ILGISA Webinar Program

Below you will find our current schedule as well as a registration links to upcoming webinars. All webinars will occur at 12pm central time and are complimentary for anyone interested.

Members: View Recorded Webinars

Present your work at a webinar: Webinar Call for Content

 2025

Speaker Name Abstract Date Presentation Registration 
 Andy Bohnhoff  This webinar introduces solutions for solar and wind developers to optimize landowner outreach using GIS technology and automation. The GIS centric process revolutionizes renewable energy project development, enabling smarter, faster, and more eco-friendly landowner engagement.   1/29 Revolutionizing Landowner Engagement with GIS and Automation  Closed
Martin De Wulf In this webinar, I would present how Bluesquare, a Belgian company, is using the preparation of national health campaigns in subsaharan Africa to populate a GIS with the list of all facilities of the country (the talk will focus on Cameroon). This dataset is then made available for continuous updates through a mobile application and becomes a living health map of the country. The underlying software is the open source solution called IASO (www.openiaso.com) and is now commonly used to implement such a georegistry. In a sense, it has similarities with OpenStreetMap, but with data validation controlled by a government.  2/19 Building Georegistries Through Health Campaigns Planning  Closed
[1] Amer Islam [2] Sylvia Angelova
[1] This demonstration introduces Census Downloader, a custom CCRPC plugin designed to streamline the integration of U.S. Census Bureau and TIGER data. Built on Python and leveraging QGIS's robust plugin architecture, it automates the complex process of downloading, processing, and combining demographic and geographic datasets into unified layers. Through an intuitive graphical interface, users can seamlessly merge Census demographic data with TIGER boundary files, eliminating manual data manipulation. The plugin handles all necessary transformations, projections, and data matching, ensuring consistent and reliable outputs ready for immediate analysis.
This presentation will demonstrate the practical applications of Census Downloader in real-world scenarios, showcasing its potential to enhance workflows across urban planning, demographics research, and geographic analysis.
[2] 
Inspired by a request from the City of Yorkville to make quick location maps, this project got us thinking: how can we construct the map to provide a desired layout with the least amount of clicks possible?
Especially since the clients were moving from ArcGIS Pro to QGIS (myself included), it was useful to introduce them to QGIS in a user friendly way. Particularly, with the previous project in Pro, they would simply select the polygon they needed to show in map and switch to layout, pan the map, and export.
This was easier said than done in QGIS. Some tinkering was required to have the selection tool behave in the same way as Pro. In addition, an expression applied to the map extent in the layout made this project an easier adaptation to the wonders of QGIS. In this lightning talk, I will present how this was accomplished.
  3/26

[1] Census Downloader: An Automated Solution for Integrating Census and TIGER Data

[2] Selection and Map Extent Trickery in QGIS

 Closed

 

2024

Speaker Name Abstract Date Presentation Registration 
 Jorge Ruiz    1/10 Turning Your GIS and Imagery Data into Information-Driven Solutions  Closed

Josh Carlson, GIS Developer, Kendall County

Just because you use another platform doesn’t mean you can't make use of some of the excellent capabilities of QGIS. And just because you use QGIS doesn't mean you can't work with your organization's Feature Services (even the private ones!). 

In this webinar, we will go over how to connect QGIS to ArcGIS Server directories, both with and without authentication. We'll demonstrate ways to edit Feature Services, and will discuss some of the use cases for doing so. There will also be a brief "tour" of QGIS for those unfamiliar with the program. Come learn about one of the most underrated QGIS features!

 
  2/14 Have it Both Ways: Accessing and Editing ArcGIS Feature Services in QGIS  Closed
 Haley Brueckman Do you have Web App Builder applications that you rely on, but are unsure how to transition to Experience Builder? This webinar walks you through the process of transitioning your applications to achieve the same functionality in Experience Builder that existed in Web App Builder and more. Learn how to transition widget functionality, connect data across widgets, and design your application to work across multiple mobile platforms. 3/13  Out with the Old and In with the New: Transitioning from Web App Builder to Experience Builder  Closed
 Andy Bohnhoff  In an era dominated by data-driven decision-making, the role of effective communication within organizations has become essential. This presentation explores the potential of dynamic and interactive dashboards as powerful tools for enhancing communication both internally and externally. 4/10  Utilizing Dynamic Dashboards for Effective Communication  Closed
Saber Razmjooei  We have introduced point cloud support 3 years ago in QGIS and since then have been steadily improving the feature in recent years. QGIS is a popular free and open source tool. For the initial release we introduced native support for LAS (LiDAR) and LAZ (LZF-compressed LAS) point cloud files, enabling users to display, visualize, and analyze point cloud data directly within the QGIS environment. This native support has been further enhanced in subsequent QGIS releases, with new features such as point classification, filtering and management of large files. Overall, point cloud support in QGIS is now quite mature and capable, making it a valuable tool for working with point cloud data in a GIS context 5/8  QGIS and Point Clouds  Closed
 Ian Wagner In this talk, we will explore how open data and open-source tools can be combined to offer better routing for low-speed vehicles. Low-speed vehicles (LSVs), Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs), and in particular golf carts are becoming a popular mode of travel in many communities. Local governments are investing in both infrastructure and legislation to ensure that everyone stays safe and has easy ways to get around.

We’ll look at case studies for Peachtree City, GA and The Villages, FL to see how they used open-source tools and open data together to provide safe route guidance for their residents. We will cover the challenges on both the data and software side, and provide resources for GIS professionals interested to learn more or contribute to these exciting new developments.

 
 6/12  Safer Mobility for Low-Speed Vehicles using Open Data, and Open-Source Software  
 Ileana C. Serrano The session is a workshop with live/virtual training that includes accessing data from the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey. 8/14 US Census Bureau Workshop: Accessing Data from data.census.gov and Other Tools Closed
Brent Clark AI is the latest buzzword being used pervasively in every industry, underscoring the potential that advanced computing can provide to most every aspect of life. A question on many professionals' minds: will AI take my job? In this webinar, we will explore the answer to this question, and review existing AI methods that have begun to enhance fundamental GIS functions such as data labeling, feature extraction, dataset management and 3D rendering.  During this review we will underscore the wisdom behind the adage “good data in, good data out”, while showing that AI will always need a “human in the loop” 8/28 AI is Your Friend, Not Your Replacement: How AI Can Modernize the GIS Professional's Role in Today's World Closed
 Dr. Joseph Kerski, GISP How and why should GIS professionals engage with the primary, secondary, and higher education communities? Join Joseph Kerski in a lively discussion about the status of teaching with GIS and teaching about GIS across the USA and the world, the benefits it is bringing to teaching, learning, and the GIS profession, the challenges that remain, and how you can get involved. 9/11  Progress, Challenges, and Connecting with the GIS Education Community  Closed
 Greg Newton, Jon Sedey, and Javier Salazar  Migrating to the Utility Network is the next step in modernizing your company's utility system. However, deploying the solution can feel like navigating in the dark – a journey filled with hurdles and unforeseen challenges. Despite these challenges, embarking on this journey is crucial, and knowing where to start is essential. 

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for migration, as each client has unique requirements and business processes. In this webinar, we'll share our journey to the Utility Network, including the insights we've gained, key challenges encountered, and practical tips and tricks to simplify your migration process. Join us to discover how our journey with multiple configured networks can help streamline your own migration process.

 11/13  Path to the Utility Network  Closed
 Brad Brewer The City of East Peoria would like to have a layer devoted to easements. The goal is to use the resources available to create as many easements as possible. Note this project probably won’t be complete at time of presentation. 12/11 Using Carlson Software to Create an Easements Layer  Closed

 

2023

Speaker Name Date Presentation Registration
Jonathon Hodel 6/14 GIS: The future of Campus Facilities Engagement  Closed
Will Rockwell 6/21 Hurricane Ian Prep and Response Closed
Cassidy Weller 7/6 Parcels Management Closed
Greg Newton 7/12 High Accuracy GPS Data Collection Using ArcGIS Field Maps - Lessons Learned Closed
Tony Spicci 8/9

Attaining your GISP

Closed
Blair Deaver 8/16 GIS Careers: A Conversation Closed
Dr. Michael DeMers 11/8 GIS Design for Success Closed
Keith Andre Searles 12/13 Geospatial Industry and DEI Closed