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  • April 01, 2023 4:08 PM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    Interest in the program is high with presentation  20+ sessions being offered. Bookmark the Programs Spotlight area for breaking news about our presentations

    BeSpatial'24 is a once a year opportunity that will provide you with professional development , valuable information and updates about what is happening in your field, a chance to visit with exhibitors to learn about their new products and services and networking with others in the geospatial and information community and much more...

    BeSpatial 2024

  • April 01, 2023 3:03 PM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    Take a look! The preliminary program is now available!

    BeSpatial 2023, held virtually in May will showcase a dynamic cross section of presentations and exhibitions drawn from our geospatial and information community. It’s a once a year engaging opportunity where you, your colleagues and your teams can listen, learn, network and also have some fun!

    Program and Speaker Highlights

  • March 26, 2023 12:17 PM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    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’.

  • March 26, 2023 12:00 PM | Hanna Sjostrom, GISP (Administrator)
    It's Time to think about submitting your entry for the BeSpatial 2024 Best Challenge Awards.

    For details, visit the BCA Awards section

    The Geospatial and Information Community wants to recognize you for your hard work, creativity and dedication by giving you an opportunity to apply for one of our BCAs - Best Challenge Awards.

    Visit the Awards Page for past results announced at BeSpatial

    BeSpatial 2022 GOLD Award Winners

    Best Public Sector GIS - City of Hamilton
    Innovation in GIS - Region of Peel 
    Best Web GIS - Town of Milton

  • March 26, 2023 11:58 AM | Hanna Sjostrom, GISP (Administrator)

    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

  • March 19, 2023 11:59 PM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    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

  • March 15, 2023 8:00 AM | Hanna Sjostrom, GISP (Administrator)

    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

  • March 01, 2023 1:27 PM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    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.
  • March 01, 2023 10:45 AM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    A BeSpatial'23 Workshop:  - GIS Funding, Budgeting & Budgeting & Financial Management for GIS Managers

    Register - Select Registration including workshop option. Registration closes Midnight on April 28, 2023

    Date: May 2, 2023 Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM

    Goals and objectives of this workshop

    This workshop introduces the fundamentals of GIS funding, budgeting, and financial planning and management for GIS managers. It is intended for GIS managers of public agencies, non-profits, and private companies. Every GIS operation competes for financial resources from the agency or business that it serves. Just as the technical aspects of GIS may be mysterious to the uninformed, understanding and navigating financial processes may be a challenge for GIS managers and leaders.

    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. The good news is that many recent third-party studies have proven that GIS delivers significant financial return on investment (ROI) to organizations that deploy it as an enterprise business-support tool. But competing for financial resources and managing them well is a key responsibility of any manager, including GIS.

    This workshop will enable GIS managers to navigate the financial aspects related to GIS confidently, to understand weekly, monthly, and annual financial processes, and to compete effectively for the financial resources needed to achieve their business goals.

    The information provided in this workshop aligns with related processes and competencies found in the GIS Capability Maturity Model and the Geospatial Management Competency Model.

    Audience

    IT directors/managers, GIS managers, decision makers, and finance managers who want to understand the funding, budgeting, and financial aspects of GIS operations.

    Topics Covered

    • The finites of GIS and the agencies that they serve: space, time, and money
    • Budget process overview - who are the players and who are the referees?
    • Understanding formal budgets and virtual budgets
    • Funding GIS - where does the money come from?
    • GIS funding models
    • GIS expenditures - what is the money used for?
    • Your GIS financial plan
    • Creating effective budget proposals - written and verbal
    • Accounting essentials for GIS managers
    • Grants and grant funds management
    • Exercise: Attendee discussion and feedback

    Prerequisites and Recommendations

    No prerequisite. Recommended for GIS managers, consultants, academics, and agency finance officers interested in understanding the financial aspects of GIS management.

    What You Will Receive

    • 2 hours of instruction from Greg Babinski, who is a subject-matter expert and workshop author.
    • A copy of the workshop presentation and exercises.
  • March 01, 2023 10:33 AM | Sandra Crutcher (Administrator)

    A BeSpatial'23 Workshop:  - GIS Return on Investment (ROI) Fundamentals

    Register - Select Registration including workshop option - Registration closes Midnight on April 28, 2023

    Date: May 3, 2023 Time: 2:45 - 4:45 PM

    Goals and objectives of this workshop

    Show me the money! A geographic information system in any government agency, non-profit, or private company competes for financial resources. GIS managers must be able to articulate the many qualitative and quantitative benefits that GIS provides. But ultimately GIS needs to show the financial benefits that it provides to decision makers. How does a highly competent GIS manager accomplish this?

    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. Adequate financial support is a key factor for a successful GIS. This is a key GIS management responsibility.

    This GIS Management Academy™ workshop introduces the use of return on investment (ROI) analysis methods to document the net financial benefits that an agency might achieve from its GIS. In this workshop we will review the types of benefits that GIS provides. We will focus on recent (non-GIS industry) literature that documents the significant ROI from GIS at various social and institutional levels.

    A major portion of the workshop will demonstrate a simple, objective methodology that has been used to quantify and report GIS performance metrics and ROI. This demonstration will include the use of a custom Excel Spreadsheet template that will be provided to all students who complete the workshop. After the workshop each attendee will have the tools and framework to input data to document their GIS ROI.

    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. Many recent third-party studies have proven that GIS delivers significant financial return on investment (ROI) to organizations that deploy it as an enterprise business-support tool.

    Audience

    Current GIS managers, supervisors, and coordinators, and those who aspire to a successful career in GIS management. Also, agency budget and finance managers and senior agency stakeholders interested in understanding the quantifiable financial benefits from geographic information science and technology.

    Topics Covered

    How organizations achieve their goals and objectives

    Budgets as tools to allocate resources within organizations

    The societal benefits of GIS

    • Non-financial
    • Financial benefits across society
    • Financial benefits within organizations

    Fundamentals of estimating future GIS benefit-cost analysis

    Return on investment basic concepts

    Fundamentals of calculating actual return on investment (with demonstration)

    • Quantifying GIS costs
    •  Quantifying GIS financial benefits

    Practical considerations of using GIS ROI as a decision support tool

    Methods of displaying and comparing results

    Exercise: Attendee discussion and feedback

    Prerequisites and Recommendations

    No prerequisites. Recommended for GIS managers, consultants, and academics, as well as budget and financial managers interested in assessing the financial benefits from their GIS operations.

    What You Will Receive

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

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