 Emerging Professionals Presentation Opportunity
Do you have a GIS project you’d like to present at GIS in Action? This is an excellent opportunity to show your skills and knowledge to a wide audience. This opportunity is open to all emerging professionals in Oregon and SW Washington. An emerging professional is someone who has less than 5 years of professional experience, and includes students, workers, and job seekers who are new to GIS. The presentations will be twenty minutes long, and should be about a current or recent project that incorporates a geospatial approach Potential topics include spatial analysis, data collection, remote sensing, web applications, cartography, map production, and more. The platforms used can include Esri, QGIS, and others. The GIS In Action conference will be held in the Standard Insurance Center on April 27th – 30th, 2026. Workshops will be held on April 27th- 28th. Conference and presentations will take place April 29th – 30th. To apply, write a brief abstract, and include it in this application form. In the form’s comments, please include “Emerging Professionals Presentation”. The abstract should be no more than 250 words or 1500 characters. For more information, see the presentation guidelines. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2026. Become an GPN-PNW (Geospatial Professional Network) Member to receive all notifications regarding this and other GIS events! Become a Member - it's free! Please note OR-URISA recently re-branded as GPN-PNW. If you've previously become a member of ORURISA no action is needed. You can log in and check your profile to confirm its set to receive notifications. The Emerging Professional Committee, Leah Bollin, Catherine Green, Jake Lovell, Zack Kasson, Leah Thompson, and Miranda Wood. Conference Details
When: Main Conference: Wednesday, April 29th, and Thursday, April 30th, 2026 Where: Downtown Portland, at the Standard Insurance Building (home to Esri’s Portland R&D offices). The GIS in Action Conference has been an event for GIS professionals and enthusiasts for 35 years. It provides a fantastic opportunity for students and instructors to connect, share work, and engage with the GIS community. Map Contest One highlight of the conference is the Map Contest, which I am organizing this year. I would like to see your students participate! You might even consider integrating this into a class project. Participants not only compete for prizes but also gain visibility in the GIS community, build their portfolios, and connect with professionals from industry and academia. Contest Categories 1. Analytic Presentation – Communicating meaningful patterns in data 2. Cartographic – Excellence in visual display 3. Data Integration – Combining data from multiple sources 4.. Web Applications – StoryMaps, ArcGIS Online, Tableau, Mapbox, Power BI, or similar platforms 5. Student Category – Specifically for enrolled students pursuing a degree or certificate (students compete against peers in this category) Prizes • Winners in each category will receive prizes, such as $50 REI gift certificates. • Second-place prizes may also be awarded based on amount entered in that category. How to Register for Map Contest 2026 Registration Link Entry Formats: o Hardcopy maps (up to 3 ft x 5 ft for poster boards) o Digital maps o Web applications Deadline: o Map entries are due by Sunday, March 1, 2026. On behalf of Theresa Burcsu, GIS in Action Conference Chair, I’m excited to invite you to this year’s GIS in Action Conference in Portland, Oregon!
Conference Dates • Workshops: Monday, April 27 & Tuesday, April 28 • Conference: Wednesday, April 29 & Thursday, April 30 Learn & Connect Join GIS professionals, students, and planners from across the Greater Pacific Northwest to explore innovations in the field, classroom, and public sphere. Opportunities to Participate • Workshops: Share your expertise with industry peers. Proposal deadline: January 31, 2026 • Abstracts: Present on your latest project or study. Submission deadline: March 1, 2026 • Map Contest: Enter digital, print, or web-based maps (including StoryMaps). Submission deadline: March 1, 2026 More details will become available on our website as the date approaches: GIS in Action Conference. Ready to talk about a recent project? Is public speaking a craft you’d like to perfect in 2026? Here is your chance to submit an abstract to present at GIS In Action!
GIS In Action will be held in the Standard Insurance Center on April 27th – 30th, 2026. Workshops will be held on April 27th – 28th. Conference and presentations will take place April 29th – 30th. There are several presentation formats available,
We have a wide range of topics to choose from: Asset Management | Business Analysis | Cartography | Census | Conservation | Critical GIS | Data Governance | Database Administration | Digital Twin | Emergency Response | Ethics, Equity | Lidar | Mobile Apps | Online Application | Open Source | Photogrammetry | Planet GIS | Programming | Project Management | Public Health | Public Lands | Remote Sensing | Research | Security | Smart Cities | Social Justice | Sustainability | Technology | and more! Not sure where your presentation fits in? "Other" is an available option! Submit An Abstract - Read Guidelines – Review Program from 2025 On November 19, the Portland Geospatial community gathered for the 13th Annual PDX GIS Day. Once again, Ecotrust’s Irving Street Studio provided a warm, welcoming space—it was the perfect setting for a night built around the geospatial community.
And what a community it is. This year’s event drew a mix of around 350 geospatial professionals, students, educators, and map-lovers of all kinds. The energy in the room was unmistakable—lively conversations, animated reunions, new introductions, and the vibrant hum that always seems to fill the room when you put Portland’s geospatial world under one roof. Every year feels big… and every year somehow feels bigger. A Night of Connection, Gratitude, and Lots of Maps As always, our sponsors helped set a tone of playfulness and exploration. Attendees floated between tables hosted by:PNW Geospatial Professional Network, Gartrell Group, PCC GIS Club , ASPRS, NV5, 3J Consulting, OregonView, Jarrett Walker & Associates, EcoNW, Cascadia Partners, Dymaptic, Greentop Planning Development & Research, PSU Geography & Urban Studies, Clean Water Services, and Metro. From interactive map challenges to spatial guessing games, each table offered a chance to meet new people, try something hands-on, and spark conversation. And thanks to our sponsors, we enjoyed great food, plentiful beverages, and—this year—a truly impressive feat of dedication: 500 handmade cupcakes from Dymaptic CEO Mara Stoic. Behind the scenes, a tireless planning team and a large crew of volunteers—mostly PCC students—kept everything flowing smoothly. Their work is the invisible glue of this event, and this year we felt their impact more than ever. Keynote: Data, Intention, and Community This year’s keynote speaker, Sachi Arakawa, partner at Cascadia Partners, brought the spirit of community planning to the forefront. With a background that blends urban planning, geospatial thinking, and public engagement, Sachi explored how data, games and creativity intersect to shape more livable places with Scenario Planning. Her talk underscored exactly what the evening was celebrating: that the most meaningful work we do is rarely done alone. It is built with others, for others, and in deep partnership with the people whose lives and landscapes we aim to improve. Raffles, Maps, and Celebration Our annual raffle brought excitement back into the room, with prizes including:
And for those who love to leave GIS Day with armfuls of cartographic treasure, the Washington Geological Survey and DOGAMI once again provided stacks of maps for attendees to take home. A Community That Grows With Intention Since the earliest days this event has grown not just in size, but in spirit. People return year after year, and new faces arrive ready to join in. Each person brings something unique, and each person helps shape what this gathering has become. Community is what keeps PDX GIS Day thriving. It’s why we outgrow every venue. It’s why the room feels electric. It’s why people stay long after the formal program wraps up, still chatting, still connecting, still mapping out what comes next. Until Next Year… Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, volunteered, presented, baked cupcakes, donated maps, or simply showed up with enthusiasm. You make this event what it is. We can’t wait to see where this community goes next—and we look forward to celebrating with you again next year. SCGIS & NASA Free Virtual Webinar Part 2!
Advancing Conservation and Community Resilience with Thermal and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing: Applications from NASA’s ECOSTRESS and EMIT Missions (PART 2) December 2, 2025 3:00-4:00 pm Eastern / 12:00-1:00 pm Pacific (that's two weeks away!). REGISTER NOW! Advances in thermal infrared radiometry and hyperspectral imaging are revolutionizing how we observe and understand Earth’s environmental systems. These technologies provide detailed data on land surface temperatures, vegetation health, plant functional traits and phenology, water quality, and other critical indicators for tracking ecosystem change and climate impact. In this two-part SCGIS and NASA webinar series, we highlight real-world applications using data from two NASA instruments aboard the International Space Station: 1) Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) and 2) Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT). This webinar is open to the public. Thursday, December 4, 2025
10:00 – 11:30 AM EST Register HERE Click on “Add to your calendar” once you receive an email confirming your registration (Webinar in English with simultaneous interpretation in French and Spanish) Overview The Global Wildlife Program (GWP) Legacy Series showcases the impact and lessons learned of recently concluded or soon-to-conclude GWP projects across Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. The series showcases results across key themes, including the conservation of wildlife species, efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade and the promotion of wildlife-based economies. This webinar features the achievements of the GWP projects “Enhancing Jaguar Corridors and Strongholds Through Improved Management and Threat Reduction” in Belize, implemented with the Government of Belize and the Corozal Sustainable Future Initiative (CSFI) as the government’s executing partner, and “Integrating Landscape Considerations in Wildlife Conservation, with Emphasis on Jaguars” in Ecuador, implemented with the Government of Ecuador and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) as the government executing partner. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the GEF agency, these initiatives have delivered significant results in jaguar conservation, landscape-level management, community empowerment, and biodiversity protection. Join us to explore how new protected areas and specialized jaguar management units are setting enhanced conservation standards in Belize. In Ecuador, an integrated landscape approach is shifting perceptions, elevating jaguars from potential threats to symbols of cultural pride and ecological resilience while expanding leadership opportunities for women and youth in conservation. The discussion will also highlight the practical benefits of participating in the GWP and opportunities for cross-project collaboration, along with key lessons and adaptive approaches that helped partners navigate and overcome implementation challenges. To join this call, register here. Featured Speakers
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