APUS NAEP Chapter Celebration of GIS Day Each year our professional organization gets together to discuss ongoing and new applications of remote sensing and GIS in support of student learning and chapter projects.

Host: American Public University System (APUS) National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) - Environmental Science, Policy, and Management; School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)

Date: November 15, 2023

Time: 13:00 - 14:00

https://apusnaepstudentchapter.wordpress.com/

This event is public.

Online or in person: Online

Event type: Webinar

Intended audience: Adults (18 and older)

GIS Day to share the work of the GIS Section of WV Department of Transportation 
 Host: WVDOT - GIS Section

Date: November 15, 2023 
Time: 08:30 - 15:30  
Website

This event is public. 
Online or in person: Online 
Event type: Webinar 
Intended audience: Adults (18 and older) 

We have the recording of our 2023 Fall Meeting morning session posted to YouTube. If you would like to rewatch it, click here.

Recap

• All four proposed bylaw amendments were passed by the membership during the Special Business Meeting. The changes are: 

1. Dues will be set by the Board of Directors annually going forward by January 1st, applicable for April 1st to March 31st. The student discount is now applicable to any student taking 6 or more credit hours per semester, and the discount has been increased to 75% off of the Professional dues rate.
2. Failure to pay membership dues by 90 days after April 1 (which will be June 30th) will result in the member being dropped from the roster. This changes from the start of the annual membership meeting, which was never held on the same date.
3. The Board of Directors has framework to temporarily reduce or eliminate dues for future emergencies that would cause a hardship on members, along with how those reductions or eliminations will end.
4. The Strategic Operations Committee is now upgraded to Standing Committee status. This committee had existed as a Special Committee for roughly two years.

• WVAGP released the logo and branding for the 2024 WV GeoCon. The branding is shown in the recording, and will be distributed in the next mass email.
• The WV State GIS Steering Committee had its first gathering as new GIS Coordinator, Taryn Moser, wanted to get feedback on how to best proceed with the Steering Committee, Policy Board, and Strategic Plan.

We hope to see you in May 2024 for WV GeoCon!

The free National Academy of Sciences webinar "The Geospatial Workforce CRISIS: A Diversity of Pathways Forward" will focus on barriers & opportunities to preparing government + industry for the geospatial careers of the FUTURE. Registration, virtual or in person: https://lnkd.in/gpqum-uF

Celebrate GIS Day with the first showing of Gene Del Greco's newest GIS in the Movies and TV.  

2 P.M. - 3:30 P.M. | Ruth Ann Musick Library, Room MMA and Virtual

Free and Open to the Public 

Link to be provided at: LIBRARY.FAIRMONTSTATE.EDU/GEOSAVVY

First showing of GIS in Movies and TV: A deeper dive into geospatial technologies as depicted in the movies

Created by: Gene Del Greco, GISP WVAGP, retired and Todd Tucky, Owner and Senior Consultant, Heartland GIS. Presented by Gene Del Greco, GISP.

Moderated by Josh Revels, Education Outreach Specialist Katherine Johnson NASA IV&V ERC, and Fairmont State University.

Discussion by Dr. Barb MacLennan, Assistant Professor of Geography, Department of Behavioral Sciences, Fairmont State University

We are currently accepting submissions for presentations for WV GeoCon 2024, to be held at the Embassy Suites in Charleston from May 13-16, 2024! This year's theme is "Bridging the Gaps" with a focus on Society & Culture, Environment & Conservation, Infrastructure & Technology, Planning & Economic Development, and Education & Engagement. We are soliciting for 15 and 30 minute presentations that fall into these areas of focus. Click here to submit your presentation!

Presentation slots are open to all GIS users and related fields working within WV, including public and private sectors as well as academia! Submitters are welcome to submit multiple presentations for our proceedings. 

The WVAGP Spatial Student Awards

WVAGP is considering students age 18 or over and attending a higher education institution for the Spatial Student Awards. Candidates for the awards must present an exceptional presentation on a topic where geospatial technology played a role in solving a problem or issue that affects West Virginia. Award(s) will be revealed closer to the conference.

Eligible candidates must meet the WVAGP Student Member criteria listed in the bylaws, present on their topic without a co-presenter, and can only submit one presentation for consideration. If you are interested in participating, follow the directions in the form to submit the required information.

The top students selected via a panel of judges will be eligible for the following awards:

First Place: Paid travel, lodging, and attendance to the 2024 ESRI User Conference in San Diego, California

Second Place: $200 cash prize

Third Place: $100 cash prize

If you have any questions, please reach out to WVAGPConf@gmail.com. We look forward to your submissions!

WVAGP at the 2023 Eastern Panhandle GIS User Group Meeting In Martinsburg

By:  Marvin A. Davis, President

I was able to participate in this year's 2023 EPan Meeting at the Purple Iris in Martinsburg, on behalf of WVAGP. This meeting ended up being a full room and full of content, too. I really enjoyed the amount of energy from the professionals and the students who presented, and it made me hopeful for not only future EPan meetings, but also for meetings with WVAGP membership as a whole. I shared our efforts as WVAGP and teased the pending announcement for the 2024 WV Geospatial Conference (WVGeoCon) to attendees as we have big plans ahead. Stay tuned on that front!

I did snap some photos, but I have to apologize first to the morning session presenters. I like to think I am a competent geographer and cartographer, but I am definitely not a photographer! I was too engaged in watching presentations and forgot to take photos until the afternoon sessions. So, please enjoy some sights from the 2023 EPan. Thank you for having us!

If you are curious or even interested in starting your own regional GIS user group in other parts of the state, message me!

Caption: Proof I am NOT a photographer! Our table of materials for EPan attendees!

Caption: Dr. Michael Harman of WVU presenting on the Online MS in GIS program.

Caption: Arjun Sheoran of Fugro presenting on LiDAR products.

Caption: Ben Gressler of USGS presenting on data for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Caption: Carolyn Sommer of City of Martinsburg (formerly an intern at City of Morgantown!) presenting on summer intern work on the city's stormwater program.

The 2024 West Virginia Story Map contest challenges students to tell a story using digital maps, images, video, and text. The stories must have a geographic focus in West Virginia and tell the story of an event, give a tour, describe an issue, recount a trip or even profile a West Virginian!  Click here for more information on the contest and teacher support sessions. The submission deadline for the contest is March 15, 2024. Please contact Erika Klose, or call PK-12 Academic Support at 1.833.627.2833, if you have any questions. 

WVAGP members, please consider reaching out to teachers in your area to provide support or to let them know about the contest!

The West Virginia Society of Professional Surveyors cordially invites you to our 2023 Fall Symposium at the DoubleTree Hotel in Huntington, WV, on October 5-6, 2023. Our theme is focused on "Mapping the Future for the Surveying Profession." Throughout the event, you'll be able to participate in valuable continuing education seminars led by experts and thought leaders from the state and the wider region. Whether you attend seminars, professional development or personal connections, you won't want to miss this surveying event.

To register and for more details, https://julnet.swoogo.com/wvsps2023fallsymposium

#WVSPSSymposium23

Letter from the President

Welcome The New WV State GIS Coordinator! WV GIS Steering Committee Returning Taryn Moser WV State GIS Coordinator tmoser@wvgs.wvnet.edu

WVAGP Members,  WVAGP is happy to announce the new State GIS Coordinator, Taryn Moser! Welcome Taryn! A resident of Monongalia County, Taryn has a wealth of geospatial experience from the private and public sectors, most recently as the GIS Manager for the Morgantown Utility Board. She also was an Associate Committee member of the Monongalia Morgantown Area Geospatial Information Consortium (MMAGIC), where she helped collaborate on projects and cost sharing for yearly aerial imagery flights and a LiDAR data collection. She has been very involved in advancing geospatial awareness and growing interest in the technology from K-12 schools up to various professional organizations, and will continue that effort in her role. Taryn has also been on the WVAGP Board of Directors since July 2022, but resigned her voting member position to assume the State GIS Coordinator's ex-officio role on the Board, as per WVAGP bylaws. Eric Bess will fill the voting member vacancy on the Board for the remainder of the fiscal year. We look forward to continuing to work with Taryn into the future as she has already begun to make impacts and learn from geospatial professionals and organizations across the state. As President, I am excited for the future and am already learning of ways WVAGP can assist her. Please join me in congratulating Taryn on her new position! A Call to Action: The WV GIS Steering Committee As GIS Coordinator, Taryn is working to revive both the State GIS Policy Council and the GIS Steering Committee. I have volunteered to begin recruitment from the WVAGP side for interested members to participate in the revitalized GIS Steering Committee. If you would like to join the GIS Steering Committee, please email me or Taryn to be added to the mailing list. Your participation will be critical to West Virginia's geospatial future and I hope to hear from you soon! Thank you,  Marvin A. Davis West Virginia Association of Geospatial Professionals President PO Box 3903, Charleston, WV 25339 https://www.wvagp.org/