2024 Agenda
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Registration, light breakfast & networking (in-person only) | ||
| 9:00 - 10:00 | Poster Session & Contest (in-person only) | ||
| 10:00 - 10:10 | Welcoming Remarks |
Pinki Mondal, PhD, Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware Jason Vogl, State of Delaware |
|
| 10:10 - 10:25 | Improving Delaware's Forest Connectivity | Eric Reid, Delaware Department of Agriculture | The Delaware Forest Service, as part of their 10 year Forest Action Plan, is looking to improve forest connectivity in Delaware by using tree plantings to connect forested blocks. To identify ideal planting locations, a least cost path analysis was conducted. This presentation will cover the objectives of the study, an overview of the methodology, and a discussion of the results. It will then discuss lessons learned and how the adjust the study in the future. Feedback is welcome and encouraged! |
| 10:25 - 10:40 | Assessing the Dynamics of Saltwater Intrusion in the Eastern United States using Geospatial Data and Machine Learning | Manan Sarupria, Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences, University of Delaware | Saltwater intrusion (SWI), the encroachment of saltwater into coastal freshwater aquifers, is worsening due to climate change, unsustainable agriculture, and rising demand for water and crops. Soil salinization is a global challenge linked to SWI, and the dynamics of marshland expansion with rising sea levels are complex. My research uses GeoAI-based land cover classification to quantify salt patches and expanding marshlands across 14 coastal counties in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia (Delmarva). While high-resolution aerial imagery captures fine-scale salt patches, it lacks temporal resolution. To address this, we utilized Sentinel 2 data and developed a machine-learning model to produce annual maps of salt-impacted farmlands and marshlands from 2019 to 2023. We improved land cover classification accuracy through spectral unmixing, enabling better quantification of affected areas. Additionally, we examined the correlation of various hydroclimatic factors—such as storm surges, precipitation, surface temperatures, elevation, distance from the coastline, and soil types—with observed patterns of SWI. These insights provide valuable information for landowners in managing their properties. |
| 10:40 - 10:55 | What’s Newark GIS Been Up to Recently? | Jay W. Hodny, PhD, City of Newark, DE | The City of Newark, DE Public Works and Water Resources Department (PWWR) continues to expand its use of the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS). The presentation will highlight newer PWWR GIS solutions and improvements to existing ones, as well as touch on GIS used in other City departments. Topics include water meters and water consumption, our lead service line inventory, tracking refuse carts, enterprise permitting and licensing, and other asset/infrastructure-related solutions. The solutions can be simple web maps with single editable feature services, to more complex solutions involving several connected GIS applications and scripts. Each solution is designed to eliminate bottlenecks and remove waste in workflows and enable accurate data capture and management, all while improving City services. |
| 10:55 - 11:10 | Career Spotlight | Julie Carter, PMP, CSM, VP Delivery at Ardent | In this engaging session, Julie will share her career journey in GIS, insights into the industry, and the skills needed to succeed. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable advice from an experienced professional in the field. Don’t miss this chance to learn from Julie’s expertise and explore potential career paths in GIS! |
| 11:10 - 11:40 | ArcGIS Pipelines: Integrating Messy Data | Eric Wagner, Esri | How do you pull data into your GIS system? Code? Model Builder? Manually? ArcGIS Data Pipelines offers a streamlined and automated way of pulling data from internal and external sources into your ArcGIS Online organization. It even has tools to help format and engineer your data so it’s ready for mapping. In this presentation, we’ll build a data pipeline from scratch and see how it works." |
| 11:40 - 12:00 | Closing Remarks, Poster Winners, and Giveaways |
Olena Smith, IT Research CyberInfrastructure, University of Delaware Daniel Peart, Library, University of Delaware |
|
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch and networking (in-person only) | ||