Spring NEARC 2026: Full Schedule

6:00pm EDT

Monday May 25, 2026 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Getting to town the night before the conference? Join fellow attendees at this casual meetup. Learn more about Bistro63 here.

Monday May 25, 2026 6:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Bistro63 63 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA, 01002

Social Event

7:30am EDT

Breakfast and Visit Exhibitors

Tuesday May 26, 2026 7:30am - 8:30am EDT

Auditorium

Tuesday May 26, 2026 7:30am - 8:30am EDT
Auditorium

Meal or Break

7:30am EDT

Registration Opens

Tuesday May 26, 2026 7:30am - 9:30am EDT

Concourse

Tuesday May 26, 2026 7:30am - 9:30am EDT
Concourse

Registration

8:30am EDT

Welcome & Keynote: How Spatial Analysis Can Support Ecosystem Management: A Case Study With Invasive Species

Tuesday May 26, 2026 8:30am - 9:45am EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Dr. Bethany Bradley

Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

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

General Session

9:45am EDT

Break, Visit Sponsors, & View Posters

Tuesday May 26, 2026 9:45am - 10:15am EDT

Concourse

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, TransitivoComparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt...
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Spring NEARC Poster List for Sched pdf

Tuesday May 26, 2026 9:45am - 10:15am EDT
Concourse

Meal or Break

10:15am EDT

Leveraging AGOL Applications for Climate Adaptation

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Jeff Amero

GIS Manager, City of Cambridge

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 →

Katie Grillo

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

Climate Resilience

10:15am EDT

Making Data Visualizations Accessible Across the ArcGIS Platform

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT

Room 163

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...
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Speakers

Claire Smith

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

Esri

10:15am EDT

Working with Overture Maps in ArcGIS Pro: Workflows, QA, and POI Conflation

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT

Room 168

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,...
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Speakers

Brian Hebert

Solutions Architect, ScribeKey, LLC

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT
Room 168

Optimizing Workflows

10:15am EDT

Connecticut’s New GIS Parcel Data Creation Guidance and Specifications

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Alfredo Herrera

Geographic Information Officer, State of Connecticut

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 10:45am EDT
Auditorium

Planning, Policy, and Permits

10:15am EDT

Advancing GIS with UAS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT

Room 165

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....
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Speakers

Dave Price

Chief UAS Pilot, GPI

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:15am - 11:30am EDT
Room 165

10:45am EDT

Equitable Climate Resilience: A GIS Approach to Protecting Vulnerable Communities with NbS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Cate Arnold

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

Climate Resilience

10:45am EDT

ArcGIS Field Maps Tasks: Improving Field Coordination

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT

Room 163

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...
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Speakers

Tom Schwartzman

Senior Solution Engineer, Esri

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

Esri

10:45am EDT

Novel Strategies for Arcade-based Automation

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT

Room 168

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...
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Speakers

Colin Bergmann

Water Resources Engineer, VHB

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT
Room 168

Optimizing Workflows

10:45am EDT

GIS Tools for Connecticut’s Housing Growth Plan Requirements

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Sarah Hurley

GIS Coordinator, CT GIS Office

Tuesday May 26, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am EDT
Auditorium

Planning, Policy, and Permits

11:15am EDT

From Mandates to Maps: Leveraging GIS and Web Mapping to Communicate Locally Relevant Climate Risks and Inform Climate Change Adaptation

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Jonnell Robinson

Assistant Professor, Syracuse University

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
Room 174

Climate Resilience

11:15am EDT

Demystifying Digital Twins in GIS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

Room 163

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...
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Speakers

Clarissa Paz

Senior Solution Engineer, Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.)

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
Room 163

Esri

11:15am EDT

BETA Group, Inc.’s Snow Route Optimization Program

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

Room 168

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...
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Speakers

Isaiah Spencer

GIS Specialist, BETA Group, Inc.

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
Room 168

Optimizing Workflows

11:15am EDT

Beyond the Blueprint - Transforming Plan Review with Embedded GIS.

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Nancy Aguirre

Account Executive, Avolve

Tuesday May 26, 2026 11:15am - 11:45am EDT
Auditorium

Planning, Policy, and Permits

12:00pm EDT

Lunch, Visit Sponsors, & View Posters

Tuesday May 26, 2026 12:00pm - 1:15pm EDT

Auditorium

Tuesday May 26, 2026 12:00pm - 1:15pm EDT
Auditorium

Meal or Break

1:15pm EDT

From Scan to System: Enabling Predictive Asset Management Through BIM–GIS Integration

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT

Room 168

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...
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Speakers

Amanda Falkner

Account Executive (Northeast), NV5 Geospatial

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT
Room 168

Asset Management

1:15pm EDT

From Questions to Solutions: How AI Assistants Revolutionize GIS Tasks

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT

Room 163

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...
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Speakers

Tom Schwartzman

Senior Solution Engineer, Esri

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT
Room 163

Esri

1:15pm EDT

Lightning Talks

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT

Auditorium

Learn more about the posters/lightning talks here.From T to Trees: Examining Park Access via the MBTA - Yves De Jesus, TransitivoComparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt Marshes: Evaluating Traditional Field Methods and UAS for Precision Assessment - Sonam Sah, University of New HavenEnabling Connections between Communities, Campus, and the Commonwealth: The UMass...
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Speakers

Hyun Joong Kim

Associate Professor, Plymouth State University

Forrest Bowlick

Senior Lecturer, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Yves De Jesus

GIS Professional, TRANSITIVO

Sonam Sah

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.

Arev Kaligian

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT
Auditorium

GIS for the Common Good

1:15pm EDT

Advancements in the USGS StreamStats Web Application for Delineation of Urban Watersheds

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Laura Luongo

Physical Scientist, United States Geological Survey

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT
Room 174

Hydrology

1:15pm EDT

Women in GIS (WiGIS)

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT

Room 165

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:...
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Speakers

Katie Grillo

GIS Web Technology Specialist, City of Cambridge, MA

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:15pm - 1:45pm EDT
Room 165

Women in GIS

1:45pm EDT

Using ArcGIS Dashboards to Manage Outreach and Construction for an LSLR Program

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT

Room 168

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...
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Speakers

Nicholas Werner

GIS Specialist, Trinnex/CDM Smith

Jack Dennison

Trinnex / CDM Smith

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT
Room 168

Asset Management

1:45pm EDT

Automating GIS Workflows with ArcGIS Workflow Manager

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT

Room 163

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,...
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Speakers

Christopher Bast

Account Executive, Esri

Mark Bowen

Solution Engineer Team Lead, ESRI

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT
Room 163

Esri

1:45pm EDT

It takes a village: making GIS accessible

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Alexandra Wolfe

GIS Analyst, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

Elaine Brewer

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 →

Erica Poisson

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

GIS for the Common Good

1:45pm EDT

Making a Water Connection: 3DHP and Stormwater

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Tom Mueller

Deputy Director, MassGIS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 1:45pm - 2:15pm EDT
Room 174

Hydrology

2:15pm EDT

From Spreadsheets and GIS Layers to an Active, Scalable Geospatial Asset Management Program

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

Room 168

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,...
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Speakers

John Diaz

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
Room 168

Asset Management

2:15pm EDT

Enabling Your Organization with Real-Time GIS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

Room 163

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.

Speakers

Tom Schwartzman

Senior Solution Engineer, Esri

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
Room 163

Esri

2:15pm EDT

GIS-Driven ADA Transition Planning: Designing Schema, Collecting Data, Delivering Deficiencies

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Brett Barnard

GIS Analyst, GPI

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
Auditorium

GIS for the Common Good

2:15pm EDT

Remapping our Nation’s streams: How the USGS 3D Hydrography Program (3DHP) supports New England

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Adam Benthem

National Map Liaison, USGS

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:15pm - 2:45pm EDT
Room 174

Hydrology

2:45pm EDT

Break, Visit Sponsors, & View Posters

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:45pm - 3:15pm EDT

Concourse

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, TransitivoComparative Analysis of Above-Ground Biomass Estimation in Branford Salt Marshes: Evaluating Traditional Field Methods and UAS for Precision...
See More →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 2:45pm - 3:15pm EDT
Concourse

Meal or Break

3:15pm EDT

Solving Business System Integration Challenges with GIS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT

Room 163

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,...
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Speakers

Mark Bowen

Solution Engineer Team Lead, ESRI

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT
Room 163

Esri

3:15pm EDT

GIS Has Grown Up. Our Roles Haven’t.

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT

Room 168

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...
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Speakers

Michelle Toner

Senior Technical Specialist | Spatial Solutions, Haley & Aldrich

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT
Room 168

GIS and Us

3:15pm EDT

MassDOT Aeronautics Overview

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Sinan Abood

Chief od Data & Analytics, MassDOT Aeronautics

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

Infrastructure

3:15pm EDT

Validation of Ocean Color Satellite Products (Sentinel-2) over the Banana River AERONET-OC Site

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Kalu Okigwe

Graduate Student, Clark University

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 3:45pm EDT
Room 174

Remote Sensing

3:15pm EDT

Field Data Collection Fundamentals: A Beginner's Guide to Field Mapping with High Accuracy GPS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm EDT

Room 165

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...
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Speakers

David Grafton

GIS Analyst, Bad Elf

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:15pm - 4:45pm EDT
Room 165

3:45pm EDT

Tapping into Content: Exploring the Living Atlas

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Room 163

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.

Speakers

Matthew Deal

Senior Account Manager, Esri

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 163

Esri

3:45pm EDT

Strategically Planning the Regional GIS Hub at UMass - Amherst: Survey Results and Paths Forward

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Room 168

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...
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Speakers

Forrest Bowlick

Senior Lecturer, University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Joseph Kopera

Senior Research Fellow, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Priya Sankali

Program Manager, Sanborn

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 168

GIS and Us

3:45pm EDT

Turning Infrastructure Records into Usable GIS

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

Nic Peterson

GIS Specialist, VHB

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Auditorium

Infrastructure

3:45pm EDT

Rhode Island Stone Wall Mapping Project

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Elliot Vosburgh

Research associate, University of Rhode Island

Tuesday May 26, 2026 3:45pm - 4:15pm EDT
Room 174

Remote Sensing

4:15pm EDT

Streamlining Mapping and Analysis Workflows with GeoAI

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:15pm - 4:45pm EDT

Room 163

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...
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Speakers

Clarissa Paz

Senior Solution Engineer, Esri (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.)

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:15pm - 4:45pm EDT
Room 163

Esri

4:15pm EDT

From Street-Level Imagery to GIS-Ready Data: How Computer Vision Builds Infrastructure Inventories

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:15pm - 4:45pm EDT

Auditorium

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...
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Speakers

AJ Laiosa

Cvyl

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:15pm - 4:45pm EDT
Auditorium

Infrastructure

4:15pm EDT

Modeling Salt Marsh Migration In The Northeastern USA Using Remote Sensing & Geospatial Analysis

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:15pm - 4:45pm EDT

Room 174

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...
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Speakers

Atticus Scott

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 →

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:15pm - 4:45pm EDT
Room 174

Remote Sensing

4:45pm EDT

Closing Session

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:45pm - 5:00pm EDT

Auditorium

Tuesday May 26, 2026 4:45pm - 5:00pm EDT
Auditorium

General Session

5:00pm EDT

Mappy Hour Networking Social & Poster Awards

Tuesday May 26, 2026 5:00pm - 7:00pm EDT

UMass Upub

Sponsored by Silver Sponsor Eagleview!

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 Upub UMass Campus Center 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA

Social Event

Spring NEARC 2026

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