2025 Big Sky GeoCon - Mapping the Future: Innovations in Geospatial Technology: Full Schedule

The Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals (MAGIP) looks forward to your participation at this year’s 2025 Big Sky GeoCon!

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8:25am MDT

Montana Cadastral Application: What's New and the Year Ahead

Wednesday April 16, 2025 8:25am - 8:55am MDT

Governor Room

This talk will cover updates to the Montana Cadastral application since its launch a year ago, and it will look ahead at new features that are planned. There will be time for questions and feedback.

Presenters

Kenny Ketner

Information Products Lead, Montana State Library

Kenny Ketner is the Information Products Lead at the Montana State Library (MSL), where he has worked since 2016. His team is responsible for application development and systems administration, frequently in collaboration with the GIS professionals at MSL.

Wednesday April 16, 2025 8:25am - 8:55am MDT
Governor Room

Government

9:00am MDT

Getting Started with ArcGIS Workflow Manager

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT

Governor Room

ArcGIS Workflow Manager is a scalable enterprise workflow management system that automates and simplifies many aspects of performing and managing GIS and non-GIS work in an organization. It optimizes GIS operations by providing real-time tools for managing people, processes, and products required to complete work. Come to this session to learn how you can get started with this technology.

Presenters

Scott Moore

Solution Engineer, Esri

Scott Moore is a Solution Engineer Team Lead with Esri in Olympia, WA. He focuses on assisting Esri software users with architecture design, application development and technical advice for deploying ArcGIS. Mr. Moore’s areas of expertise include web mapping, server based GIS... Read More →

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT
Governor Room

Government, Utilities/Asset Management/Engineering Design

9:35am MDT

Local Government SIG Roundtable Discussion

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:35am - 10:40am MDT

Governor Room

Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:35am - 10:40am MDT
Governor Room

Meeting

11:10am MDT

Montana State University’s Digital Transformation: A Leap into the Future

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT

Governor Room

Montana State University (MSU) has embarked on an exciting journey of digital transformation by implementing the preliminary elements of a utility digital twin for their water networks using the Esri Utility Network (UN) Solution. This innovative project has revolutionized their approach, moving from standalone CAD drawings and map books to a sophisticated data model that enables advanced asset management and network tracing capabilities through their enterprise GIS portal.

Presenters

Kyle Burke

GIS Manager, HDR Engineering/Montana State University

Kyle Burke is a GIS Manager with HDR Inc. based in Missoula, MT. He holds BAs in History and Anthropology from the University of Montana and a MS in Geographic Information Science and Technology from the University of Southern California. He has over 7 years as a GIS professional... Read More →

Christian Black

GIS Manager, Montana State University-Bozeman (Bozeman, MT)

Joel Griffin, GISP

SR GIS Analyst, HDR Inc.

GIS evangelist specializing in enterprise GIS, asset management and utility network management. Am fascinated with integrating business systems with GIS and helping utilities become smarter, geoenabled organizations.

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT
Governor Room

Utilities/Asset Management/Engineering Design, Government

1:45pm MDT

Cartography Tips & Tricks with ArcGIS Pro

Wednesday April 16, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm MDT

Governor Room

Good map design helps the viewer navigate information effortlessly, turning complexity into clarity. This presentation will review selected cartographic design concepts, such as figure-ground contrast, visual hierarchy, harmony, and legibility, and provide practical examples of applying them in ArcGIS Pro. The practical tips will cover topics like selecting the right label halos, defining your color scheme, and applying blending modes. Examples will be focused on print and static maps created in ArcGIS Pro, but the concepts could be applied to any type of map or software.

Presenters

Liz Juers

GIS Analyst, Montana Department of Transportation

Wednesday April 16, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm MDT
Governor Room

Government

3:20pm MDT

Leveraging ArcGIS Solutions in your Organization

Wednesday April 16, 2025 3:20pm - 4:20pm MDT

Governor Room

This presentation explores how organizations can leverage ArcGIS Solutions to optimize operations, improve decision-making, and enhance collaboration. By integrating GIS tools into daily workflows, state and local governments can better manage resources, analyze spatial data, and gain valuable insights across sectors like urban planning, transportation, and public safety. We’ll demonstrate how ArcGIS enables real-time data analysis, streamlined processes, and smarter, data-driven decisions. Attendees will learn how to effectively implement ArcGIS Solutions to solve challenges, improve efficiency, and drive innovation, all while maximizing the value of geographic data within their organization.

Presenters

Scott Oppmann

Manager of ArcGIS Solutions, Esri

Scott Oppmann is Esri’s ArcGIS for Local Government Project Manager. In this position he is responsible for the planning, implementation, and support of Esri’s ArcGIS for Local Government Solution. This solution provides a series of maps and apps that illustrate how Esri’s software... Read More →

Wednesday April 16, 2025 3:20pm - 4:20pm MDT
Governor Room

Government, Utilities/Asset Management/Engineering Design

4:30pm MDT

Unlocking the Power of AI: ChatGPT and LLMs for GIS Professionals

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:30pm - 5:00pm MDT

Governor Room

This presentation explores how ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) can enhance GIS workflows. Attendees will learn how to use AI on a daily basis to enhance GIS workflows. With practical examples and best practices, this session demonstrates how LLMs can complement traditional GIS tools, boosting productivity and solving common challenges. Whether you're a GIS analyst, developer, or project manager, you'll discover how to integrate AI effectively into your work for greater efficiency and innovation.

Presenters

Curtis DeVault

GIS Administrator, Pickett & Associates, LLC

Curtis has over ten years of experience developing and managing geospatial and relational database solutions. He is currently the GIS Administrator at Pickett and Associates. Using ArcGIS Pro, Survey123, Field Maps, SQL, and Python he has built and maintained data collection, analysis... Read More →

Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:30pm - 5:00pm MDT
Governor Room

Geospatial and AI