Get ready for this year’s Virginia GIS Conference! We are excited to be going to this event on November 6 and 7, 2024, where we will be exhibiting and offering several presentations. Hosted by VAMLIS, a Virginia-based organization dedicated to providing educational and networking opportunities for professionals who have an interest in GIS in Virginia, the conference will be held in  Williamsburg, VA, at the Kingsmill Resort.

Our team will be presenting on several topics, including:

Predicting Wetland Mitigation Requirements for TxDOT Transportation Projects using Python and Deep Learning

Presenter: Mallory Gill, GISP

Many state transportation projects along DOT-maintained roadways require wetland or stream mitigation. To offset these impacts, developers buy credits in a mitigation bank that hold the corresponding amount of land as conservation lands. This conserved land must match the type of land impacted by the project and have credits available for purchase. Often, state projects are either not located within the service area of a mitigation bank or the mitigation bank does not have the appropriate number or type of credits needed. Lack of available mitigation can result in project delays and unanticipated expenses.

Currently TxDOT does not have a mechanism to determine the amount and types of mitigation required for a project until functional assessments are conducted. Today we’ll discuss a GIS-based Predictive Wetland Mitigation Modeling Toolset for use in future transportation projects. These tools use ArcGIS Pro, ArcHydro, Esri’s Deep Learning Tools, and other geoprocessing tools to predict the amount and type of wetlands existing along transportation corridors where project impacts may occur. Currently the focus is on two pilot HUC8 Watersheds with hopes for expansion statewide in the future.

The Predictive Wetlands Mitigation Modeling Tool can be used to determine the potential project impacts on the wetlands and streams within the project boundary earlier in the project planning process. The tools pre-process the data required for analysis and determine which mitigation bank service areas the proposed impacts would occur within, and the estimated amount of mitigation required. The tools were developed using Python wrapped in a custom ArcGIS Pro add-in to provide a simplified user interface. This allows users to intuitively access each step of the process, where they can review data inputs and predicted features, and dynamically interact with the data.

Transitioning to Experience Builder: What We’ve Learned

Presenter: Rachel Thomas

Esri’s Web AppBuilder is being deprecated, and organizations are transitioning to Experience Builder. With good, clean data, building dynamic low or no-code applications is easy. This presentation will provide tips and tricks for configuring Experience Builder to create data-driven applications. We will demonstrate how we incorporated out-of-the-box tools to develop a seemingly custom solution. We will also share some Experience Builder nuances and discuss lessons learned from our latest Experience Builder project.

Addressing Organizational Challenges through Strategic Planning

Presenters: Jenni Ellsworth, PMP, GISP and Mallory Gill, GISP

While it can be difficult to find time to develop a strategic plan or roadmap, it provides organizations with the tools to be successful in the long-term. In this presentation, we will discuss some of the benefits and challenges that can be overcome by developing a GIS roadmap, revisiting and adjusting regularly, and using your plan to measure success. Elements of a successful roadmap will be discussed, including clearly defined goals and objectives, prioritizing activities for staff, engaging stakeholders, and more. JMT’s presentation will be told through the lens of roadmaps developed for both a mature GIS program and one that is just beginning to implement GIS.