Connections and community are important – as individuals and as members of the geospatial community. We’ve talked about this before, but we try to make sure we back up our ideals with action. One of the many ways we try to foster connections, both old and new, is by engaging with others in person. While we, like many others, have missed interacting at conferences over the past year, GEO Jobe is delighted to find ourselves returning to conferences. Most recently, we have attended the 2021 American Planning Association Mississippi-Alabama Joint Chapter Fall Conference (APA Conference), the Mississippi Geospatial Conference (MGC), and we are currently at Esri’s Infrastructure Management and GIS Conference (IMGIS).
2021 American Planning Association Mississippi-Alabama Joint Chapter Fall Conference
GEO jobe was pleased to attend the 2021 American Planning Association Mississippi-Alabama Joint Chapter Fall Conference. Our CEO, David Hansen, gave an exiting presentation on advancements in mapping technologies – web mapping, artificial intelligence, machine learning, drones, and the road ahead. GEO Jobe also hosted a booth, which was well received by the conference attendees. We enjoyed meeting everyone and the many interesting discussions.
Reed Davis, UAV Business Development
Mississippi Geospatial Conference
The Mississippi Geospatial Conference, or MGC, is an annual gathering of geospatial professionals, as well as those in connected industries, in the state of Mississippi. GEO Jobe was delighted to continue our tradition of helping sponsor this conference. This year saw almost 150 attendees from five states at the conference. It also saw the largest turnout of student participants in its history – approximately 25% of the attendees were students!
The MGC is organized by the Mississippi Association for Spatial Technologies (MAST). During the MGC, MAST always offers a few significant announcements. This year, they awarded Michael ‘Mike’ Miller with the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously. The award was received by Mike’s family. Elections for MAST’s Treasurer and Secretary also took place at the conference. GEO Jobe’s Paul Barnes and Courtney Menikheim were re-elected to their respective positions.
There is also a student poster competition at the MGC every year. It was great to see such a turn out of curious minds and chat with all of the participants. First place went to Jannatul Ferdush, Zia Ahmed, GKM Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Muhammad Abdullay, and Varun Paul of Mississippi State University for their work, Digital Mapping of Organic Carbon in Low-lying Paddy Soil of Bangladesh. Justin Schluter, Peter Meharg, and Noah Blake of Delta State University placed second with their poster, Using a Wiki to Enhance Contract Efficiency and Develop Student Skills as Topographic Map Makers. Both groups received the Mike Miller Memorial Scholarship.
IMGIS Conference
Did you miss us at the APA Conference and the MGC? If you’re at Esri’s IMGIS Conference, be sure to check us out at booth number 405. We’d love to chat with you! If you’re not in Palm Springs, you can reach out to us on Twitter or via e-mail.
