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.
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
Regional Geospatial Coordinators Program: The purpose of the Regional Geospatial Coordinators (RGCs) is to establish a partnership of the roles and responsibilities of the respective partners in the twelve Regions. Within this presentation, RMR RGC will give an outline of how RMR RGC has worked to limit data silos and explores the critical aspects of GIS data management, focusing on the effective organization, storage, and manipulation of geographically referenced data within the BIA’s planning context. This emphasizes the importance of data validation and quality checks to ensure the accuracy and consistency of spatial data throughout the BIA’s geospatial system.
Regional Geospatial Coordinator, Department of Interior- Rocky Mountain Regional Office
I like to hunt, fish, and other outdoor activities. I really like talking about my 49ers, Celtics, and San Fran Giants. With work related, I like talking about AGOL, Collector, SDE Server (learning), parcel data, Metes and Bounds (COGO), and spatial analysis.
Wednesday April 16, 2025 9:00am - 9:30am MDT
Lewis 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.
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
NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) defines, maintains, and provides access to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), which is a common foundation for geospatial data that serves as the basis for civilian surveying and mapping in the United States. Changes in technology and a better understanding of the dynamic earth have made it necessary to improve the NSRS to be of better use for modern applications. Currently, NGS is in the process of modernizing the NSRS, updating the existing horizontal datums with a suite of geometric reference frames and the vertical datums with a gravimetrically-derived geopotential datum.
Rocky Mountain Regional Geodetic Advisor, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey
Brian Shaw is NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey Rocky Mountain Regional Advisor. He began his career at NGS in 2002 and has a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Geographic Information Systems which made him the NGS geospatial go-to person. Brian emphasizes how GIS depends on geodesy... Read More →
Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm MDT
Lewis Room
Using ArcGIS Experience Builder, GIS-related web applications can be created by arranging and configuring components known as widgets. Core capabilities are provided by out-of-the-box widgets, while custom widgets can be added to allow for workflows and operations that may not otherwise be accommodated. In this session, the value of custom widgets will be discussed and the process of creating widgets will be explained. A range of audience interests will be served, from offering a general appreciation of the possibilities through to guidance for those who may wish to develop widgets themselves.
David Howes is a geospatial information scientist and the sole owner at David Howes, LLC (dhowes.com [dhowes.com]) in Seattle, WA, specializing in the development of GIS tools, processes, and supporting infrastructure for a variety of clients from small operations to multinational corporations. David has over 30 years of academic and private sector experience in both the United Kingdom and the Uni... Read More →
Wednesday April 16, 2025 1:45pm - 2:45pm MDT
Clark 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.
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.
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
Learn how you can use the ArcGIS JavaScript SDK's map and widgets wrapped as web components to kickstart your journey in building web mapping applications.
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 3:55pm - 4:25pm MDT
Clark Room
Imagery, big data, analytics, and the always expanding capabilities of the Enterprise stack make migrating from on-premise to a GIS Managed Cloud Services solution an ideal choice. During this session, we will review the top questions and concerns our clients have around making this move, how they prepared to migrate, and the benefits they have realized since.
Microsoft’s Power Automate is a low-code/no-code automation platform that integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 and a host of third-party applications and services, including ArcGIS. In this session, we’ll explore a real-world example as an overview of requirements, capabilities, and limitations of this integration. Key topics will include authentication methods, deployment patterns, common pitfalls, quirks, practical tips and tricks, and lessons learned.
Full-service Missoula-based GIS professional services provider offering affordable GIS development and solutions, ArcGIS Enterprise deployments and upgrades (cloud/on-premises), and ArcGIS Online/Portal backup solutions. We serve customers in nine countries across the globe, from... Read More →
Wednesday April 16, 2025 4:30pm - 5:00pm MDT
Lewis Room
This presentation will provide an update on the MSDI Administrative Boundaries, Geo-Enabled Elections, and the U.S. Census Bureau Programs. The panelists will demonstrate their role in the election process and answer questions from the audience.
The panelists include: • Meghan Burns, GIS Analyst / Administrative Boundary Theme Lead | Montana State Library • Caroline Psaltis, GIS Specialist / Geo-Enabled Elections | Montana State Library • Stuart Fuller, Elections & Voter Services Manager | Montana Secretary of State • Dave Ritts, GIS Analyst | Census & Economic Information Center / Montana Department of Commerce • Eric Spangenberg, GISP, GIS Coordinator | City of Helena / Lewis and Clark County • Connor Fitzpatrick, Elections Division Supervisor | Lewis and Clark County
Meghan Burns has been a GIS Analyst and the Administrative Boundary Theme Steward with the Montana State Library since 2015. As part of the Water Information Team, she helps manage data for the Elevation and Hydrography themes. She has served on the MAGIP Board of Directors as a Member-at-Large/Secretary... Read More →
Dave Ritts is a GIS Analyst with the Montana Department of Commerce. He primarily works with demographic and economic data and maintains dashboards, web pages and databases for the Census and Economic Information Center (CEIC). He has previously worked as a GIS Analyst for Oregon... Read More →
Paris Gibson envisioned parks as essential to Great Falls’ urban identity. This presentation showcases how ESRI's Community Maps Editor has been leveraged to update city park layers in ESRI's Base maps, creating detailed and accurate information for both residents and visitors. Inspired by efforts to update the City Parks webpage, this project merges historical appreciation with GIS tools, ensuring that green spaces remain central to city planning. Attendees will explore the technical process of basemap editing, navigate the challenges of data integration and decision making, and discover how these updates honor Gibson's vision.
Effective geospatial governance is key to building a strong and sustainable GIS for your organization. In this session, we’ll explore how policies, tools, and web applications can be implemented to create a reliable GIS framework that promotes efficiency and reusability.
We’ll share the Montana State Library’s experience in developing a geospatial governance policy, including insights from our working policy documents, scripting tools, and dashboards. Attendees will gain practical knowledge on leveraging these resources to establish or enhance their own geospatial governance strategies.
Matt Trebesch is a GIS Analyst at the Montana State Library (MSL). At the MSL, he manages a variety of statewide projects including the MSL “Flood Hub” and the now retired Montana Covid-19 dashboard and Hub. He also provides statewide support of MGIA (Formerly MLIA) grantees and... Read More →
Thursday April 17, 2025 10:55am - 11:25am MDT
Clark Room
The number of school districts in Carbon County has shrunk from 70 to 7 over the last 50 years. Years of abandonments, consolidations, annexations and transfers have significantly re-configured the boundaries of these commonly referenced districts. Is it important to track these changes? Considering that several other special improvement districts including fire, ambulance and cemetery districts referenced school district boundaries during their formation, the answer may be yes. This presentation describes the way in which GIS was used to track school district transactions over time and explores the challenges that were encountered while attempting to modernize school district boundaries.
