I hope this message finds everyone well, and that you are looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and loved ones over the holidays.

As the year winds down, I love to look back on what we accomplished as an organization in 2023, as well as looking ahead to the New Year. Let’s start with a bit of a retrospective. For myself, as well as the BeSpatial Management Team, 2023 was somewhat of a milestone year, as it represented the fulfillment of our commitment to return in-person events. While we plan to we continue to plan to continue holding the AGM virtually, due to the ability to reach a much greater audience of members, we also pledged to hold live regional events, in response to our member’s and industry partner’s desire to reconnect with live networking opportunities. We staged two events since our 2023 AGM, one in Kingston at the end of June, entitled “Learn What I Learned”, as well as another event in Cambridge in late October, around the theme of “Leveraging Geospatial data for Health and the Environment”. We had a positive turnout for both, and I wish to thank not only those that attended and the Management Team members who organized and hosted, but also the great selection of speakers, panelists, and sponsors for their incredible support.  I’m also pleased to announce that we have two in-person events planned for our Northern Section in 2024, but more on that in a moment. We did have some changes in our Northern Section, with James Dorland stepping down as Section Co-Manager. However, I’m pleased to announce that Karen Lehtonen with Acorn Information Solutions, a division of the Sault Ste-Marie Innovation Centre, has agreed to take up the mantle, and joins Angela McEachern as a Co-Manager of this large and relatively sparsely populated, but mighty, region. Karen and Angela are already very busy planning our northern in-person live events. Given the geography of this section, we are committed to holding two events. The first will be held in Sudbury on January 30th, 2024 (details can be found at https://www.bespatialontario.ca/Events), and another planned for early June in Thunder Bay. Please keep an eye on our website and enewletters for more details.  In addition to Karen joining the Board, we were delighted to have some new members join the board over the course of the year. Jax Vollmer and Jenn Gross have agreed to co-manage our BeSpatial Annual Event, while Jackie Smith has taken on the Communications role. All three are employed at GM BluePlan, who is a Silver sponsor for the coming year. We are incredibly grateful to them and GM BluePlan for the support. We also welcomed Jessica Hobbins as our new YPN Manager. Jessica works as a GIS Analyst with Peterborough County, and is a recent YPN member as well. She understands the challenges with being a recent grad and pursuing a passion for GIS; she is doing a great job guiding our Young Professionals Network members. BeSpatial Ontario is also excited to announce that we have entered into a new partnership with Pathfinders Exploration Community to sponsor a year of engaging Pathfinder’s podcasts. This collaboration brings our members 24 episodes (2 a month for 2024) packed with expert insights, fostering professional development and innovation in the geospatial sector. It's an opportunity for our community to connect, learn, and make informed decisions using knowledge shared openly by GIS leaders across the globe. Check out pathfinders. Social for a journey of growth and discovery in the world of GIS!

All of us on the Management Team are already deep into the planning stages for 2024. In addition to our AGM in early May, we have also agreed to work with the Faculty and Students Association at Seneca College to provide a 1-day event in late February at one of their campuses, to help students within the School of Environmental and Civil Engineering technology, as well as other faculties, understand the power of geospatial analysis and how it can be a springboard to a rich and rewarding career. As for our AGM, taking place on May 1-2, 2024 the Management Team has agreed to the theme of BePrepared – Bracing for Technological Breakthroughs and the World of Work. This theme has a dual connotation: 1.       Geospatial preparedness – understanding how new tools, datasets and technological innovations can help us, and… 2.       Preparing for the business opportunities that will arise from this understanding. Registration is now open, and we hope to “see” many of you there. In the meantime, we’re still staging our regular webinars, which continue to be a popular forum for sharing tips, tricks and trends in the GeoSpatial domain. I would just like to remind everyone that we still have a couple of webinars planned, both this week and next, where you can test your GIS and holiday trivia knowledge, and have some fun before many of us wrap up for the year. On that note, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank our amazing community of members and sponsors for your continued support, and also take a moment to offer my humble thanks to everyone on the Management Team and associated committees that do the heavy lifting to keep you informed, enlightened, and coming back for more. From all of us (see below), to all of you, we wish you a joyous Christmas and happy holiday season with your loved ones, and much health, happiness and prosperity for the coming year. Sincerely, Peter Hettstedt, President, BeSpatial

Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the membership survey! We were able to use the feedback and suggestions from our members to help plan events for the upcoming year. 

Congratulations to the following members who won gift cards for filling out the survey:

• Juliana Pentikainen
• Anik Hagen-Menard
• Matthew Wierdsma
• Simon Morris

A special shoutout to Kevin Farrugia who was the 23rd survey respondent and won an Apple AirTag!

We heard a few common themes throughout the suggestions and can provide the following updates:

• For those of you who asked for in-person events outside of the GTA: We have recently hosted an Eastern event and have 2 upcoming events in Cambridge.
• For those of you who asked for webinars at different times other than 12 and 1: In our 2023/2024 program schedule we will be implementing more webinar time frames.

GIS Managers Open Forum

Date: Wednesday, July 24, 2024 - 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM

Note: This is an Eventbrite virtual event. BeSpatial is not accepting registrations for the event. Please CLICK on the button below: 

This forum will be led by Greg Babinski, GIS Management Consulting Services.

This free online open forum is an opportunity for GIS leaders to meet, share, and discuss issues and opportunities for those responsible for GIS operations and management.

GIS management is one of the most challenging responsibilities for any agency or company that utilizes geospatial technology. Effective geospatial management is a key factor for achieving maximum effectiveness and optimum ROI from an agency's investment.

GIS management can also be a highly rewarding career. Professional GIS managers need a venue to share issues, problems, best practices, resources, and emerging trends.

This free one-hour online event will include the following agenda:

• Introductions

• Spotlight on a new GIS management resource

• Open discussion of GIS-management related issues

• Upcoming events

Audience

Current GIS managers, supervisors, and coordinators, and those who aspire to a successful career in GIS management.

Advance registration is required.

For more information, contact Greg Babinski at greg@gismcs.com 

Note: Interested in future events from this organizer. Please checkout upcoming events listed at the registration site above for your perusal and interest.

Registered attendees will receive Zoom meeting credentials before the event.

The 2023 Eastern Section 'Learn What I Learned' Regional Event, took place in Kingston, Ontario, on June 29, 2023.

A recap:

This Regional Event was created based on the feedback gathered during a Pre-Event Survey that was sent to Eastern Members in November 2022 and again in March 2023.

The Pre-Event Survey indicated that 65% of the respondents were interested in attending an 'In-Person' event, 53% indicated that Kingston, Ontario, would be a suitable location, 59% indicated that 1/2 day event was preferred and 57% indicated that June was the preferred month. 

The top 5 themes that people demonstrated interest about included:

• 'Web Applications' (57%)
• 'What Others are Working On' (53%)
• 'Best Practices' (50%)
• 'Innovations' (47%)
• 'NG-911' (47%)

The presenters and panelists were selected based on this feedback.

Keynote: Dr. Barry Wellar, presented about best practices with respect to access to geo-records by the public

Presenters:

• Marc Curtis, AGSI spoke about NG-911
• Casey Price, Environics Analytics and Paul Voegtle, Esri Canada presented on how Demographic Data and Esri Web Solutions are being utilized to inform Economic Development
• The Panelists spoke about projects that they were working on, which included examples of Web Applications and Innovative Solutions that support Municipal Operations

There were 39 people in attendance.

If you attended the event and have not yet had the opportunity to fill out the Post-Event Survey please fill out the survey at this link. We value your feedback and will integrate it into future events.  

If you were unable to attend the Eastern Regional Event, please fill out the Pre-Event Survey at this link. so that we can design the next event based on your interests.

These Regional Events are meant to create an environment that fosters professional development and networking so please take a few moments to fill out the Survey.

Your feedback is key to maximizing your investment in membership and ensuring the success of future events.  Thank you!

Moderator and Event organizer: Marikka Williams, MSc, GISP, BeSpatial Eastern Section Manager.

NG911 Municipal Data Preparation

Local public safety operations for emergency service response has to be efficient, fast and effective. See how this is possible with Next Generation 911 (NG911). NG 911 is fast approaching.  Learn what it means, its requirements, components and benefits to the community.  We will explore the existing and new NG911 systems, public safety access points, real time data, obstacles and municipal data preparation.  An overview of the required NG911 geospatial data and its structure will be examined.

City of Guelph and Defense Research and Development Canada (DRDC) Database Development and Data Load for NG9-1-1

The City of Guelph was selected, alongside its partner Esri Canada, as the Canadian city to lead the development of a next-generation emergency services geographic information system (GIS) database. This innovative partnership was awarded $1.017 million in federal grant funding and will support critical enhancements in public safety in Guelph and across Canada, as the country implements a modernized Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) emergency response system. Improved call routing through use of GIS point in polygon processes is one of the drivers of NG9-1-1.

Read more...

Greg Babinski is a GIS management consultant and founder of GIS Management Consulting Services LLC, located in the greater Seattle area.

Between 1998 and the end of 2021 he served as GIS Manager, GIS Finance Manager and GIS Marketing & Business Development Manager for the King County GIS Center in Seattle. Previously he worked for nine years as GIS Mapping Supervisor for the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland.

He holds an MA in geography from Wayne State University. Greg is a GISP – Certified GIS Professional. Greg is Past-President of URISA and founder and Past-Chair of URISA’s GIS Management Institute. In 2005 he founded The Summit – the Washington State GIS Newsletter. In 2019 Greg was awarded an EthicalGEO Fellowship by the American Geographical Society. In addition to GIS consulting, he is a GIS researcher, author, and instructor. He has spoken about GIS management across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Greg has taught GIS for Public Policy as an instructor with the University of Washington Evans Graduate School of Public Administration.

In his spare time Greg likes ‘hiking steep, narrow and dangerous trails that lead high above the clouds to awesome views’.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2023 People's Choice MApps Award:

Best App: Street Tree Reporter by Laura Bernardi

Best Map: Distribution and Abundance of the Caribou in the Yukon by Allison Talsma

For more details, visit MApps Award

BeSpatial Annual Event and Expo

• When: May 
• Where: Virtual Event

Call for Submissions is Open until March 31, 2024

Educational Program - $500 BeSpatial bursary offering

The BeSpatial Nathan Adams Student Bursary is an annual award that recognizes the contributions of students studying at Ontario post-secondary institutions to the geospatial and information community. This is a great opportunity for students to get name recognition and begin participating in community events.

For more details Visit:  Annual Bursary

Announcing the BeSpatial & Canopy Mapping Co. Annual Data Architecture and Coding Competition!

We're seeking your GeoSpatial solutions—models, scripts, geo-processes, and automations.

The winner, revealed at BeSpatial ’24, earns a $500 cash prize and trophy, celebrating their skill and inspiring new frontiers in data architecture and coding. Sponsored by Canopy Mapping Co., this award will recognize the value in advancing data architecture and coding.

Open to all BeSpatial members, this inclusive competition fosters learning and innovation. Shape the future of data with us!

Let your coding prowess shine and bring forward the most innovative solution! Accepting submission extended until March 31st.

For more details visit: Data Architecture & Coding Competition

A BeSpatial'23 Workshop:  - Promote and Grow your GIS for Successful Geospatial Managers

Register - Select Registration including workshop option (2 Sessions).   Registration closes Midnight on April 28, 2023.

May 2, 2023 Time: 3:15 - 4:15 PM and  May 3, 2023 Time: 1:30-2:30 PM

Goals and objectives of this workshop

GIS managers have a responsibility to ensure that key decision makers know the value that GIS provides and what new things it can do for them in the future. Why? So that they are always eager for more! But marketing and business development are competencies that are not often taught.

Whether we work for a local, provincial, or federal government agency, non-profit, or private company, we as managers know the many benefits that GIS provides to our enterprise. But put yourself in the position of others within the enterprise. If you are a company manager, elected official, public works manager, warehouse supervisor, budget analyst, or any of the hundreds of other job titles that also work for the enterprise – what do they know of GIS and of the value that GIS provides?

GIS management is a challenging profession. Effective GIS management is a critical success factor for an agency to leverage the potential of its investment in geospatial data and technology and to maximize GIS ROI. Effective marketing is a key factor for a successful GIS. Promoting your GIS is key geospatial management responsibility.

This GIS Management Academy™ workshop introduces a structured project management approach to promote your GIS services effectively.

Enterprise GIS is expensive to develop, maintain, and operate. Even small-to-medium-sized cities, counties, and regional agencies have invested millions of dollars to develop their GIS capabilities, and they can have large annual operating budgets. Promoting the resources and capabilities of your GIS can increase its benefit and help increase its benefits and solidify the long-term support needed for a sustainable GIS.

Audience

Current GIS managers, supervisors, and coordinators, and those who aspire to a successful career in GIS management.

Topics Covered

• The importance of developing your GIS brand and building brand awareness
•  Building pride within your GIS
•  Communicating the benefits of GIS
•  Building effective relationships
•  Developing political skills
•  Understanding and managing the business development life-cycle
•  Exercise: Attendee discussion and feedback

Prerequisites and Recommendations

No prerequisites.  Recommended for GIS managers and leadership teams interested in promoting and growing the use of GIS within their agency or company.

What You Will Receive

• Two (2) hours of instruction (2 sessions) from Greg Babinski, who is a subject-matter expert and workshop author.
•   A copy of the workshop presentation and exercises.