Lidar Data Analysis Applications in Water Resources, Natural Hazards, and Forestry – Two Day Course
Instructors: Christopher Crosby, UNAVCO; Ramon Arrowsmith, ASU
Workshop Format: Participants should bring their own laptop with ArcGIS Pro installed, or use one of the provided laptops.
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Maximum Seats: 28
Workshop Description:
This two day course will provide an introduction to Lidar data (point cloud and raster derivatives), processing, and analysis, with an emphasis on applications in water resources, natural hazards, and forestry. Day 1 will cover Lidar technology and high resolution topographic (HRT) data with a focus on point cloud data visualization and processing. Day 2 will continue with Lidar data processing and progress into data analysis approaches. We'll conclude with an individual or small group project in the afternoon. The short course will be valuable for geologists, engineers, water resource scientists, foresters, state agency employees, students, and others involved in analyzing geologic hazards, water resources, and forestry using Lidar.
About the Instructors:
Christopher Crosby is a co-founder and project manager of OpenTopography (www.opentropography.org). Trained as a geologist, he has worked on paleoseismology and active tectonics research in the western US, Caribbean, and Central Asia. Chris is an expert in the management, distribution, processing, and application of high-resolution topography. In addition to his work on OpenTopography, Chris also manages the Geodetic Imaging program (terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), photogrammetry, and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)) at UNAVCO in Boulder, CO.
Ramon Arrowsmith is a Professor of Geology at Arizona State University, and conducts research in active tectonics, quantitative structural geology and geomorphology. These include paleoseismology, earthquake geology, theoretical studies of faulting and hillslope development, and Quaternary Geology and desert surface processes. Active areas of geographic concentration include the San Andreas Fault system, Arizona, central Asia, Xinjiang China, Baja California, and the Afar region of Ethiopia (for the geologic context of paleoanthropologic studies). His research routinely integrates HRT data, and he is a co-founder of OpenTopography.
Ramon and Chris have taught over 30 HRT-focused short courses in the past decade.
Editing Spatial and Attribute Data in ArcGIS Pro, Plus Bonus Module on Task Automation – Two Day Course
Instructor: Eric Pimpler, Geospatial Training Services
Workshop Format: Bring your own computer with ArcGIS Pro 2.x software installed and licensed
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
Why do you need or want to edit data in a GIS? For some the answer may seem obvious. But take a quick moment to think about it. One of my favorite questions that normally comes from managers or elected officials is “When will our GIS be done?”, as if a GIS is a house or a car. That is has a specific end or construction date. GIS is ever evolving and changing because the real world features it represents are always changing. Parcels are being merged, divided, bought and sold. New waterlines are being placed in service while others are removed. As long as the world we represent in our GIS is changing, we will need to update our GIS to reflect all those changes. So what kind of data can we edit in our GIS? Again this may seem self evident but take some time to think that through as well. At a basic level there are two types of data we can edit with GIS, spatial and tabular. The spatial data maybe raster or vector. The tabular data maybe attributes associated with points, lines or polygons or stand alone tables. Then we can get more specialized and look at specific data formats such as shapefiles and geodatabases.
As mentioned before, we live in a world that is changing constantly. New features are being built, old ones are destroyed or retired, existing ones are sold or transformed. All of this needs to be reflected in our GIS. There are various ways you can create new data, such as:
Digitize the data from existing paper maps or plans
Use web resources
Develop the data through the use of field data collection
Import data from other digital formats such as AutoCAD drawing or excel spreadsheets
You will also find a need to update and edit existing data so that it shows the current condition or state of features. ArcGIS Pro allows you to do this as well. You can:
Add to or remove features from existing data
Alter or modify existing feature shapes and locations
Update attributes
Add new data fields
In this course you will learn how to use ArcGIS Pro to perform spatial and attribute edits.
Modules:
Module 1: Editing Workflow and Options
Module 2: Creating New Features
Module 3: Creating New Features from Existing Features
Module 4: Editing Existing Features
Module 5: Editing Attributes
Module 6: Bonus Module: Task Automation in ArcGIS Pro
About the Instructor:
Eric is the founder and owner of GeoSpatial Training Services (geospatialtraining.com) and has over 25 years experience as an application developer, data scientist, and trainer using ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Enterprise, ArcGIS Online, and ArcGIS Pro. Eric is currently focused on data science applications with Python, R, and GIS. He is the author of Programming ArcGIS with Python Cookbook, Building Web and Mobile ArcGIS Server Applications with JavaScript, Spatial Analytics with ArcGIS, ArcGIS Blueprints, and Programming ArcGIS Pro with Python. Eric has a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Texas A&M University and a Master's of Applied Geography degree with a concentration in GIS from Texas State University.
Workshop Location: University of Montana Autonomous Aerial Systems Office, Interdisciplinary Sciences Building 107. Use the free bus or arrange your own transportation. You will need a parking pass to park on campus, which can also be obtained through a web application.
Maximum Seats: 12
Workshop Description:
This course will introduce participants to the fundamental concepts of becoming a remote pilot. Participants will learn about basic aerodynamic principles, Federal Aviation Regulations, aeromedical factors, and aviation human factors. Participants will learn how to interpret and understand weather products, as well as understand basic weather concepts. Air Traffic Control and airspace operations will be discussed to ensure a thorough understanding. Participants will also discuss aviation safety and how human factors influence the safety of aviation. By the end of the workshop participants will be fully prepared to take the FAA Part 107 remote pilot exam.
About the Instructors:
Jennifer Fowler is director of the University of Montana’s Autonomous Aerial Systems Office. Her expertise lies in areas of autonomous atmospheric data collection and weather modeling research. She has 15 years of experience with autonomous systems and collaborations around the world. Her current focus is coordination of UM faculty, staff, and students for understanding and decision-making regarding implementation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS),establishing the infrastructure and resources in order to create sustainable autonomous aerial research and to stimulate UAS-related innovation, entrepreneurship and workforce development in the state of Montana.
As the Assistant Director of the University of Montana’s (UM) Autonomous Aerial Systems Office (AASO), Jaylene Naylor has had many opportunities to work with a wide array of faculty, staff and students as well as many public and private sector groups on remote sensing projects with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).She has 12 years of experience in developing and teaching physics lab courses, and on special projects involving open source platforms such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi and the Pixhawk flight controller. These projects involve integrating many types of sensors, C and Python programming, designing and building circuits as well as data analysis and presentation. Upon the creation of our Autonomous Aerial Systems Office, she’s been able to branch out and become a UAS pilot and trainer of students and faculty. She is also responsible for drone maintenance and development of workflows including data processing, FAA reporting and adherence to regulations, most especially with regard to safety.
Workshop Format: Laptop and drone recommended but not mandatory. Includes lunch.
Workshop Location: Rocky Mountain School of Photography, 210 North Higgins Ave. Suite 204, Missoula, MT 59802. Use the free bus or arrange your own transportation.
Maximum Seats: 16
Workshop Description:
In this course you will learn how to use your drone to create professional quality images and videos. We will discuss drone flight basics, exposure and settings for photo and video, composition, drone laws, image and video editing / organization, and more! This class includes a field shoot, lunch (pizza), access to B&H EDU Pricing, and the RMSP Community forum website. If you are interested in using your drone for photo or video or are just getting started using a drone, this is the jumpstart you need. Note: If you are looking to participate in the field shoot, you must bring your own drone. There also may be one or two drones available to rent: contact Jaylene Naylor if interested (j.naylor@mso.umt.edu; 406-529-9174). Also a laptop is recommended for the organization / edit portion of the class. You will need Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Premiere Pro (latest versions) in order to follow along.
About the Instructors:
Forest and Sarah Chaput de Saintonge are the School Directors of Rocky Mountain School of Photography (RMSP) in Missoula. Both have been immersed in photography for a combined total of almost 40 years (Forest was born into the RMSP family). They own and operate an aerial media company called Altitude Media, which specializes in commercial and real estate imagery and videography. Forest began flying remote control airplanes, helicopters, and other UAVs when he was just 12 years old, and Altitude Media is how he continues his passion of flying – combined with Sarah’s passion of crafting compelling compositions. Forest has been teaching photography since he was 13 years old, and Sarah has been teaching since she was 19 years old. They are passionate about helping photographers find their own grooves within the awesome opportunities the photo industry provides.
Automating Your Workflow Using Python: Focus on Reusable Code
Instructors: John Hogland and Melissa Reynolds-Hogland
Workshop Format: Bring your own laptop with python 2.7 or 3.2 and above, along with ArcGIS 10.5 or higher, or ArcGIS Pro
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
Much of what we do within a GIS on a day to day basis is detailed and repetitive. In many instances these procedures are complex and need to be performed by multiple people. In this workshop through various examples and exercises we will explore ways to automate your day to day workflow using Python and ArcGIS while focusing on creating reusable code. We will outline some basic object oriented programming concepts and explore ways to streamline GIS workflow. Workshop requirements: ArcGIS and python (version 2.7 or 3.2), your favorite interactive development environment (we will be using MS Visual Studio 2015), and SciPy. While a basic understanding of Python and ArcGIS are required to work through the examples and exercises, we will discuss coding and automation topics in a nontechnical manner so that anyone interested can participate.
About the Instructors:
Dr. Hogland is a biological scientist working for the Rocky Mountain Research Station. His research interests revolve around quantitative methods within geographic information systems (GIS) and understanding the relationships between landscape patterns and forested ecosystems processes. Current project include: 1) Quantifying forest characteristics at fine spatial scales, 2) designing, developing, and building new procedures that integrate machine learning and statistical modeling with fast raster processing (Function Modeling) to streamline spatial modeling and reduce storage space associated with GIS analyses, and 3) developing sampling strategies focused on reducing the cost of sampling while maintaining the characteristics of a representative sample.
Dr. Reynolds-Hogland is a wildlife researcher working for Wildlife Research and Education Foundation. Her research is focused on modeling wildlife habitat and resources using field data and geographic information systems (GIS), evaluating wildlife resource selection, modeling wildlife population demography, and linking resource selection with population survival to determine if individual behaviors scale up to affect population-level processes. Current projects include: 1) estimating resource selection by wild black bears in western Montana at a fine spatial resolution using GPS location data and GIS-derived habitat models that are trained and tested with field data, 2) modeling annual population survival and reproduction for black bears and yellow-bellied marmots using capture-mark-recapture data, 3) testing the efficacy of using non-invasive genetic and continuous video data to estimate annual survival of wildlife populations, and, 4) translating real-world data and findings from research studies into STEM education curricula for K-12 and undergraduate students.
Instructors: Mike Eidum and Brian Andersen, Montana Department of Transportation
Workshop Format: Laptops will be provided
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
This workshop is designed for people who want an introduction to the basic concepts of ArcGIS Online. The workshop provides an overview of what users can do in ArcGIS Online such as quickly turning data into valuable information by creating intelligent interactive web maps and sharing them privately or publicly. ArcGIS Online provides a platform that enables users to make spatial data available through an interactive web map, a web app, story map and a mobile app without the need for programming. This means it is accessible to users any time on any operating system. You will learn some of the uses of ArcGIS Online including: using an interactive map, creating an interactive map, adding your own data, configuring the map display and creating an app. By the end of this workshop you will be able to create your own interactive map and app and share it with others.
About the Instructors:
Mike Eidum is a Geospatial Analyst for the Montana Department of Transportation. His main duties include SDE database administration, static map creation, and custom map project manager. Prior to this position, Mike was an intern at Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization where he worked in transportation GIS. Mike received his undergraduate degree from the University of Montana with a GIS Certificate and a focus in Community and Environmental Planning.
Brian Andersen is the Geospatial Information Supervisor for the Montana Department of Transportation. He has been in the GIS field for almost 20 years working with GIS applications, cartography, database administration, project management, mobile data collection and spatial analysis. He is a former President of MAGIP and active Big Sky GeoCon planning member.
Using Python to Clean Data, Build Predictive Models, and Help in Decision Making: Focus on Building Coding Libraries
Instructors: John Hogland and Melissa Reynolds-Hogland
Workshop Format: Bring your own laptop with python 2.7 or 3.2 and above, along with ArcGIS 10.5 or higher, or ArcGIS Pro
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
There are numerous coding libraries available that allow us to automate many tasks within our workflow. However, there are often times in which we cannot easily address questions or tasks by using existing libraries or modules. In those circumstances it can be useful to develop our own python modules that can be automated. In this workshop we will discuss development techniques used to create modules that support aspects of data creation, predictive modeling, and decision making. Through multiple interactive examples and exercises we will develop a series of routines and modeling tools that can describe varying characteristics of data and help to inform decision making. Workshop requirements: ArcGIS and python (version 2.7 or 3.2), your favorite interactive development environment (we will be using MS Visual Studio 2015), and SciPy.
About the Instructors:
Dr. Hogland is a biological scientist working for the Rocky Mountain Research Station. His research interests revolve around quantitative methods within geographic information systems (GIS) and understanding the relationships between landscape patterns and forested ecosystems processes. Current project include: 1) Quantifying forest characteristics at fine spatial scales, 2) designing, developing, and building new procedures that integrate machine learning and statistical modeling with fast raster processing (Function Modeling) to streamline spatial modeling and reduce storage space associated with GIS analyses, and 3) developing sampling strategies focused on reducing the cost of sampling while maintaining the characteristics of a representative sample.
Dr. Reynolds-Hogland is a wildlife researcher working for Wildlife Research and Education Foundation. Her research is focused on modeling wildlife habitat and resources using field data and geographic information systems (GIS), evaluating wildlife resource selection, modeling wildlife population demography, and linking resource selection with population survival to determine if individual behaviors scale up to affect population-level processes. Current projects include: 1) estimating resource selection by wild black bears in western Montana at a fine spatial resolution using GPS location data and GIS-derived habitat models that are trained and tested with field data, 2) modeling annual population survival and reproduction for black bears and yellow-bellied marmots using capture-mark-recapture data, 3) testing the efficacy of using non-invasive genetic and continuous video data to estimate annual survival of wildlife populations, and, 4) translating real-world data and findings from research studies into STEM education curricula for K-12 and undergraduate students.
Instructors: Brian Klapstein and Brian Andersen, Montana Department of Transportation
Workshop Format: Laptops will be provided
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
This workshop is for ArcGIS Online users who are interested in taking the platform to the next level. There are a wide variety of applications available in ArcGIS Online beyond web maps. In this workshop you will explore and build several applications including: Web AppBuilder, Operations Dashboard and StoryMaps. Additionally, the workshop will touch on concepts and configurations for administering your own ArcGIS Online site and demonstrate the power of ArcGIS Arcade in your web maps.
Participants should already be familiar with the ArcGIS Online interface, hosting data, and creating web maps.
About the Instructors:
Brian Klapstein is a Geospatial Analyst for the Montana Department of Transportation. His main duties include ArcGIS Online administration and project manager for the annual Fuel Tax/Field Inventory programs. Prior to this position he was a GIS Analyst for the petroleum industry in Alaska. There he worked on oil & gas-related permits, seismic surveys and emergency response. He has a BS in Cartography from the University of Idaho.
Brian Andersen is the Geospatial Information Supervisor for the Montana Department of Transportation. He has been in the GIS field for almost 20 years working with GIS applications, cartography, database administration, project management, mobile data collection and spatial analysis. He is a former President of MAGIP and active Big Sky GeoCon planning member.
Advanced Applications and Best Practices for your UAS Program – All Day Course (9:00am - 3:00pm, includes one hour lunch break)
Instructor: Mel Philbrook, Frontier Precision
Workshop Format: Lecture and demonstration
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown (9:00am - 3:00pm)
Workshop Description:
This session will provide more technical understanding of UAS best practices, photogrammetry vs Lidar, common software outputs, hardware considerations, increased use of UAS in public safety including guidance on how to apply for waivers, and Certificate of Authorization from the FAA. In addition to this, we will also discuss best ways to implement this technology into your organization. Flight demonstration if time and weather permit.
About the Instructor:
Mel Philbrook has been with Frontier Precision since 2012 as a geospatial solutions provider. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology and business management. He has been a Trimble certified instructor in mapping and land survey systems since 1995. He is a remote pilot and recreational pilot and has been involved with UAS for the past 5 years. Over the past two decades, he has been involved in civil engineering implementation and managing geographic information systems, as well as providing consultation for geospatial solutions to a myriad of public and private companies. His 20+ years of field surveying, civil engineering and assisting GIS professionals in the public and private sector enables him to offer unique and valuable insight on the ever-changing geospatial market and provide advice or consultation to avoid potential pitfalls when implementing their geospatial applications.
Workshop Format: Participants must have an organizational ArcGIS online account; temporary ArcGIS Pro licenses can be provided if users do not have their own
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
ArcGIS API for Python is a Python library for working with maps and geospatial data, powered by web GIS. It provides simple and efficient tools for sophisticated vector and raster analysis, geocoding, map making, routing and directions, as well as for organizing and managing a GIS with users, groups and information items. In addition to working with your own data, the library enables access to ready to use maps and curated geographic data from Esri and other authoritative sources. It also integrates well with the scientific Python ecosystem and includes rich support for Pandas and Jupyter notebook.
This hands on session will cover how analysts and data scientists can use the ArcGIS platform in combination with data science libraries from Python for mapping, visualization and geospatial data analysis. In addition, we will cover how ArcGIS administrators can use this library to automate common functions within their web GIS.
About the Instructor:
Scott Moore is a Solution Engineer with Esri in Olympia, WA working on the State Government team. He focuses on assisting Esri software users with architecture design, application development and technical advice for deploying ArcGIS. Mr. Moore’s areas of expertise include web mapping, server based GIS, developer technologies, and making spatial technology available to everyone. He has been with Esri since 2006. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography with a focus on GIS from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1998. Prior to joining Esri, he was a Senior GIS Analyst and GIS Manager for the City of Chandler, Arizona where he built the City’s Enterprise GIS.
Instructor: Jessica Mitchell, Montana Natural Heritage Program
Workshop Format: Computers with ArcGIS Pro will be provided. Participants should have an organizational ArcGIS online account, but temporary ArcGIS Pro licenses can be provided if users do not have their own.
Workshop Location: University of Montana Campus, Payne Native American Center (NAC) 014 Cobell Computer Lab. Use the free bus or arrange your own transportation. You will need a parking pass to park on campus, which can also be obtained through a web application.
Maximum Seats: 24
Workshop Description:
The Spatial Analysis Lab of the Montana Natural Heritage Program is offering an Introduction to Lidar workshop. The agenda includes an exercise that explores, creates and evaluates Lidar datasets in ArcGIS Pro. We provide background information on Lidar operational theory, height filtering algorithms for converting from 3D point clouds to raster topographic and vegetation products, data flow, and available software. The training emphasizes contracting with vendors, including how to evaluate the vertical and horizontal accuracies of products that are delivered.
About the Instructor:
Jessica Mitchell directs the Spatial Analysis Lab of the Montana Natural Heritage Program. Jessica combines backgrounds in remote sensing of vegetation and environmental planning to advance techniques for analyzing natural resource impacts and land management decision making. She has be involved with over a decade’s worth of projects that involve the evaluation of discrete return airborne Lidar processing tools for vegetation applications. She has worked on the development of high resolution shrub structural products that inform ecosystem modeling products in the western US and is currently using Lidar-derived canopy structure variables to experiment with biodiversity mapping techniques. She has a masters’ in Geographical Information Science and a Ph.D. in Engineering and Applied Science from Idaho State University.
This workshop will cover the most recent developments for the ArcGIS Platform. This includes ArcGIS Desktop (and ArcGIS Pro), ArcGIS Enterprise, mobile apps, web apps, as well as specialty solutions such as ArcGIS Insights, ArcGIS Urban, and ArcGIS Indoors. The presentation will also cover the changes with the ArcGIS 10.8 release, and discuss upcoming developments, including licensing. Participants are encouraged to ask questions, which will guide the focus of the presentation. The intent of the workshop is to engage in a lively conversation, while ensuring participants leave with a good understanding of the latest components and products that comprise the ArcGIS platform.
About the Instructor:
Shane Clarke is a Solution Engineer on the State and Local Government sales team for the Esri Olympia regional office. Shane has been working in GIS for more than 30 years, during which time he has focused on a variety of areas including GIS projects, technical support, product release, and product management for mobile GIS apps. His current focus is helping cities and counties in the Pacific Northwest to use GIS to both meet the many challenges being faced as well as to build thriving communities.
Exploring Montana Property Information with SQL Queries
Instructor: Christian Hinderman, Montana Department of Revenue
Workshop Format: Laptops will be provided
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
The Property Assessment Division of the Montana Department of Revenue is responsible for the valuation of all taxable property in the state. A good deal of the data used in valuation is available through the State Library. In addition to the Cadastral site, database files are available for download. This workshop will give background information on the collection and availability of property data, and then dive into a property database file using Microsoft SQL Server Express – a free small-scale version of their database software. We will use SQL queries to explore the property tables and run a few typical reports. SQL query / Database management experience is helpful but not necessary.
About the Instructor:
Christian Hinderman is a GIS Management Analyst with the Montana Department of Revenue. He has worked in the Property Assessment Division for over a decade, starting on a team tasked with creating a GIS-based system of agricultural and forest property valuation. His work is focused on developing geoprocessing workflows with python scripting and data management.
(Almost) Everything about Census Data and Geography
Instructors: Jim Castagneri and Lacey Loftin, United States Census Bureau
Workshop Format: Lecture and demonstration
Workshop Location: Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Workshop Description:
This workshop will cover everything you need to know to about Census data and geography. The U.S. Census Bureau is the official steward of political and statistical geographies for the U.S. Government and we will cover in detail the ways we update, maintain and use these geographies for data collection and publication. We will also cover the data that is available from the surveys and census we conduct, how to access and use that data, and interesting applications for spatial analysis. We’ll demonstrate accessing the Census API and pulling census variables for your applications.
About the Instructors:
Jim Castagneri is a Geographic Coordinator for the United States Census Bureau. He is based in the Denver area.
Lacey Loftin is a Statistician with the United States Census Bureau. In the 15 years that she has been with the agency, she has served as an Analyst for the Economic Census, worked as a Survey Supervisor for current surveys, acted as a Congressional Liaison during the 2010 Census, and supported the launch of the Statistics in Schools program. As an Account Manager with the National Partnership Program, Lacey is now focused on outreach and engagement leading up to the 2020 Decennial Census.
Workshop Descriptions