GIS in Action 2026

In 1957, physicists at Johns Hopkins listened to Sputnik’s radio beacon and unintentionally laid the groundwork for satellite navigation. What followed was one of the most ambitious engineering efforts in modern history: a constellation of satellites, atomic clocks, control stations, and launch campaigns that has evolved for more than four decades.This presentation traces the development of satellite positioning from its Cold War origins through the construction of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, examining how each constellation was architected, launched, and sustained in orbit, how military systems evolved into global civilian infrastructure, and how the underlying geometry, atomic timekeeping, and signal architecture combine to deliver the positions we depend on daily. It then explores the augmentation systems built on that foundation, including RTK, PPK, WAAS, and PPP, the technologies that push raw GNSS accuracy from meters to centimeters. Each is defined by its own tradeoffs, infrastructure requirements, and ideal applications.
Looking ahead, the session turns to what comes next: GPS III’s new civil signals, LEO-based augmentation that could upend the base station model, and the spoofing and jamming vulnerabilities of a system the modern world cannot function without. Together, these developments reveal GNSS not as a finished technology, but as an evolving global utility.
By understanding the history and architecture behind GNSS, geospatial professionals gain clearer insight into both the power and the limitations of the coordinates they collect, and a better sense of how positioning itself is being redesigned for the decades ahead.

What happens when a software developer who works with GIS decides to learn about AI agents -- not through courses or certifications, but by simply trying to build something?
What started as a straightforward goal to learn about AI became something unexpected that is actively being used across the company to help our GIS developers. AI helped create the lesson plans, walking me through unfamiliar concepts like RAG, agents, and MCPs, then became a collaborator during development -- and eventually a user of what we built together, operating ArcGIS Pro the way any analyst would.
Attendees will come away with a better understanding of what these AI terms actually mean, why they matter for GIS professionals and developers, and how conversational AI can become a genuine learning and collaborative partner rather than just a search engine or code resource. No prior AI experience or specific language required. Expect false starts, course corrections, and the unexpected ways that learning by building takes you further than you planned -- and we'll let AI take a test drive with ArcGIS Pro to show the audience what it can do.

This presentation introduces foundational concepts of digital accessibility in GIS and mapping and how it supports inclusive access to critical geospatial information. Attendees will learn practical best practices for creating accessible GIS and mapping content, including guidance on color use in maps, alternative text, heading structure, focus order, plain language writing, and alternative options. The presentation concludes with an overview of Esri’s accessibility resources, including websites, training, and documentation, to support continued learning and accessible content creation.

GIS compliance for the new DOJ rules for web accessibility

Explore a collection of storymaps that use Survey123 and Field Maps to gather data on street art in the Portland Metro Area, New Orleans, and Rio de Janeiro. This project brings together research from Portland Community College students, faculty, and community members focused on landscape metrics and mapping. The street art projects highlight neighborhood history, social justice, and the link between art and urban ecology. Discover how GIS can support creative thinking, landscape analysis, and art exploration.

 Public transit is an essential service, but one that is perennially under threat. Like many public institutions, these systems have been faced with a series of major challenges over the past twenty years, including a great recession, major changes in travel patterns, and outright hostility from some corners of the political spectrum. This keynote will discuss the central role of GIS and cartography practitioners in analyzing, explaining, visualizing and communicating the complex spatial, temporal and political process that is public transit, drawing from experience in bus network transformation projects in major US cities that grapple with the messy yet rewarding work of improving vulnerable public services in a time of great uncertainty.