WLIA 2025 Annual Conference Appleton

Large datasets can be the bane of tight deadlines and complex deliverables. Explore how you can take your workflows- from daily tasks to annual projects- and use python to automate your analysis and processing. Utilizing ArcGIS Pro’s Notebooks (built upon the popular Jupyter Notebook framework), we’ll show how our respective organizations tackle large geospatial datasets with (relatively) small lines of code. Taking it a step further, we’ll show our colleagues how to optimize their arcpy with tips and tricks to speed up the process. This dual-agency workshop aims to demonstrate technical collaboration for the benefit of all.
Activity 1: Overview of how Access to Parks, a population health indicator from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps dataset that captures the percentage of the population in each county that lives within a half mile of a park, is calculated. The workflow utilizes Markdown in Notebooks to annotate the Python code which can help limit human error and improve reproducibility. It combines large datasets from the US Census and Esri’s ArcGIS Living Atlas.
Activity 2: Overview of analyzing federal and state-maintained datasets utilizing Python code to optimize processing time. Focus on which processes can bog down your script, and how to adjust accordingly. Going over the logic behind scripted python processes within ArcGIS Pro, associated hurdles, and how they can be made more efficient by leveraging batch processing, runtime checks, and other tools of the trade. We will build upon what was worked on in the first half of the workshop, and implement discussed strategies to increase efficiency.
Requirements: ArcGIS Pro 2.9 or higher installed on participant machine. All skill levels welcome!

Join us for an inspiring presentation on how to leverage GIS to actively engage communities to advance social impact. We will discuss the importance of access to GIS knowledge, skills training, and critical thinking practices for community leaders and GIS professionals. Through compelling case studies and success stories, learn how GIS tools can be leveraged to tackle complex community challenges. By bridging the gap between local knowledge and technology, GIS can become a catalyst for social change, fostering inclusivity and sustainability within communities.

Explore ways the City of Sun Prairie has improved their sanitary and stormwater asset management systems using the Esri ArcGIS Enterprise Portal environment. GIS staff and public service crews worked together to update the database schema, field maps, and eventually create centralized web experiences using Esri’s Experience Builder. The project is ever-evolving, but crews are already able to better track and plan their work.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District utilizes 3D modeling and BIM to support vertical asset management and improve operations at their two Water Reclamation Facilities. Learn how MMSD's BIM Vision guides the organization towards a Digital Twin!

Over the past few years, the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has expanded exponentially. This presentation will explore the numerous ways GIS has been embedded across our divisions, highlighting the development of a strong, collaborative GIS community within the department and the governance structures that support this technology.
We will also discuss the challenges we've faced in addressing significant GIS technical debt, the steps we've taken to drive GIS innovation, and how we are prioritizing future projects and services to ensure continued growth and efficiency.
Our goal is for this presentation to spark meaningful conversations with our partners, allowing for questions and input that will help guide and "drive" the future of GIS initiatives at WisDOT

This presentation will show how Calumet County has been utilizing drones and Arc FieldMaps to conduct field compliance checks for Farmland Preservation requirements. Once the field data has been gathered, compliance reports are generated automatically through Arc Pro Map Series. Utilizing these tools has significantly reduced the amount of time Land and Water staff members spend to conduct the compliance checks.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have revolutionized the way many counties and municipalities approach stockpile volume estimation, offering a highly efficient, accurate, and cost-effective solution to traditional manual and hazardous survey techniques. Leveraging years of experience using this approach to assist local governments, this presentation explores the end-to-end process of utilizing UAS technology to calculate stockpile volumes, focusing on the technical, operational, and regulatory aspects critical to success.

We will cover the hardware and software requirements, from selecting the appropriate drone and sensors to employing desktop and cloud-based photogrammetry software for precise 3D modeling. The importance of flight planning, including optimal altitude, overlap, flight path design, and camera settings will be highlighted to ensure data accuracy and efficiency. Key considerations for establishing reliable survey control, such as ground control points (GCPs) and real-time kinematics (RTK), will also be discussed.

Additionally, the presentation will touch on the challenges of negotiating airspace regulations, including compliance with FAA requirements, no-fly zones, and ensuring operational safety in the national airspace. Attendees will gain insights into accuracy standards and strategies for mitigating common errors in volume estimation.

Whether you are new to UAS technology or looking to enhance your existing workflows, this session will provide actionable knowledge and best practices for integrating UAS into stockpile volume estimation projects with confidence and precision.

This presentation will cover how to setup an asset management system for a community/utility. We will do a deep dive into utility data, systems and pros/cons.

ArcGIS Utility Network allows you to manage a connected network with a single unified model. This Utility Network session aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the latest advancements in utility network management using ArcGIS technology. Key topics covered will include: Introduction to ArcGIS Utility Network, differences between geometric and utility networks, data modeling and schema design, network configuration and asset management, network analysis and tracing capabilities, integration with other ArcGIS tools and extensions, and real-world use cases and success stories.