minnesota gis/lis consortium · 2018-08-08 · ddms, inc. provides project portal at no cost to the...

1 The MN GIS/LIS Consortium is an official 501c3 non-profit organization. http://www.mngislis.org

Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium

Annual Report 2017

Mission Statement: "To develop and support the GIS professional in Minnesota for the benefit of our state and its citizens."

The Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium is a forum for communicating information to, and improving cooperation among, those interested in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Land Information Systems (LIS) in the State of Minnesota. Members include GIS users in local, state, federal and tribal government agencies; business and industry; educational institutions and nonprofits. Membership is FREE just by being on our mailing list. The Consortium hosts annual statewide conferences and workshops, collaborates to recognize outstanding contributions of members and organizations, provides grants to support students and community organized activities, and establishes committees that deal with specific GIS/LIS-related matters in Minnesota. Opportunities to participate in Consortium activities are available through volunteer work with the board, its committees, the conference and workshops. The Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium is an official 501c3 non-profit organization. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact myself or any other Board Member

http://www.mngislis.org/

http://www.mngislis.org/?page=current_board


Message from the Board Chair From Scott Freburg, 2017 Board Chair For many of us, we have been “Navigating the North”, our entire lives. Perhaps it was annual trips to the cabin, a week in the Boundary Waters, Lake of the Woods, Ely, Alexandria, Lake Minnewaska or up the Gunflint Trail. Perhaps it was annual visits to Betty’s Pies in Two Harbors, Jimmy’s Family restaurant in Walker or playing golf at Oak Crest in Roseau or Two Rivers in Hallock. This phrase for our first conference in Bemidji exemplifies our Minnesota spirit of getting out and enjoying the outdoors. As I grew up in northern Minnesota, I was either on my bicycle, my small fishing boat with the trusty 9.5 HP Evinrude or my Arctic Cat 340. I had no idea what “GIS” was but I was actually using it every day! All these years later, I can reflect back on 30 years in GIS and all of the extremely talented individuals I have worked beside. This was exemplified in Bemidji by our Lifetime achievement, Polaris and Distinguished Educator honorees. Thank you to the city of Bemidji, the conference committee and especially Jane Mueller for putting on quite a conference. Remember that ALL of us, collectively, are the backbone of our Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. We may be working at various locations around the state, making GIS decisions every day. YOU are the reason that Minnesota is one of the nation’s leaders in GIS and why we are winning awards. The time you spend volunteering for GIS/LIS events, your passion for the technology and your dedication are what drives the GIS/LIS Consortium. I want to thank ALL of you that have volunteered your time in the name of furthering GIS in our state. Even if you are extremely busy I encourage you to continue to get involved in local, regional and statewide GIS activities. Get involved by attending a workshop, instructing a workshop, serving on one of many Consortium committees or become a Geo-mentor for a local K12 teacher. Get involved with education initiatives or simply attend a networking event. Reach out to any Board Member or take a look at the website for more information about the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium. We are better together! Thank you for a wonderful 2017 and continue “Navigating the North” as your GIS trails expand. See you in Duluth in 2018! 3rd Annual Educators Day Bemidji’s Sanford Center – Our home

for the 2017 Conference


http://www.mngislis.org/?page=current_board




Thank you to our Contributors Conference Exhibitors

Ayres Associates

Beltrami County Historical Society

Bolton & Menk, Inc.

Boundless Spatial

CES Imaging

Cyclomedia Technology, Inc.

DDMS, Inc.

Dude Solutions

EagleView

Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)

Frontier Precision, Inc.

GRAEF

Houston Engineering, Inc.

Kadrmas, Lee & Jackson, Inc.

KBM GeoSpatial

Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors

Minnesota Great River Road

Moore Engineering, Inc.

NewVisionGIS Solutions

North Point Geographic Solutions

PAAP Drones

Panda Consulting

Pro-West and Associates, Inc.

Quantum Spatial

RESPEC

SC Recon

Surdex Corporation

The Schneider Corporation

West Safety Services

WSB & Associates

Conference Sponsors

EagleView

ddms, Inc.

North Point Geographic Solutions

RESPEC

WSB & Associates, Inc.

Higher Education Workshop Hosts

University of Minnesota

Moorhead State University

University of Minnesota – Duluth

Winona State University

Distinct Sponsorship

Ddms, Inc. provides Project Portal at no cost to the Consortium for our online document management. This tool is an exceptional benefit to our everyday business.

Municipal, County, and State Government

A large percentage of the attendees and active participants at our annual conference, spring and fall workshops and other Consortium sponsored events are employees of local government throughout the state. Equally as many are state government employees.

Federal Agencies

Federal agencies step up every year to involve their staffs in Consortium events and initiatives.

Donated Honoraria

Every year many of our instructors generously decline honoraria, requesting instead that these funds be directed to our Education Investment fund.

Education Volunteers

Thank you to all who have donated their time to participate in our education program as a scholarship or Minnesota on the Map Competition judge, Young Professional’s Conference Mentor, Geo-Mentor or K-12 workshop instructor.

Other participation

All organizations that have graciously allowed their employees to donate time to present, moderate, plan, and attend our annual conference and other events.



Consortium Events 2017 The Consortium held several events in 2017. These events support our mission to advance education and communication among GIS professionals to the benefit of our state. Spring Workshops

96 Attendees 15 Workshops Remote Locations – Duluth, Moorhead & Winona

27th Annual Conference – “Navigating the North” 502 Attendees 110 Total Presentations 30 Vendors 15 Workshops 292 Workshop Attendees 22 Posters 4 Web Maps 89 Esri hands on Learning 55 Tuesday - Bemidji Brewing 180 Wednesday - Hampton Inn Ballroom 297 Thursday - Bemidji Eagles Club 17 Discount Card Participating Businesses

• 17 Mentor/Mentee pairs participated in the Young Professionals Conference Mentorship Program.

• With the commitment of our contributors, the Consortium was able to sponsor 3 students to attend the 2017 Conference through the Student Assistant Program.

K-12 2018 Educator GIS Workshops

Five Half-Day Summer Workshops and ten separate school visits Educator Day at Annual Conference - 82 Attendees

Networking Events Geospatial Industry Curling Competition at Frogtown Curling Club Spring Workshops Networking Event at Republic bar Fall Conference Social at Bemidji Eagles Club UMN Spatial Forum & GIS Day Networking Event at Minnesota Campus Club Event/Education Grants South Central GIS User Group $150 South Central GIS User Group $450 Education Grant for K12 Strategy Session w/Teachers $425 Education Grant to GISSO Career Fair $250 Funds raised for our Education Fund: Donated Honoraria - $5,500 (spring and fall workshops) Fund Raising (merchandise sales, networking events and donations) - $6,063

Bemidji Sanford Center, Home of the 27th Annual MN GIS/LIS Consortium Conference

Wednesday Night Geo-Lounge Reception

Raffles, mugs, t-shirts, oh my!

Dining Hall

Vendor area and Consortium Board



Award Recipients 2017 Lifetime Achievement Awards – Recognition of a lifetime of accomplishments in the field of GIS/LIS in Minnesota.

Polaris Awards – Recognition of active, established leaders in the geospatial community who demonstrate a beacon of energy and creativity that inspires and guides the rest of us.

Distinguished Educator Award – Recognition of active educators who have demonstrated leadership, creativity and enthusiasm for the effective use of geography and GIS to inspire, engage and prepare students for participation in the workforce and geospatial community. 2017 was the inaugural year of this award.

Kari Geurts, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources with presenter

Michelle Trager, Rice County

Presenter Geoff Maas with Pete Henschel,

Carver County

Presenter Marty Mitchell with Craig Perreault, Minnesota

Department of Natural Resources

Presenter Robert Maki with Chris Cialek, MnGeo

Presenter Dan Ross with Ron Wencl, USGS

Mark B. Lindberg and Sara Damon with presenters Scott Freburg and Stacey Stark

Mark B. Lindberg, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and Sara Damon, Stillwater Area Schools



Award Recipients (Cont’d) 2017 National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) - State IT Recognition Award – Honors outstanding individuals who have made contributions to advance state technology policy through the promotion of best practices, adoption of new technologies and advancements in service delivery.

Government Experience Awards 2017 – The Geospatial Commons also received the Government-to-Government Experience award in September from the Center for Digital Government. This was the inaugural debut of this award and recognized the achievements and best practices of states, counties and cities that have gone to the web and beyond to radically improve the experience of government and push the boundaries of how citizen services are delivered. Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award – Honors Esri user’s extraordinary contributions to regional and global society. Golden Govit Award (Collaboration) – The Golden GOVIT Awards recognize government agencies and other public service institutions that have advanced government technology through collaboration, innovation, service and individual leadership.

The Minnesota Geospatial Information Office, represented by Dan Ross, State CBTO, accepted the National Association of State Chief Information Officer’s (NASCIO) State Technology Innovation Award at the NASCIO conference in Austin, TX on October 2, 2017. This award was given based on the excellence of the Minnesota Geospatial Commons, a single point GIS entry to a variety of published Minnesota GIS resources.

In 2017, 180 organizations were selected from approximately 300,000 to receive this special award, handed out by Esri President Jack Dangermand at the 2017 Esri International User Conference in San Diego, CA. The award was accepted by MN GIS/LIS Chair Scott Freburg, on behalf of Minnesota’s GIS collaborative partners. MN GIS/LIS is helping to move GIS into K12 and secondary education through workshops, training and geo-mentoring. This helps ensure students are developing critical thinking skills.

As a joint effort between the GIS/LIS Consortium, Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Geospatial Information office, the same project which won the SAG award (above) was nominated for the Collaboration portion of the Minnesota IT Golden Govits, under the title, “Bringing GIS to K12 Education.” There were six outstanding projects but the K12 collaborative project brought home the award. Collaborative is the “key” word here as this continuing project has many hands, including many of you GIS professionals around the state! Thank You!



Award Recipients (cont’d) 2017 Student Scholarship Participants:The following students were selected by their school for recognition as MN GIS/LIS Student Scholars.

Graduate Competition: Kevin Ehrman-Solberg University of Minnesota Twin Cities 1st Place $1000 Jonathan Graves Minnesota State University Mankato 2nd Place $500 Melissa Gearman St. Cloud State University $200 Cole Sutton St. Mary’s University of Minnesota $200 Under Graduate Competition: Alex Nelson University of Minnesota Duluth 1st Place $800 Angela Mundis St. Cloud State University 2nd Place $400 Brianna Graner Bemidji State University $200 Hanna Albers Gustavus Adolphus College $200 Asia Sageman Macalester College $200 Alexander Orum Minnesota State University Mankato $200 Jacob Larson Minnesota State University Moorhead $200 Coleman Shephard University of Minnesota Duluth $200 Emma Rinn University of St. Thomas $200 Community College 1st place: Kathleen Scanlon Itasca Community College $500 Open Student Poster: Richard Bohannon St. Cloud State University $100 Nicholas Shaske Bemidji State University $100

Mentor-Mentee Pairs: The following students were paired with GIS professionals as mentor-mentee pairings. Thank you mentors for stepping up to help lead and inspire our future workers!

Audrey Lothspeich Carlton College Michelle Trager, Rice County Cande Roberts St. Mary’s University Kitty Hurley, MN-DNR Cara Leitheiser University of Minnesota Twin Cities Cory Richter, City of Blaine Chris Morgan University of WI-Madison Mark Sloan, Clay County Cole Sutton St. Mary’s University Tami Maddio, City of Eagan Ian Dunshee Conservation Corps of MN Shannon Groff, Hennepin County Jessica Shuler St. Mary’s University Zeb Thomas, MN-DNR Jessie Albritton University of Minnesota Duluth Lindsey Danielson, MN-DOT Joel Feik Ulteig Kiah Sagami, Houston Engineering Lewei He University of Minnesota Twin Cities Blaine Hackett, RESPEC Megan Schirmers University of Minnesota Duluth Mary Steinlicht, RRVCSA Rebecca Barney University of Minnesota Twin Cities Ian Muehlenhaus, UW-Madison Sarah Neuman Winona State University David Brandt, Washington County Sergey Gulbin University of North Dakota Richard Holzer, MN-DOT Siona Roberts University of Minnesota Duluth Shelly Carroll, SE Recon Taylor Persson University of Minnesota Duluth Ryan Stovern, St. Louis County Annetta Wilson Itasca Community College Aaron Menza, City of Rosemount

2017 MN GIS/LIS Consortium Competition Winners; (L to R) Scott Freburg, GIS/LIS Chair, Nicholas Shaske, Kevin Ehrman-Solberg, Jonathan Graves, Alex Nelson and Stacey Stark, Higher Education Representative



Consortium Highlights 2017 Annual Conference in Bemidji “Navigating the North”

The 27th annual conference took place in Bemidji, October 4-6, 2017. This was the first time visiting Bemidji and it turned out successfully with 502 registered attendees. The featured keynote speaker was Carol Zoff and Anne Lewis, Minnesota Mississippi Parkway Commission. Other speakers were Ogidaaki Singers, Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (Thu opening), Kyle Tredinnick, Zoo Academy for Omaha Public Schools (Wed) and Leo Soukup, Andy Mack, Margaret Carlson, Beltrami County Historical Society (Fri).

Minnesota on the Map Produces National Winner

The second annual ArcGIS Online map competition was held in 2017 for Minnesota middle and high school students. This was a group effort sponsored by the MN GIS/LIS consortium, MN

Department of Education and MN Alliance for Geographic Education (MAGE). GIS/LIS members volunteered as judges along with over 15 Geo-mentors helping out with the contest. The contest was once again a success with 185 submitted student maps and 10 contest winners. Each winner received a $100 Amazon gift card. As a bonus, Minnesota’s overall high school winner, Alyssa Isaacson of Duluth Denfeld, won the inaugural

National Map Competition and a free trip to San Diego with her teacher, Gina Hollinday, for the Esri Education User Conference. What a WIN! Minnesota GIS/LIS continues to expand the K-12 GIS education efforts with programs like the Minnesota on the Map GIS contest and Educator Day at the annual conference, along with expanding K12 teacher workshops.

Surveyors Conference and GIS/LIS Consortium association

The MN GIS/LIS Consortium once again had a presence at this year’s Minnesota Society of Professional Surveyors Annual Meeting held February 14 – 16th in Minneapolis. In addition to having an informational booth in the vendor area, GIS professionals were invited to present during the event on topics including Public Land Survey System remonumentation and more. GIS relies heavily on the accuracy of survey data and the need for future communication, cooperation, and partnerships between the two professions is essential. We look forward to welcoming surveyors to this year’s GIS/LIS Conference in Duluth and the continued development of these relationships in the future.

Expanding our GIS Footprint MN GIS/LIS continued to expand new relationships, share resources and build the next generation of GIS professionals:

• New Conference location in Bemidji, MN; • First time blessing from the tribes in Bemidji; • First time Distinguished Educator Award; • First time remote Spring Workshops in Moorhead and Winona; • Consolidation of Scholarship and Investment funds into Education Investment Account; • First time Education Committee budget for K12 and Secondary Education combined; • Continued discussions with WLIA, MSPS

Conference Chair Jane Mueller, keynote speakers Anne Lewis

and Carol Zoff



Financials 2017

Profit / Loss 2015 2016 2017 Conference Income $184,568 $195,840 $175,625

Spring Workshops Income $18,894 $16,135 $16,060

Education Income $5,900 $18,305 $3,488

Networking Events Income $1,210 $1,800 $307

General Operating Income $7,640 $3,047 $3,156

Total Income $218,212 $235,127 $198,636

Conference Expenses $143,006 $145,792 $124,677

Spring Workshop Expenses $7,758 $4,365 $8,281

Networking Events Expenses $2,848 $2,945 $1,053

General Operations Expenses $33,012 $36,597 $31,408

Total Expenses $186,623 $189,699 $165,419

Balance Sheet

Net Amount - General Fund $75,527 $77, 958 $77,571

Reserve Fund $35,189 $35, 222 $45,265

Scholarship Fund $20,515 $32, 468 $0*

Education Investment Fund $31,483 $32,033 $76,556

Total Assets $162,714 $177,681 $199,392 DESCRIPTIONS: Conference Income – Workshop and Fall Conference registration fees, exhibitor fees, and interest from General

Operations account. Spring Workshop Income – Workshop registration fees. Education Income – Donations, fundraising and interest. Networking Events Income –Networking events fundraising. Annual Conference Expenses – Including but not limited to event space rental, food & beverages, audio/visual fees,

printing and honorariums for workshop instructors. Spring Workshop Expenses – Including but not limited to event space rental, food & beverages, printing and

honorariums for workshop instructors. General Operating Expenses – Expenses for the general operations of the Consortium including but not limited to

professional management fees, website maintenance fees, student scholarships, printing and event grants. Net Amount – General Fund – Operational account balance as of December 31st, 2016. Reserve Fund – A fund to protect the solvency of the Consortium in the event that Annual Conference revenue cannot

offset expenses. Education Investment Fund - This fund was created in 2017 from the consolidation of the Scholarship Fund

(Education Fund) and Investment Account. This was created for the long term investment of education monies and will be used for education purposes. Going forward the Scholarship Fund will not exist.

Detailed accounting documentation is available upon request. Contact any Board Member for more information.

* Scholarship fund merged into Education Investment Fund. See description below



Volunteer Opportunities About the MN GIS/LIS Board of Directors and Consortium Committees Board positions are elected by the membership. We encourage you to run for a seat that matches your experience and current association. In addition, there are many opportunities for you to contribute your skills, time, and enthusiasm to make a difference, without having to run for office. Several committees need your help. We’re sure you will enjoy working with such an interesting group of people who are dedicated to providing the best possible educational and networking opportunities to our membership of GIS professionals.

The Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium is run solely by volunteers. All members are invited to participate. Here’s how to get involved: Awards Committee Select recipient of Polaris and Lifetime Achievement Awards. You must be a past award winner to sit on this committee. Conference Committee Help to plan and execute a fun, educational and successful fall conference. Opportunities include planning entertainment events, selecting speakers, coordinating facility set up, and assisting onsite. Education Committee Work to foster relationships between the consortium and educational institutions to support GIS in K-12 and higher education. Help manage student scholarship program for the fall conference. Communications/Outreach & Newsletter Committee Promote the GIS/LIS Consortium, its mission and events through social media and our blog. Networking Event Planning Committee Organize networking events as educational and/or fundraising activities for GIS professionals. Spring Workshops Committee Plan, prepare, and assist with technical spring workshops for GIS professionals. Web/Database Committee Assist with design and management of the Consortium database and website. Please feel free to contact us at any time at [email protected].

Vendor Exhibit Area at Sanford Center


mailto:[email protected]


Board of Directors 2017

Chair Scott Freburg Minnesota Department of Education

Past-Chair Tami Maddio City of Eagan

Chair-Elect (Jan-Mar) Rebecca Foster City of Edina

Chair-Elect (May-Dec) Gerry Sjerven Allete, Inc.

Treasurer Tim Loesch Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Secretary Leah Sperduto City of Eagan

Conference Chair Jane Mueller Beltrami County

Past-Conference Chair Ryan Stovern St. Louis County

Conference Chair-Elect Jared Hovi Carlton County

Higher Education Stacey Stark University of Minnesota Duluth

State Government Zeb Thomas Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Local Government Eric Kopras City of Woodbury

Private Sector Peter Smith Tiller Corporation

At-Large (Jan- March) Andrew King-Scribbins Hennepin County

At-Large (Jun-Dec) Henry Wander Otter Tail Power

Statewide Geospatial Advisory Council (Ex-Officio) Ryan Stovern St. Louis County

MnGeo (Ex-Officio) Dan Ross Minnesota Geospatial Information Office



Association Management and Event Management Ewald Consulting Eric Ewald Vice President of Association Management Kathie Pugacewski Vice President of Communications & Technology Amanda Ewald Vice President of Finance and Client Accounting Tommy DeMartino Client Accounting Specialist Ashley Crunstedt Senior Meeting Planner Michele Wolfel Account Executive Assistant Barb Mann Director of Member Services


minnesota gis/lis consortium · 2018-08-08 · ddms, inc. provides project portal at no cost to the...

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