CalGIS 2025

Kick off an electrifying session designed to energize, engage, and inspire! This dynamic event features ignite lightning talks, where speakers will deliver rapid-fire insights on cutting-edge geospatial trends, groundbreaking projects, and the future of GIS in California. Discover the latest innovations from industry-leading sponsors, enjoy interactive games and prizes, and explore how GIS is shaping everything from climate resilience to smart cities. Our session will highlight the state of GIS in California, offering a compelling vision for its evolution, challenges, and limitless potential. Finally, learn how to bring GIS into your kid’s classroom, equipping the next generation with spatial thinking skills that will empower them to solve real-world problems. Whether you're here to network, learn, or be inspired, this session will leave you with fresh ideas, new connections, and a renewed passion for the power of GIS.

Shifting Gears: Actionable Insights for Improving Bike Infrastructure and Safety
Andrea Perez, MSGISci., GIS Research Specialist, Riverside University Health System-Public Health

Ethical Consent in Geospatial ML: Rethinking Training Data Collection from Built Environments
Soorya Narayan Satheesh, Independent Researcher, California Franchise Tax Board

Elevating GIS: Unlocking Insights with Photogrammetry
Kevin Volz, GISP, GIS Expert, DVD Landscape Architects, Inc.

Bringing GIS To Your Kids Classroom 
Marc Epstein, Director, California Environmental Technology Education Network

Sharing geographic datasets is a hallmark of the state’s geospatial community. With improved coordination between a dataset’s stewards, clearing houses to consolidate datasets, and those that use the data, our state’s collective efficiency with all location-based efforts should improve.

A moderated panel discussion with geospatial community leaders, along with audience open discussion, can shed light on the challenges the community has publishing, finding, and consuming authoritative datasets.

Discussion topics may include:

• The role of geodata portals in the state, e.g. California Geoportal and Esri’s Living Atlas
• Use of AI tools to gather and process geospatial datasets from disparate sources
• Defining and recognizing authoritative data sources
• More efficient methods to consume published datasets
• Data collaboration and sharing
• Metadata standardization