A GIS Approach to Tracking Repairs of Stone Training Structures on the Missouri River
Tracy Brown, Geographer
US Army Corps of Engineers
Following a 278 day high-water event on the Missouri River in 2019, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, was faced with an unprecedented amount of repairs in order to meet the authorized navigation channel dimensions of 300 feet wide and 9 feet deep. River training structures, in the form of stone dikes and revetments, confine and direct Missouri River flows to scour the sand river bed to depths that allow for navigation of commercial barges. The United State Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District is responsible for the operation and maintenance of 500 miles of the Missouri River from Rulo, Nebraska to St. Louis, Missouri, totaling over 5,000 stone dikes and revetments. Due to the unparallelled magnitude of work required to repair damaged structures over a short period of 5 years, previous methods of spreadsheets and paper records were time consuming and latent. This presentation will focus on the adoption of GIS in the field, and the use of Esri Field Maps, Web Maps, and Dashboards to provide up-to-date, accurate information for stakeholders, partners, river engineers, contractors, and field personnel.
Adoption Strategies: Preparing your Organization for GIS
Mike D'Attilio, Senior Consultant
Esri
Your GIS team are building or have built some amazing GIS products and tools for your organization. To realize the full benefits throughout your organization you need to have people embrace and use them. How do you increase the pace of GIS adoption, use of your GIS solutions, and skill level of your GIS users? We will discuss ways to communicate business value and spark interest in GIS across your organization. This presentation will build on one given in July at the Esri User Conference with additional material around adoption by infrequent GIS users.
ArcGIS Field Maps Tips and Tricks for GPS Data Capture
Chris Zuniga, Geospatial Enablement Specialist
Bad Elf
Discover the lastest tips and tricks for managing field data collection within the ArcGIS Online ecosystem. Learn to create efficient feature layers, customize with Field Maps Designer, configure for high accuracy, visualize data effectively, and implement GPS best practices for reliable results.
This presentation equips professionals with essential tools to streamline field operations and maximize data accuracy.
ArcGIS Online Administration: Best Practices, Tips, and Tools for Administrators
Johnny Harley, GIS Analyst and Clayton Hayes, GIS Analyst
TREKK Design Group
Join us for "ArcGIS Online Administration: Best Practices, Tips, and Tools for Administrators" to discover how Trekk Design Group effectively manages over 50 members within their organization. This session will explore the nuances of handling user licenses and permissions, ensuring efficient access management. Learn about the powerful dashboards we utilize to analyze and optimize management processes. Gain insights into essential tools and strategies that streamline ArcGIS Online administration, making it more efficient and effective.
Automating and Migrating a PDF Report to Experience Builder
Sherri Chaturvedi, GIS Analyst
Kansas Department of Labor
The Unemployment Insurance Weekly Review, published weekly by the Kansas Dept. of Labor, needed to be updated from a pdf format to something more modern and interactive. The update process also needed to be automated so that one of two people were not being relied on to manually update the report. KDOL’s GIS Analyst was handed the task. Using python, ChatGPT, ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, Dashboards, Experience Builder, and more the new report was published in March 2024 with major data source updates in August in September 2024. From start to finish, how a project was developed and executed and all the wins and fails along the way including learning python on the go, gaining access to data from txt and excel files to live database connections, and solving problems like slow load times.
Below the Root: Subsurface GIS: A Brief Introduction
Bryant Ralston, Cofounder
4M Geodesign
One of the most promising and challenging new frontiers lies literally right below our feet. First-person perspective Augmented Reality applications revealing underground infrastructures are popping up all over the place these days. While 3D GIS is nothing new and novel per se, obtaining more complete, accurate and attributed authoritative data on underground phenomena is still very special, too rare and, more often than not, collected by non-GIS professionals. In addition, the vastness and complexity of the world below the root force us to take samples (boreholes for instance) and apply our special spatial interpolation methods.
Take heart! A few years ago Esri endowed ArcGIS with a new spatial data type: Voxels. These "volume objects" bring powerful storage, data management and modeling and capabilities for down-under stuff. This includes geological formations, groundwater resources, water table saturated thicknesses, oil and gas deposits, precious metal strata, earthquake subduction zones, seismic hazards as well as oil spill seepages, agricultural contaminant spreads, archeological dig zones and the underground geology of fluvial areas.
Many professional personas would benefit from this type of data. Geotechnical engineers and investigators, wetland and surface water scientists, water planners, industrial site selectors (big design and build projects), mining geologists, environmental remediators and regulators of all shapes and sizes. While stone, gravel, infrastructure networks, saturated thicknesses, sod and soil may be new materials for us to map through and model with voxels (and emerging Subsurface Information Models), the *magic* of GIS analysis, prediction and system of record cannot happen without trained professionals like us to ideate, design, build, and deploy a plethora of exciting next-generation Subsurface GIS applications to serve humanity. The time has come!
So, come for a “top of the waves” introduction to hear about my research, conceptual foundations, a quick exploration of potential application areas and a dollop of my 'crystal ball' musings. Put your thinking caps on and bring your good conversation starting questions to ignite our "underground" discussion.
City of Lawrence: Machine Learning Applications
Matthew Hartung, GIS Analyst and Justin Boehle, GIS Technician
City of Lawrence
The City of Lawrence, Kansas is using machine learning tools in ArcGIS as a way to streamline and mitigate tasks, such as data processing and labor intensive projects. Machine learning has opened the City's eyes to a broader view of the future.
From detecting and digitizing to analyzing point clouds, machine learning makes complex data analysis easier to understand for non GIS users. Our goal for the Machine Learning Program is to provide citizens, government agencies, and fellow employees with more comprehensive and conclusive data.
This is an introduction to how the City of Lawrence has used machine learning and how it can benefit other organizations. The presentation will provide insight to the ups and downs, pros and cons, and roadblocks the City has faced or will face in the future with using machine learning/AI.
Communicating GIS Value
Matt Hoehn, Senior Account Manager
Esri
Learn about how you can effectively demonstrate and communicate the value that GIS brings to your organization.
This session is intended to help GIS Managers, and GIS professionals better understand how to effectively communicate to leadership the value of the services and capabilities GIS provides.
Concepts include:
- Identify decision makers and spur investment in GIS.
- Get the right people motivated to adopt new GIS capabilities.
- Communicate GIS ideas effectively for successful implementation.
Do you want to grow and expand the impact and influence of GIS in their organization? This is the session for you!
Detecting Spatially Localized Anomalies in Vegetation Health for Potential Point-Source Pollutant Monitoring
Abinash Silwal, Graduate Research Assistant
University of Kansas
Monitoring vegetation health is crucial for assessing the impacts of environmental changes and anthropogenic activities. This research developed methods to detect spatially localized vegetation health anomalies using a short-term (2016-2023) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) baseline dataset from Sentinel-2 imagery. The study focused on a 4x4 mile block of land in central Kansas, USA, slated for future CO2 underground injection, but the methods can be adapted for other sites. To prepare a reliable baseline dataset, pixel-level cloud cover impacts were mitigated using both the QA60 band and the Sentinel-2 cloud probability dataset. We devised assessment methods appropriate for short-term time series centered around the Jeffries-Matusita (JM) Distance statistic, which characterizes distributional distinction between two samples. To detect anomalies, NDVI values are compared between locations at zone and pixel block levels. In addition, we integrated PRISM temperature and precipitation data to contextualize the NDVI results, in case weather-related factors may help explain the outcomes. A Google Earth Engine (GEE) application was developed for performing real-time analysis and visualization. By establishing a reliable NDVI baseline and devising innovative vegetation health anomaly detection methodologies, this research supports broader environmental sustainability efforts and provides valuable insights for future ecological assessments and interventions.
Developing a Geospatial Data Index for Kansas
Michael Houts, Research Associate
Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas
Spatial datasets are an increasingly abundant and critical part of the research and decision-making process, yet identifying, accessing, and processing the right pieces of useful information can be a difficult and time-consuming process. The Nested Hexagon Framework (NHF) is a hierarchical multiscale grid (1, 7, 49, 343 sq km) covering all North America that can be used as common data units, while the Landscape Summary Database (LSDB) contains thematic tables of information related to data summarized by the NHF grid cells. Together, the NHF and LSDB can make information from existing datasets readily available in a standardized format to help with preliminary environmental assessments, site planning, and facilitating research.
With funding from the Information Network of Kansas, we have developed an online interface for this geospatial database for the state of Kansas. There are over one hundred datasets summarized into the LSDB related to landcover proportions, landscape conditions, land management and conservation efforts, energy development, and weather data across Kansas. A web map with custom tools provides a way to identify what the characteristics are at a given site and enables users to query the database to identify areas that meet custom criteria. Tools are being developed that will allow users to reference their in-house data to the NHF grid and submit the summarized data for inclusion into the LSDB.
Exploring Right-to-Know Tier II Data
Britney Nasseri, HPSA Program Analyst
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
This presentation introduces an interactive map visualizing Kansas' Right-to-Know Tier II data. Designed to enhance public accessibility, the map provides a user-friendly interface that displays hazardous chemical information at the facility level across the state. Attendees will learn how to utilize the tool for various applications - from emergency planning to community safety initiatives. This session will also discuss the development process, challenges encountered, and the future of the resource.
From Pixels to Pulse: A Comparative Exploration of LiDAR and Imagery-Derived GIS Building Footprint
Eli Harmon, GIS Consultant for WSP, and Ethan Tidwell, Technical Specialist for Benesch
Getting Started with the GIS Request Management Solution
Luke Finley, Solution Engineer
Esri
The GIS Request Management solution provides a comprehensive set of tools to help organizations solicit requests for GIS services, manage the delivery of these services, and promote the value of GIS to internal stakeholders. Attendees will understand the key features of the new solution, as well as tips and tricks on implementation and deployment considerations.
Introduction to ArcGIS Monitor
Luke Finley, Solution Engineer
Esri
ArcGIS Monitor is an enterprise-grade monitoring solution that works with ArcGIS Enterprise by providing information about system health, usage, and performance. It captures key metrics and attributes to quantify system health over time, helping you maximize your GIS and IT investment. This session will familiarize attendees with the components of monitor, common configurations and analysis done with ArcGIS Monitor.
Introduction to the City of Lawrence's Stormwater Utility Network - ArcPro and Field Maps
Jeremy Taylor, GIS Analyst
City of Lawrence
Is your employer/organization looking at integrating your assets into the ESRI's Utility Network? This presentation will be focused on 2 parts to introduce attendees to the City's Stormwater Utility Network and how we collect data using Field Maps.
- Part 1 will provide a demo of how the City creates and maintains our stormwater infrastructure through ArcPro. It will also show how our assets can be evaluated through our contract with TREKK Design Group.
- Part 2 will provide a demo for data collection and attribution using Field Maps and a Trimble R2 unit (weather permitting, this will occur outside at the hotel). We will be looking at attributes of current storm structures that feed into the City's Stormwater Network.
Please join me in showing how the City of Lawrence is mapping our assets and assessing their condition to fix our drainage issues.
Kansas NG911 GIS User Group
Eileen Battles, GIS Manager for DASC, Sherry Massey, Executive Director for Kansas 911 Coordinating Council, and William Trimble, GIS Developer for DASC
Join us for an interactive user group session where we’ll cover all of the Kansas NG911 hot topics including updates on the Kansas NG911 program, geoMSAGs, the NG911 Toolbox, the 2024 Kansas NG911 statewide imagery, as well as the Kansas NG911 indoor mapping pilot project. Come with your questions, we want to hear your NG911 GIS perspective and feedback!
KDOT's 2023 Mobile LiDAR Data Collection Project
James Stewart, GIS Manager
Kansas Department of Transportation
KDOT has completed its second project to collect terrestrial LiDAR data and extract GIS data from them. We expanded the 2023 collection area to include not just the entire State Highway System (interstates, US routes and KS highways) but also ramps and about 1000’ of all roads that intersect at-grade. We also expanded on the number of GIS data layers extracted, going from 8 to 18, as well as the fields in some previously-collected layers.
The uses for the delivered data (which also include the LiDAR point clouds and georeferenced, cycloramic images) grew as KDOT staff became more aware of the value of the 2021 project data. Example use cases include verifying existing asset inventories or creating new ones, identifying assets in need of repair or replacement, reducing or eliminating field verification, and expanding data in existing inventories to meet growing federal requirements.
KDOT has updated its Mobile LiDAR Project Data Portal to include the extracts from both projects. The Portal provides descriptions, limitations, metadata, data dictionaries, dashboards and web maps for each extracted layer. We’ll review the data and the LiDAR Portal and discuss ways in which the data collection and extraction might be improved in future projects. Please note that KDOT makes the GIS data available to the public but the cyclorama image viewer and LiDAR point cloud are available only to KDOT and approved contractors.
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) on drones and National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) update
Stephen Thompson, Adjunct Professor, GIS/GNSS Consultant, Engineer
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) have driven the miniaturization of the navigation systems and payloads for today’s drones. Prior to these advances sensors like LIDAR and inertial navigation systems were too large for smaller drones to carry. We will discuss some of the sensors placed on today’s drones and their impact. In addition, the MEMS technology has driven advances in air bags, medical devices, cell phones, and a multitude of other areas.
Also, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has officially announced target dates for the implementation of the new 2022 National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) datums. We will discuss the implementation that is expected to take place from 2025 – 2030 and its impact on us! In May NGS released a beta version of their new NOAA CORS Network (NCN) Station web page.
Modernizing KDWP Ecological Review Processes
Zac Eddy, Terrestrial Ecologist
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is rolling out a new platform to facilitate the statutorily-required review of certain development projects. The Kansas Ecological Review Tool (KERT; https://ert.ksoutdoors.com) website is live and available for our constituents. This tool allows for interactive conservation planning as well as expediting the regulatory Ecological Review process by streamlining data/information submission and automating our review of pertinent ecological and species occurrence information. Through the webmap, users can explore a wealth of geographic information related to species occurrences, wildlife habitats, conservation/protected lands, natural, and anthropogenic resources within the State. The KERT also allows users to input required information regarding development projects to start the regulatory Ecological Review process. For development projects that are unlikely to impact Kansas-listed wildlife, Designated Critical Habitat, and/or public lands managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, users will promptly receive an automated project clearance letter with recommended Best Management Practices.
No More Drama: My Journey Toward Better GIS Project Management
Amy Roust, GIS Administrator
City of Lawrence
When I changed careers to GIS, I enthusiastically jumped on any and every opportunity to apply this technology. "No" wasn't in my vocabulary. Unpaid internship? Absolutely! Emergency request for a map after my workday was over? Sure thing! Before long, I was drowning in projects and constantly working in crisis mode. Every request was urgent and important, and I wanted to provide the best customer service possible. Unfortunately, it's not a sustainable way to manage a GIS enterprise. I needed a way to move from constantly extinguishing fires to preventing them from flaring. So, during the past two years, I've been learning about and implementing project management strategies to meet this goal. I haven't arrived at my destination, and I certainly don't have all the answers. Instead, this presentation will cover what I've learned so far, including stories of success and failure.
ORKA - The Online Records for Kansas Appraisers Application and Supported Services
Eileen Battles, Manager, and Dave Grolling, GIS Developer
Kansas Data Access and Support Center (DASC)
Developed and hosted by DASC on behalf of KDOR-PVD, the ORKA application is a county based web viewer that pairs CRS property data with county GIS mapping data. At this session we will discuss the ORKA application, the ORKA Portal (PORKA), as well as data submissions and updates. We will also cover how DASC manages parcel data requests and the many associated services hosted by DASC that support KDOR-PVD and Appraiser applications.
Permitting Revolution
Mark Schmidt, GIS Analyst
Butler County
Butler County Kansas was in need of a digital solution for tracking permits throughout the county. After many demonstrations with 3rd party vendors, the decision was made to create a new custom solution using ESRI tools that were already owned by the county. Using Survey123, Butler County collects contractor license renewals and building permit applications from the public. Once the applications are received, Workflow Manager, Field Maps, QuickCapture, and Experience Builder are used to review applications, assign addresses, and conduct inspections.
Putting Homeless Outreach on the Map 2.0
Westin Shehi, HMIS System Administrator and Frankie Hernandez, HMIS System Administrator
Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition
In this session, we'll be exploring the functionality of the Outreach Tool within Clarity Human Services, which is the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for the Kansas Balance of State Continuum of Care (CoC). The tool combines HMIS and GIS data to get a clearer picture of a community's unsheltered homeless population. In addition to mapping, it has features designed to support structured encampment resolutions. You'll hear about our journey launching this tool, see a live demo, and find out our next steps for using the tool to improve our CoC.
Setting the Stage for the Future of Flood Mapping in Kansas
David Weiss, Assistant Researcher
Kansas Biological Survey and Center for Ecological Research
Researchers at the Kansas Biological Survey have developed an expanding suite of operational flood mapping tools covering greater eastern Kansas with support from the Kansas Water Office. Accurate, near real-time inundation maps during floods provide a valuable resource for improving situational awareness and help establish a common operating picture for emergency management personnel and other decision makers during these often-devastating events. This year, the KBS near real-time flood mapping dashboard’s inundation libraries have been updated with the latest statewide LiDAR elevation data, and research for tool development now includes an investigation into the use of flow information derived from the National Water Model, which offers potential to improve and expand our capabilities. We conducted a comparison with the mapping methods behind the NOAA Office of Water Prediction’s experimental real-time flood inundation mapping service, which was rolled out for parts of the Northeastern US and eastern Texas in fall of 2023. This presentation will provide an overview of the low-complexity, terrain-based models used to create these maps and offer a look at their performance in Kansas through modeling of past floods, including those of May 2019 on the Verdigris River.
Statistical Grids for the US Census Bureau
Shonin Anacker, Supervisory Geographer
US Census Bureau
This presentation describes the ongoing project within the US Census Bureau to tabulate and publish population and housing data on a geographic grid. The presenter will explain the rationale behind using gridded data, the challenges involved in putting Census data on the grid, and when data users can expect to see the new grid product.
Understanding Climate Models and Their Impact on Rain Events
Chengye Li, Water Resource Intern
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Participants will hear a basic introduction to Climate Models and present a webtool that will allow users to explore climate scenarios and their impacts on project rainfalls. Focusing on the Naismith Channel watershed in Lawrence, Kansas as a case study, we utilized data from nine global climate models. We used LOCA (Localized Constructed Analogs) downscaling of model results to produce local rainfall forecasts. Using the NOAA Atlas 14 base data set, the webtool generates scaling factors for flood return periods ranging from 2 to 500 years and projects future rainfall depths up to the year 2100. Our analysis reveals that over 90% of the forecasted events are likely to experience increased rainfall, highlighting an urgent need for robust flood preparedness strategies. Conversely, the remaining 10% suggest a potential for severe droughts, indicating the importance of water shortage preparedness. The webtool simplifies complex climate data into parameters that can more easily be used for engineering standards and for local policy development. This project is funded by Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Using ArcGIS Online to Lighten your Workload
Roger Denton, GIS Coordinator and Jack Faris, GIS Technician
Atchison County
Supplying data to the public is our job, but it can be very cumbersome. ArcGIS Online allows us to customize data to the users’ needs making it easier to find what they need. It allows us to redirect information requests to web maps customized to give users the data they desire. These products require almost no training.
Our experiences have caused us to create products that might be beneficial to others. We produce maps specifically designed for Clerks, Appraisers, Register of Deeds, Emergency Management, Road & Bridge, County Counselor, and Board of Commissioners.
Pertinent webmap examples will be reviewed.
In this discussion we will seek to understand your audience, your data, how to make maps tell the story you want, what not to tell, and who to share it with.
Using Field Maps to Keep the Enterprise Basemap Current
Mark O'Connor, Consultant
Construction Administration Consultants, LLC
Maintaining an up-to-date Enterprise Basemap is crucial for GIS Managers to ensure the accuracy and reliability of geographic information systems. As construction projects alter the landscape, timely updates to the basemap are essential to reflect the current state of the environment. The challenge lies in balancing the primary tasks of construction inspectors with the need for precise updates to the GIS. An outdated basemap can lead to mistrust in the data, underscoring the importance of integrating map maintenance into regular workflows to maintain the integrity of the GIS.
Using UAS Data to Measure Nest Sites of a Threatened Bird Species
Ryan Howell, UAS Instructor
Kansas State University Salina
The Greater sage-grouse is a threatened bird species native to the American West that is strongly tied to the sagebrush steppe biome. As part of a multi-decade study, traditional ground measurements have been taken on vegetation and terrain surrounding sage-grouse nests. Such ground measurements are time consuming, inefficient, and costly, as is the case with most in situ data collection. Preliminary data suggests that high-resolution UAS imagery can be used to accurately measure metrics such as sagebrush height, horizontal obscurity, density, percent cover, and topographic variables (slope, aspect, elevation) utilizing RGB, multispectral, and LiDAR data, reducing the time required collecting in situ data.
What Lies Beneath? A Look at the Missouri River using ArcGIS Bathymetry
Avantika Ramekar, Lead Geospatial Scientist, and Scott Perkins, GIS Professional
Prairie Engineers, P.C.
In this presentation the audience will learn about how ArcGIS bathymetry was utilized on two recently completed projects on the Missouri River. High resolution multibeam sonar data was collected for each project.
- Buck O'Neil Bridge Demolition and locating sunken objects
- Missouri River Safety of Navigation Hazards Identification
The Bathymetry toolbox was first released in 2020 and a number of changes were made to the toolbox between ArcGIS Pro release 3.2 and 3.3.
What we Learned from Machine Learning: Applications of GeoAI in an Appraisal Setting
Andrew Schappert, GIS Analyst I
Shawnee County
In 2019 the Shawnee County Appraiser's Office spent $11,000 to an outside company to do change detection on properties in the county returning a list of items that while advertised as 'multi-millions of dollars' had to be crosschecked by hand by the Appraisers team and ended with a net property list of unpermitted property to the tune of roughly $90,000 in tax revenue. This was initially an attempt to do something similar with similar levels man-hours but using self-learning tools to do the heavy lifting in finding the properties while only needing to spend a third, and subsequently a tenth, of the price to do the same. The project as a whole has returned results that suggest a number of intriguing avenues of attack going far beyond the original concept.
© 2023 Kansas Association of Mappers | kamappers@gmail.com | PO Box 3788 | Lawrence, KS 66046-0788 | Site Disclaimer |
