Volunteer Board of Directors Opportunity

BeSpatial Ontario is looking for a BeSpatial Event Director for our annual event. This is a Board position and requires a 2-year commitment. If you are a Project Manager, excel at project management, and, even better, if you have event coordination skills or experience, this rewarding volunteer position is for you!
 
With the support of our Board of Directors, our BeSpatial Event Director is responsible for coordinating our annual event. This would include:
Using Asana Project Management software (easy to use and we will train);
Venue coordination
In-person; coordination of event location (in consultation with, and approval from, the board), hotel block booking, catering, contract review, logistics, etc.;
Virtual; work with the Web Directors to manage and populate PheedLoop virtual event application, QC event website;
Coordinating with Directors to complete their assignments:
Programs Director to collect presentations, session scheduling, receive digital presentations;
Executive Director and Director Strategy and Outreach to secure exhibitors and Sponsors;
Communications Director to ensure all information is properly conveyed in the eNewletters to members;
Director of Finance and Membership Director to plan the AGM portion of the event;
Director of Education to coordinate the Student Bursary
Directors at large for any related special projects or assignments
Manage sessions; moderators;
Volunteer coordination leading up to event and on the day of the event.
 
The Board has a monthly meeting in which you would report progress, distribute assignments and receive whatever support is required (this meeting is typically 2-3 hours during business hours)
The time commitment varies, with more time being required in the 2 months prior to the event, May-February 5 hours a month, March/April 10-15hrs a month.

You will work closely with the outgoing Event Director and the Board for training
 
Please email your interest, with a cover letter, to Sandra Crutcher, Executive Director at info@bespatialontario.ca and a virtual interview meeting will be scheduled at your convenience. Please have BeSpatial Event Director in the subject line. Extended - Responses to this opportunity must be received by Friday July29, 2022.

The new Director should plan to attend the Board of Director’s annual full-day Strategy Session on August 23rd. The meeting will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual attendance.

Implementing a Geospatial Performance Improvement Strategy provides a solid foundation for delivering innovative new solutions to stakeholders and increasing the reach of GIS departments and geospatial data.

In this presentation, we will define this concept and how its main contributing components (data, technology, processes, people and governance) interact from the point of view of applying automation to seek organizational efficiencies. Use cases will be presented where automation has minimized time-consuming and tedious tasks and where integration has allowed for the combination of sources (geospatial and non-geospatial) to break down silos and create new opportunities.

Presenter: Lesley MacKenzie, Director of Innovation, Technologies and Strategies, Consortech.  Email 

Lesley MacKenzie graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography. Passionate about geomatics, she has been working in this field for over 22 years and has become a world-renowned reference with FME technology. Throughout the years, she has designed a novel concept of governance and use of best practices with this technology.

At Consortech, Lesley leads the consulting team in optimizing the use of FME and ArcGIS and accompanying clients towards geospatial performance. As Director of Innovation, Technologies and Strategies, she is responsible for the technological watch and is in constant contact with the Safe Software development team. Lesley also provides high-level consulting services such as strategic analysis, migration of GIS environments to the Cloud and management of large-scale development projects.

BeSpatial'22

BeSpatial Ontario is excited to announce that Nora Young will provide the opening address at BeSpatial'22 to be held May 3-4, 2022.

Nora Young,  Host of CBC Radio’s Spark | Author of The Virtual Self

Nora Young is the host and the creator of Spark, a national radio show and podcast about technology and culture, which airs on CBC Radio. She was the founding host of CBC Radio’s Definitely Not the Opera, where she often discussed topics related to new media and technology.

Her work has also appeared online, on television, and in print. As a journalist, author, and speaker, Nora explores how new technology shapes the way we understand ourselves and the world around us. Her book, The Virtual Self, focuses on the explosion of data about our behaviours, thoughts, opinions and actions.

 She’s a casual blogger and committed hobby podcaster

Dear BeSpatial Members,

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take the opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks to you all for your continued support of our organization. We recognize that in these challenging and often uncertain times, such support is not always assured.

We were therefore somewhat nervous about staging our first virtual AGM this past May, but delighted and amazed at the excellent turnout and feedback we received from attendees. The responses we received from our post-event survey was extremely encouraging as well.

Since then, the BeSpatial Board had many long and involved discussions on how we would stage our upcoming AGM in May 2022. We all strived to get back to a live event, but in light of the frequent setbacks we as a society have had in our ongoing struggle to contain and move on from CoVID-19, the Board had to take the difficult decision to once again stage a virtual event. However, the good news is that with the experience we gained through our inaugural virtual event, we are confident we can make BeSpatial ’22 even better.

The theme we have selected is “BeConnected”, focusing on how organizations cooperate/collaborate in geospatial and data implementations. We feel strongly that there is an abundance of topics and sub-themes that fit well under this overall theme, and we encourage our members and their organizations to submit abstracts that align with this. A first call for presentations was sent out at the end of November, so please consider sharing your experiences with our members. We would love to hear from you.

Lastly, I wanted to give a quick thanks to our Board members and Executive Director, without whom none of this would be possible. There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, and their passion and dedication is inspiring.

And with that, my colleagues on the Board and I would like to wish you and your families the very best for the upcoming holidays, and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. We hope you can join us for BeSpatial ’22. We look forward to “seeing” you there.

Sincerely,

Peter Hettstedt
President, BeSpatial

A COVID related application was developed and is being updated by the University of Toronto in cooperation with the University of Guelph and the Sick Kids Hospital Toronto.

Impressive group effort using GitHub. They have been using data from local Public Health agencies posted on open data sites and Open Street Map. Clearest visualization of probably the most reliable data.

Here it is:  COVID Canada

YPN Social Network

BeSpatial has launched its LinkedIn and Facebook pages for the Young Professionals Network where members can connect and share with each other. We will be posting resources that will help to educate, engage and grow young professionals. During COVID-19 members are also encouraged to share and discuss about the affect the pandemic has had on their life and operation of work.

LinkedIn: BeSpatial Young Professional Network

Facebook: BeSpatial Young Professional Network

About the YPN?

The Young Professional Network consists of a cross-section of new GIS professionals that have been working in a public or private sector organization for 1-7 years. This community includes recent graduates and more experienced professionals just beginning to leverage geospatial technology. Young professionals in this community have a diverse range of experience and skill sets.

YPN Update from the BeSpatial's May 5th Virtual Town Hall meeting

COVID-19 has been a crisis that has impacted professionals of all ages. This has been entirely new territory for all of us. While we all might be experiencing this together, young professionals are at a bigger disadvantage. Having not experienced working through a recession before, young professionals and those newly graduating are faced with a difficult challenge.

Companies have transitioned to work from home and increased safety measures have been put into place for essential field workers. Companies have offered support programs to help improve access to workplace wellness resources and support essential workers during this difficult time. The way young professionals work and complete their jobs has changed. Where there once was in person staff meetings there are now web meetings and conference calls.

For many young professionals working from home previously was unfamiliar territory that comes with its own set of challenges. To overcome these challenges young professionals have been resilient finding new ways to work and communicate with others effectively. This includes setting up a dedicated workspace, maintaining a schedule, making use of breaks during the work day and increased communication with team members. Overall young workers are adapting to the ever changing work environment leveraging new technology and assisting with the transition where possible.

Interested in joining or volunteering with the YPN?

Contact Brooke

Please feel free to add your comments below to this blog.

Open to municipal, provincial public servants as well. 

Note: Are you a public servant in Canada but not a *federal* public servant? No worries, the Digital Academy has got you covered! Provincial, municipal, and "other sector" public servants (health, education, infrastructure, etc.) can sign up using their work email at https://lnkd.in/eqCPV-jK 

There is a lot of talk about "being digital" in the Canadian public sector, these days. But how does one "become digital"? 

In today's digital-by-default work environment, knowing how to apply a digital mindset is a highly sought skill.

The Canada School of Public Service's Digital Academy is here to help you acquire this skill by offering "How to Be Digital in the Canadian Public Service," a 6-week, online, self-paced microcourse that explores what digital looks like in the Canadian government context and examines digital concepts such as agile and human-centred design.

Canadian federal public servants can sign up at the School's online learning platform at https://lnkd.in/eWztFbhb

Happy learning!

This course was promoted by Phil Gratton on LinkedIn

Message from the President

In June 2021, the Federal Government of Canada passed Bill C-5 naming September 30 as a federal statutory holiday in observance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As we approach the first anniversary of that inaugural day of observance, I felt it would be fitting to share some thoughts.

The day honours the children who never returned home, and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. As a community of Geospatial Professionals serving both the Public and Private sectors throughout Ontario, we felt it appropriate to show our support.

We are certainly encouraged by events of the past year, including the creation of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, as well as the historic visit by Pope Francis to begin the journey of healing, understanding and reconciliation.

September 30 is also Orange Shirt Day, which is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. With that in mind, I dug out out some t-shirts we had printed a few years back. The words that were printed on the front certainly seem appropriate, in the sense that we must all continue to inform ourselves with respect to the history of the residential school system and the impacts it has had, to be inspired by the strength of the survivors and their families, to be involved in the act of reconciliation, and to recognize that yes, every child does matter.

On Friday, September 30^th, I will be wearing this Orange t-shirt, and I encourage all of our members to observe this important day in their own way.

Peter Hettstedt
President, BeSpatial Ontario

A warm welcome to our new President of BeSpatial Ontario.

Peter obtained a B.Sc. in Geography from the University of Calgary, graduating in 1987. While working as a research assistant in the Yukon in the summer of 1986, looking into permafrost landforms, he was introduced to surveying. After graduation he worked as a surveyor and Party Chief for an exploration company in both Africa and the Middle East. Once kids came along in the mid 90’s, he didn’t want to be an absentee parent, and he transitioned into a sales role promoting new Survey technologies, including GPS, Reflectorless Total Stations and in 2001 the introduction of terrestrial LiDAR to Canada. He has been involved in the Geomatics/Geospatial industry ever since.

He now works as Business Development Manager for J.D. Barnes Ltd. and its subsidiaries, including First Base Solutions and Onsite Locates Inc., consulting with clients to provide the appropriate geomatics or geospatial services to make their projects successful.

Peter joined the Board of BeSpatial in late 2020, and was nominated and accepted the role of President at the 2021 AGM.

Board Position & e-mail: President