Please join Washington’s and Oregon’s State Data Center Networks for the following webinar:

Members of the Oregon State Census Data Center Network are invited to our 2025 annual conference. This year we will again be holding a joint meeting with our colleagues in Washington State. Due to the federal government shutdown, Census Bureau staff are unavailable to participate-- we have taken the opportunity to arrange an alternative program, and we hope you will join us for this important conversation:

Navigating the Changing Federal Data Landscape from a State and Local Perspective
When: Nov 17th 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Click here to register and receive a meeting link

Data produced and shared by various federal agencies has undergone significant changes in recent months. These shifts will impact how public data is accessed, interpreted, and used for decision-making at the state and local levels. Staying informed and adaptable is essential for Oregon and Washington data users to effectively leverage these resources and ensure informed policy and operational decisions.

Join state and national data experts to explore:

• Key updates and changes in federal data systems
• How these changes affect data access and usage
• Strategies to navigate and adapt to the evolving data landscape
• Best practices for maximizing federal data in your local initiatives
  

Panelists:

• Amy O’Hare, President, Association of Public Data Users (APDU)
• Chris Dick, President, Demographic Analytics Advisors; Co-Founder, dataindex.us
• Vishal Chaudhry, Chief Data Officer, Washington State Health Care Authority
• Jennifer Appleyard, Director of Data Governance, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Moderator:

• Beth Jarosz, Vice President, Association of Public Data Users (APDU)

 Present your research at the ASPRS Annual International Technical Symposium! 
 
·    Deadline for submission: Monday, September 8.
·    Presenters will be informed of acceptance Monday, September 15.
·    Presenters must be registered for the event by Monday, September 22 to be included in the final program. Registration is free.
·    Materials for the Symposium website must be received by Monday, October 13.
 
This is an interactive virtual event. One week before the live event, presentation recordings will be posted to the Symposium website for public viewing. Viewers will be able to preview the presentations, post comments and questions, and vote on their favorite presentations using the website interface. During the live Symposium, there will be interactive sessions with authors where they can give a brief overview, answer questions, and engage in discussion. Presentation and discussion participation awards will be announced during the conference. 
 
Presentation Topics
We are seeking presentation abstracts based on ASPRS core disciplines in the collection, management, exploitation, and analysis of geospatial sources, data, and information. We are especially interested in contributions focused on the future of imaging and geospatial information technologies, which provide a glimpse of developments on the horizon. Individuals from government agencies, private firms and universities are all encouraged to submit abstracts in the following general topic areas:

·    Aerial Data Acquisition
·    AI and Machine Learning
·    Data Integration and Management
·    Data Visualization
·    Digital Twins
·    Photogrammetry
·    Point Cloud Processing
·    Reality Capture
·    Remote Sensing Image Analysis
·    Topobathymetric and Coastal Mapping
·    UAS/UAS Systems and Applications
·    Geospatial Workflows and Processes
·    Workforce Development

Presentation Type
The following basic options for presentation format are provided in the Abstract Submission form:
·    Oral Presentation (10 - 15 minutes)
·    Posters

Submission and Review
·    A MyASPRS account is required to access the Abstract Submission form and participate in the Symposium.
·    You do not have to be an ASPRS member to have a MyASPRS account. You may use a non-member account or create a free guest account when prompted.
·    The person planning to present should submit the Abstract Submission form. It will be tied to your conference registration record. Additional authors can be listed within the form and will appear in the program listing.

Conference Registration for Presenters
·    The Symposium will be free and open to all. A MyASPRS login will be required to attend live streaming sessions, post comments, and interact with other participants.

Publication of Proceedings
·    Presenters will be asked to provide prerecorded presentations, which will be shared after the event with all conference attendees through the Symposium website.
·    Presenters are also encouraged to submit full manuscripts, which will be published as Proceedings of the 2025 ASPRS International Technical Symposium (ITS).

https://landtrustalliance.org/resources/learn/explore/the-what-how-and-why-of-drones-for-land-trusts

Title: The What, How and Why of Drones for Land Trusts
Date: November 6, 2025
Time: 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern
Costs:

• Land Trust Alliance 2025 Webinar Pass holders: Free
• Land Trust Alliance members: $75.00
• Non-members: $140.00

About This Webinar
Has your land trust thought about using drones for monitoring, baseline documentation or current conditions reports, but you aren’t sure where to start? Whether the hurdle is understanding how drone photography works or deciding how to budget, this webinar is for you. Stewardship and land protection staff and volunteers will learn the basics of what drones are and how they work from Rory Thibault, land protection specialist at Land Conservancy of Western Michigan. Dirk Ruff, land protection and conservation specialist, will share the structure and goals of Little Traverse Conservancy’s 4-year-old drone program. Chris Long, conservation easement manager, will share the story of starting the new drone program at Land Conservancy of Western Michigan. Here’s a look at what we will cover:

• What drones are and how they work.
• Drone photography for monitoring, baseline reports and current conditions reports.
• Financial and other resources your organization would need to start a drone program.
• How drones may interface with mapping software and geospatial data.
• Automating flight plans and paths for boundary flights and other specific-point flights.
• Lessons learned from a well-established drone program as well as a newer program.

There is a 3 week opportunity with Trubel & Co for young aspiring leaders aged 18–25  to explore how geospatial data storytelling drives environmental action in their communities. More info & registration at  https://www.trubel.co/dsea.

https://scgis.memberclicks.net/online-workshops

Configuring ArcGIS Field Apps and Conservation Solutions 
Friday June 13, 2025 | 11:00am - 3:00pm EST
Miriam Schmidts, Esri

Workshop description:
Join us to learn about ArcGIS field data collection and other fun apps like ArcGIS Dashboard and ArcGIS Hub to connect to your stakeholders. You will understand how to make and work with ArcGIS FieldMaps, ArcGIS Survey123, and ArcGIS Quick Capture projects – Once we understand how each individual app works, we are ready to explore the ArcGIS Conservation Solutions. We will learn how to deploy and configure a Conservation Solution with a few button clicks! 

Software /hardware:
Participants will need an ArcGIS Online account (user type Creator or higher), and ArcGIS FieldMaps, Survey123 and QuickCapture installed on a mobile device. 

Note for Members: you are eligible for a free ArcGIS Online Account as a member benefit! Find out more here. 

 
Spatial Data Fundamentals in R: From Import to Insight 
Friday July 18, 2025 | 12:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Andy Lyons, University of California - Agriculture and Natural Resources

Workshop description:
This workshop will cover the fundamentals of working with spatial data in R. Topics will include how R can complement desktop GIS, R packages for working with spatial data, importing vector spatial data from local and online sources, common spatial data manipulations including managing projections, working with attributes for querying and visualization, geoprocessing operations, spatial queries and joins, and automation. Basic visualization (i.e. mapping) will be presented but not in depth. R packages used will include sf, dplyr, arcgislayers, and tmap. Methods for working with raster data will be shown but not in depth. Best practices for using GenAI coding tools will also be discussed.

The workshop format will combine short presentations with hands-on exercises using Quarto notebooks. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a collection of their own notebooks with working code recipes, and be better equipped to develop workflows and tackle new challenges.
Experience level of participants: The workshop requires basic functionality with R and RStudio. If you have never used R before, this may not be the workshop for you. If you have used R but are very rusty, you'll probably be ok because most of the examples will be "ready to run". Familiarity with basic GIS concepts like projections, vector and raster data, attribute tables, etc., is also assumed. The instructor will provide links to two short introductory videos to watch that review some of the basic terms and concepts in R and GIS. 

Software Requirements. 
All participants are expected to have or create a free Posit Cloud account so you can run RStudio in a browser. The instructor will provide a link to a Posit Cloud project with all the packages, data, and exercises ready-to-go. Experienced R users who already use RStudio Desktop will be provided a setup script so they can run the exercises locally, but setup support will be limited to prior to the workshop (the instructor will have Office Hours the day before the workshop for anyone who needs help). Having two screens is highly recommended for everyone so you can work in RStudio on one screen and view the slides / demo on the other.  

 
Custom U.S. Geological Survey Topographic Maps On Demand – What’s New with the topoBuilder Application 
Friday July 25, 2025 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm EST
Marcelle Caturia & Alex Kaufman, USGS 

Workshop description:
Many remember U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) paper topographic maps with nostalgia. In 2022, USGS launched the topoBuilder application, enabling users to create customized topographic maps online using best available data from The National Map (TNM). These digital topographic maps, called OnDemand Topos, can be centered anywhere in the United States or territories. Since its introduction, the topoBuilder application has been enhanced with options including additional map scales (7.5-Minute and 1:100,000), customized layer display, and expanded export formats. This presentation will demonstrate the topoBuilder application and OnDemand Topos, while highlighting what is new and of particular interest to the Conservation GIS user community.

Experience level of participants: Beginner 

Software Requirements. 
Ahead of the workshop, no downloads or account setup will be required. During the workshop, users will need to have a web browser on their desktop or mobile device. We would also like users to be able to download a PDF handout during the workshop.  
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