Pre-Conference Workshops

 1. Introductory Level ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric

Frank Conkling, Panda Consulting

The ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric is the next-generation solution for editing and maintaining Land Records and Parcels using Esri's ArcGIS Pro software. This half-day workshop will provide an introduction to the functionality, structure, implementation options, and workflows in the Parcel Fabric. With the workshop, a download link to a sample parcel fabric and project file will be provided for demonstration and a work-along experience for attendees. If the attendees wish to participate in the workshop, they must provide a laptop containing a fully licensed copy of ArcGIS Pro 3.x or above. Several parcel maintenance workflows will be demonstrated and explored to understand the workings of the Parcel Fabric.

2. NG911 GIS Data Implementation and Maintenance

Zach Hassler, WI DMA OEC; Joe Martell, Shawano County; Doug Avoles, St Croix County 

Join in this half-day workshop covering key elements of the NENA & WI NG911 GIS Data Standards, specific examples of workarounds for unique situations you may encounter, strategies & considerations for data maintenance procedures, suggested additions to the database schema, a run through of data uploads on various platforms, as well as advice and materials from various data services vendors.

3. Creative Workflows Using QGIS and SQL

Hayden Elza, WI State Cartographer's Office

Whether you’ve been meaning to check out QGIS or SQL or you are experienced and want to see some unique use patterns and tricks, join this half-day workshop to build your own witness tree map using data from the original land survey of Wisconsin. Topics covered include filtered datasets, virtual layers, virtual fields, geometry generator symbology, label placement, adding database connections, database views, QGIS plugins, and spatial queries in Postgres. If you are familiar with QGIS or other GIS software, you should be good to go; no prior knowledge of SQL or topics mentioned earlier required. Participants should bring a device with the latest stable release of QGIS installed.

4. Title Insurance: The Basics and Beyond 

Lisa Petersen, Chicago Title

Come to this half-day workshop to jump into the title world with Lisa Petersen guiding the way. This is a great time to learn more about the other side of the real estate transaction. This workshop will include the following: 1. What a title policy actually covers. 2. The types of claims that are paid. 3. What information a title agent uses from our offices. 4. The impact of Wisconsin’s new easement law. 5. How title companies use surveys in their work.

5. Communication & Alignment to Create Project Success 

Melissa Borowicz, CEO, The Utech Group and Bridget O’Connor, CEO & Founder, O’Connor Connective 

Are you responsible to get various people on the same page to deliver on project timelines and goals? Is it your job to get external entities bought in to work collaboratively for the success of a project? Do you have clarity on how and what to communicate to keep people engaged and aligned from the beginning to the completion of a project?

Alignment is critical to the success of any project. It is easy for all of us to have competing priorities that get in the way of truly having the buy-in you need to successfully manage projects. Having tools to create shared ownership and alignment helps to get projects off to a strong start. Knowing what, when and how to communicate with whom is vital to develop a path that gets everyone on the same page working toward success. In this workshop, you will learn tools to create buy-in and a shared purpose, understand how to navigate competing priorities, and develop a communication strategy to create alignment and engagement throughout the lifecycle of a project.

6. Migrating from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro

ESRI

ArcMap will be retired in March of 2026, but will enter Mature Support (no more updates or patches) in March 2024. If you have not already moved to ArcGIS Pro, now is the time. ArcGIS Pro provides GIS professionals with a modernized experience for mapping; advanced analysis; management of 2D, 3D, and 4D data; and seamless content sharing to ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. In this workshop we will introduce key ArcGIS Pro terminology and components, demonstrate how to migrate maps and other items to ArcGIS Pro, and share additional resources that will help ArcMap users smoothly transition GIS workflows to ArcGIS Pro. This workshop will be a combination of lecture presentation and hands-on activities.

Lunch

12:30 - 1:30pm

Lunch is included if attendee registers for both a morning and afternoon workshop. Wednesday lunch can also be purchased as an add-on during registration.

7. Advanced Level ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric

Frank Conkling, Panda Consulting

This half-day workshop will extend the attendee's understanding of Esri's ArcGIS Pro Parcel Fabric and examine the effect and impact of the arcade language, attribute rules, the configuration of the project file, a discussion on branch versioning, options for dimensioning in an Enterprise environment, the line labeling expression, a review of procedures to correct issues within the parcel fabric and a discussion on condominium unit mapping. While a link to download the sample data and project file will be provided, it is recommended that the attendee primarily treat this as a lecture/demo/questions workshop.

8. What You Need to Know About a UAS/UAV Program, 6 Years In, Working with Many Agencies

Scott Galetka, Bayfield County 

The workshop will cover a wide range of UAS missions that support Land Records, Engineering, Highway, Sheriff's Office, Conservation, Tourism, and Forestry/Parks departments. The workshop will dive into the data management side, managing large datasets, and how the drone program functions in a government organization. Each project is designed to fit unique requests; there will be a focus on the ongoing collaboration between the Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office and Land Records. We will be looking at a typical UAS project and the setup. There will also be a live demo of the search and rescue software (Loc8). We will run through using Pix4D cloud examples. Bring your questions and be ready for helpful tips and tricks for getting any drone program off the ground. Join in on this interactive workshop and learn from an experienced UAS pilot!

9. Advanced Field Collection Tools & Methods 

David Buehler, WI DOT & Principle – Terra Firma Analytics; Tyler DeBruin, GIS Utility Analyst, Town of Grand Chute

Do you have experience with Survey123, Field Maps, or Quick Capture? Then this workshop is for you! In this workshop we will examine and build practical field data collection systems using the above mentioned programs. We will also use additional applications to enhance these such as webhooks, ArcGIS Hub, high accuracy GPS, Experience Builder, and much more. We will use a combination of these applications to make advanced applications that you can bring back to your organization to use for a variety of needs.

Some advanced topics covered include: Survey123 feature report automation, Survey123 advanced calculations, Survey123 smart assistants, Quick Capture automation, Quick Capture barcode scanning, Field Maps smart forms, linking Field Maps to high accuracy GPS including MSL readings, and much more! Some practical applications we will make with these advanced topics include: collecting PASER ratings, illicit discharge inspections (IDDE), hydrant inspections, utility locates, sign inventorying, and much more. This workshop will be tailored to you though, so please provide additional examples of workflows you would like to collect in the field to the instructors ahead of time. Requirements for this course include: a laptop, Survey123 Connect, ArcGIS Online credentials, mobile device (with Field Maps, Survey123, and Quick Capture downloaded), and optionally an external GPS.

10. How A Chicago Bears Fan Plans to Steal Lambeau Field - Property Fraud it’s Happening Near You!

Scott Moore, Fidlar; Cheri Hipenbecker, Knight Barry Title Group; Staci Hoffman, Jefferson County

Can it really be that easy to steal someone’s property, that even a Chicago Bears fan can do it? YES! Cybercrime, which includes property fraud, has cost Americans over $27.5 billion dollars in the last five years, and that’s only the fraud that has been reported! As real estate transactions become increasingly digital and complex, and more information is available online, the vulnerabilities for fraudulent activities also multiply. In this session we will delve into the history of cybercrime in the real estate sector and how it impacts our land records and property owners. Join us for an interactive discussion including real life cases that are happening right now, some may even be in your back yard!

SOLD OUT

11. Building Experience with Experience Builder 

Jesse Papez, WI DNR

Are you a new or experienced GIS application builder who’s looking to build up your own experience with Experience Builder? Look no further, this workshop will give you some experience upon which you can build! This workshop is tailored for ArcGIS Online (AGOL) users who are either new to Experience Builder (ExB) or have recently started working with this GIS application configuration environment. The workshop host has personally developed, overseen, and assisted other DNR staff in developing their own ExB apps. This firsthand experience paired with DNR’s collected tips and tricks accrued since the release of ExB will provide useful insights from an ESRI customer perspective. The workshop aims to cover a range of topics, including an introductory overview of ExB, a practical assessment of its capabilities and current limitations, and demos and hands-on exercises to help attendees overcome common initial challenges when starting from scratch or transitioning from AGOL Web AppBuilder development. Specific areas of focus include preparing AGOL content for a seamless transition to ExB applications, utilizing ESRI's ExB templates, configuring page element and functional widgets, and configuring mobile user experiences. By the end of this workshop, participants will have gained practical experience and created sample projects that can serve as building blocks for their future work. While not a strict requirement, attendees are encouraged to have access to their AGOL accounts to actively engage in workshop activities. If that's not feasible, attendees can still benefit from live demonstrations and take notes for later use.

12. Using ArcGIS to Support Special Event Management

ESRI

Join this unique hands-on workshop designed to showcase how ArcGIS can be used in support of special events and mission critical response. This workshop will cover capabilities that help state and local governments organize special events, develop operational plans, manage event incidents and assignments, and monitor operations in real time. This workshop will include a short presentation on how ArcGIS supports special event management, a hands-on activity walking through the configuration of the Special Event Operations Solution and ArcGIS Mission, and a field activity to showcase how responders can collect data and communicate during an event. In order to fully participate in this workshop, you will need to bring your own laptop computer and mobile device with a cellular plan.