research Assistant, The University of Rhode Island
Hello everyone! My name is Atticus Scott. I just completed my first year as a Master's student at the University of Rhode Island, working for Dr. Jason Parent in the URI Environmental Data Center. My research is primarily focused on modeling salt marsh migration along the east coast... Read More →
Join us for a lively Mappy hour featuring the Poster awards, where you can network with colleagues while enjoying a selection of small bites and appetizers.
Cash Bar available.
The UMass UPub is located on the concourse level of the Campus Center.
Tuesday May 26, 2026 5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT UMass UpubUMass Campus Center 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
