CalGIS 2025

Geospatial Workflows Reimagined: Agile Management & Cognitive Flexibility
Monday, April 14, 2025 - 1:00 - 5:00 PM

This workshop explores how Lean and Agile principles can be applied to visual management, particularly within systems thinking to address complex work challenges. It focuses on improving communication, decision-making, prioritization, and collaboration. The session is aimed at knowledge workers, helping them visualize and manage work processes more effectively, including through visual tools like value stream mapping. Practical exercises will support participants in identifying bottlenecks and solving problems collaboratively.

This workshop teaches methods for adapting workflows, managing progress, and improving team collaboration in a dynamic, iterative environment. Cognitive thinking is leveraged to enhance decision-making and understanding in a team setting, ensuring that individuals can process information more effectively. Neurodivergent solutions are implied in the focus on customized, flexible workflows, which can cater to diverse cognitive styles and provide strategies that accommodate various ways of thinking and processing information. By emphasizing adaptable frameworks and visualization techniques, the workshop helps participants streamline work and communication while addressing individual and team needs.

As California moves toward the full implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1), GIS plays a critical role in ensuring accurate, efficient, and life-saving emergency response. This session will explore how CalOES is driving the transition forward, highlighting key milestones, challenges, and advancements in GIS data preparation and management. Attendees will gain insights into essential requirements, best practices, and compliance strategies necessary to support NG9-1-1 efforts. Whether you're directly involved in public safety, GIS data management, or emergency planning, this session will equip you with the knowledge to navigate this transformative shift and enhance the future of emergency response in California.

This presentation will provide an overview of the California Roads Sharing (CaRS) Program. The CaRS Program aims to establish a statewide roads dataset that will be available for use by stakeholders in California using a web-based geospatial roads data management platform. The CaRS Program has The presentation will discuss other successful roads data collaborations in other States, how the CaRS Program is utilizing various roads datasets in California, collaboration and data sharing process between Caltrans, CalOES, and participating counties, the results of NG911 Data Integration from five California Counties with Caltrans Roads Data, and more.

This session presents major advancements in geospatial data for urban forestry and high-resolution elevation mapping. A multi-agency initiative is utilizing AI, LiDAR, and deep learning to map and analyze California’s urban canopy, supporting climate resilience and wildfire mitigation. The USGS 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) is providing statewide high-resolution LiDAR, ensuring accurate topographic data for planning and environmental applications. Attendees will discover the latest innovations in geospatial data acquisition, analysis, and collaborative mapping efforts.

Where Are the Trees? Mapping California's Urban Canopy
Francesca Rohr, Geospatial Analyst, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Jacob Mark, Geospatial Project Manager, Dewberry Engineers, Inc.

Status of Lidar in California
Drew Decker, National Map Liaison, U.S. Geological Survey

Now that we have LiDAR data, let’s put it to work improving our surface water maps.  Learn about tools available now for extracting information from the LiDAR digital elevation models, including geomorphic landforms, z-values, and more, to create channels that represent the presence and flow of water on the landscape.  Attendees who provide their own laptop and ArcGIS Pro license will be invited to follow along this demonstration of using a Geomorphic Index (GMI) to help identify the most likely flow paths. This workshop includes fundamentals on the US Geological Survey’s National Map hydrography datasets: past, current, and future; from the NHD to 3DHP, and the role of federal, state, regional, and local entities in building out a modern hydro network for the Nation.

Key takeaways: Our collective investment in LiDAR is paying off by enabling the creation of hydrography that has improved horizontal accuracy and alignment with the earth’s surface. While the USGS has taken the lead in the acquisition of elevation-derived hydrography for its nation-wide 3D Hydrography Program, the build-out of this hydrography network will take several years. In the meantime, GIS practitioners can replace legacy datasets for their own geographies of interest with LiDAR data and tools that may already be available to them. This hydrography can be put to good use for their mapping and modeling needs.

Attendees should bring their own charged laptop and ArcGIS Pro license in order to follow along.