The Environment Team: Where You Can Find Us at the 2022 Esri User Conference
Way back in the day when I was studying ecology, the class that I loved the most was biogeography. My professor had designed the syllabus around David Quammen’s “Song of the Dodo.” In that book, and representing the foundation for our modern understanding about ecology is the role of adaptation. Adaptation is a fickle beast, and never in my life did I imagine I would live to witness a global pandemic that has applied adaptive pressure to so many aspects of our lives. The Esri User Conference is no exception! For two years, we’ve run it virtually and this year we have a hybrid event with plenty of virtual opportunities. That said – I am SO EXCITED to be back in person. We have a lot of first-time attendees and in a weird way this will also be my “first” UC… first in-person as an employee, that is!
So, I thought about what our community might need; whether you’re a first-time attendee or a seasoned Pro, with slight adaptations this year, everyone could probably benefit from some tips and tricks to help keep us focused, networking with our industry, and having a fun and fully productive time.
First up!
Find Us on the Showcase Floor
We have a lot of opportunities for our environmental community to engage at the Esri UC. Whether it’s on the showcase floor, at paper presentations, the VERY popular Environment and Natural Resources Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting, or a demo theatre - you can find myself and my colleagues making sure folks are having a great time, finding what they need and getting INSPIRED!
To begin, here’s the layout of the showcase floor with the Environmental area called out.
Find Us in the Demo Theatre
Demo Theatres are where I spent a lot of my time when I was a user. I think of them as the American Gladiator stage for GIS nerds – we’d all race from one theatre to the next fighting for a seat, madly taking notes, and if you weren’t there in time you’d have to try and watch from behind the glass or awkwardly standing near the back. I LOVED IT!
So I’m very excited this year to have a Demo Theatre session. This session will cover, at a high level, the landscape of things happening in the environmental industry and how our community are embracing the tools. Its intent is to get folks thinking, excited and started down a path to revolutionize their own workflows. I’ll pull examples from public, private and non-profit organizations that span across an array of tasks that environmental professionals conduct. The Demo Theatres are also located in the showcase and you can find us here:
Just like the Grateful Dead, every year @MikeBialousz and I go on our final tour as a band. Even though he’s defected for another area of Esri, he can’t get rid of me that easily. I’ve roped him in to once again co-host with me at the Environment and Natural Resources Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting. Thanks to our user community, this has quickly risen to be one of the most popular SIGs and we’re so honored that the community shows up the way you all do! Now in its fourth year, we gathered over 350 responses from YOU ALL that helped shape the session. We’ll be giving a shoutout to some of the amazing work you all have sent to us, hear from three presenters, have a Q&A, and end the session by responding to some of the “wish list” items you sent in. Along the way, Mike and I will compete for who can get in the most killer burn on the other – joined this year by our referee, Jennifer Vaughan-Gibson.
Hear from Nevada Department of Wildlife on how they transformed their aerial survey workflows, Montana Department of Environmental Quality on how they are collaborating with landowners to address abandoned mine lands, and the US EPA (!!!) around tools they’re building to address environmental justice. That’s a Coachella-worthy lineup, in my opinion!
But most importantly… this is a great chance to network with the rest of our environmental community – we’re just here to facilitate it!
Find Us Chillin’ at Esri Basecamp
Ok, let’s be real… the Esri UC is already an overwhelming experience. By Thursday we all look like tattered dolls running on fumes, ready to decompress a little, recharge our batteries and save the world with GIS! This year, we know socializing can be a little extra exhausting.
That's why several teams across Esri—including Influence Marketing, Story Maps, and our Digital Experience team—are creating a new way to decompress, outside. Without leaving the convention center ground, UC attendees can head just outside Hall H, near the fins, to Esri Basecamp. The Esri Basecamp experience will include an exhibit of popular California spots managed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, complete with an AR experience and a comfy campsite for hanging out. As a bonus, there's a complimentary online experience to access fun nature-related media and dive deeper into a geospatial approach to conservation.
So in between sessions, head outside to decompress, soak up some sun and tour California landscapes at the Esri Basecamp.
But wait, there’s more!
Paper Sessions, SIGs, Demo Theatres, Technical Workshops… there is so much going on that it can be hard to whittle down the full detailed agenda. This is why, every year, we help you out and publish industry-specific fliers that can help you navigate through all the sessions and help plan your week. Find it here.
In addition to the detailed agenda, make sure you check out the business partners and other vendors on the showcase floor. When I was a user, I thought I had to implement all of the solutions for my department BY MYSELF (GIS Analyst, party of one… sound familiar?) I felt overwhelmed by where to start and what we needed, but these business partners can really help you out so TALK TO THEM! Treat them like therapists and tell them all your woes! From helping you build a geospatial strategy, building buy-in and capacity, implementing governance and helping build solutions and innovate… you’ll find a wide range of services offered across the showcase floor. Take advantage of it!
Some Final Tips
- Wear Comfortable Shoes: the amount of sheer space at the convention center is crazy and as you can see from the layout above – it’s stretched out in a linear fashion. You WILL walk a lot and at lunch you WILL walk into the Gas Lamp District and you WILL walk to and from your hotel and you WILL walk across the showcase floor a zillion times and you WILL walk from session to session and you WILL likely run to the plenary to get the best seat in the house. Sound exhausting? It is – in the best way possible. I would characterize the overall dress code as on the casual side (although this varies from industry to industry, so don’t take my word for it.) Therefore, you have an opportunity to not look out of place wearing a pair of comfortable shoes that won’t be making it into Vogue any time soon.
- Bring a Backpack (not a tote!): My first year, I made the mistake of not bringing a backpack, and the swag bag came with a tote. Great! I thought… except then I kept receiving all sorts of swag from vendors and became overburdened with said tote digging into my shoulder for the rest of the week. LESSON LEARNED. Bring a backpack or something you could comfortably wear/carry for a few days.
- Make Friends: The first couple of years, I attended the UC solo. No problem! I felt like the entire city of San Diego was there for the User Conference. When we all swarmed into the Gas Lamp District for lunch, you could be assured that everyone around you was also there for the UC. Strike up a conversation, meet some people, make some friends. I’ve met some incredible people in fascinating roles throughout the industry this way. Some years, we formed an impromptu crew and would stick together for dinners and the Balboa Park party. Safety in numbers!
- Plenary Strategy: Last, but not least – have a plenary strategy. Again, my first year I was clueless. I didn’t know what a big deal it was or how amazing it was and I was late getting there after an Esri employee asked me, concerned, “Aren’t you going to the plenary?” Oh… ok, sure! DO NOT MISS THE PLENARY. Walking in late I was shocked at how huge it was and the whole setting made me emotional in a good way! It felt like a revolution was happening and our community was there en masse to see it through. That plenary session literally changed the course of my own career and shaped how I think and communicate about our industry and GIS. Next year, I got there early and got a seat NEAR the front. NEAR… don’t go all the way to the front because those seats are reserved. When you turn around to find the next nearest open seat, they will ALL BE GONE.
So that’s it! Before this turns in to a thesis, I’ll stop there. Bottom line: Have a strategy, find your people, be inspired, ask questions, ask for help and HAVE FUN. I can’t wait to see you all and hear about the incredible work you’re conducting!
