We are pleased to announce the speakers for the GISMO exhibit and forum at the Queens Museum on October 29 – 30, 2016. All presentations will take place in the Queens Museum theater. Feel free to bring your family and friends to the Museum for a maptastic weekend! We look forward to seeing you there.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2016

1:00 – 1:30 pm     Keynote

“What is GIS?” presented by George Davis, Geoweb3d
A history of the use of GIS geared towards NYC and present some of the new GIS related technologies along the way. (Visualization, 3D Models, Aerial and Satellite Photography)

1:30 – 3:00 pm     GIS & Careers Panel

• “The NY GIS job market landscape” presented by Jochen Albrecht, Hunter College
This presentation will survey the NY GIS job market.

• “From Cholera to Cancer: Geographic Information Systems and Public Health” presented by George Musa, Columbia University
This will be a quick introduction to the use of GIS in Public Health. Examples will be used that range from basic mapping applications to complex spatial analyses including neighborhood analyses, and self-organizing maps.

3:00 – 3:15 pm     Break

3:15 – 4:00 pm     Map Design Panel

• “Storytelling with Maps and Design” presented by Jessie Braden, Pratt Institute Spatial Analysis and Visualization Initiative
Why are maps so powerful and universally revered? This presentation will explore how maps allow for impactful storytelling and how much design plays into creating compelling visuals. You will also learn how to spot the most common errors in mapping; giving you a critical eye as you view the daily deluge of maps on the web in journalism, blogs and reports.

• “The Territory of the Map: Cartography and the Problem of Information” presented by Joe Sokohl, Regular Joe Consulting, LLC
We’ve accepted the metaphor of map-as-information-guide for decades now. Kahn & Lenk published Mapping Web Sites 15 years ago. Yet we never seem to engage with what a map does, how a map means, and why choices in designing with a map in mind helps users. This talk looks at cartography in se as well as its analogy to information spaces of non-physical but no less real existence. Expect rants on weather and traffic maps as well as the lack of abstraction where abstraction should exist. Come to this talk for inspiration and Baudrillardian analogies.


SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2016

1:00 – 1:30 pm     Presentation

“GIS, Drones, and 3D” presented by Dave LaShell and Patrick Gahagan, ESRI
This presentation will discuss how the city is a leader in new advancements in GIS technology, including their use of drones and 3D.  Case study of NYC Finance Department’s use of GIS and 3D buildings for property valuations and line of sight/viewshed analysis will be presented.

1:30 – 2:00 pm     Presentation

“Mapping Jackson Heights — from farm to cosmopolitan neighborhood” presented by Thomas Lowenhaupt, Connecting.nyc Inc.
This presentation draws upon the historic map collection of the New York Public Library and today’s layered maps and how they might benefit the Jackson Heights neighborhood and the new JacksonHeights.nyc, set for activation in early 2017.

2:00 – 2:30 pm     Presentation

“Queens Watersheds; Mapping ongoing sources of water pollution to Flushing Bay and Flushing Creek” presented by Korin Tangtrakul, Open Sewer Atlas NYC
Every year, between 20 and 30 billion gallons of combined sewage and stormwater enter New York City waterways. Many residents don’t know about the combined sewer system that allows this to happen, let alone where this pollution enters the waterways. Open Sewer Atlas NYC was founded to spread awareness about this issue, and develop maps to help communicate it. The latest map in the Open Sewer Atlas NYC series focuses on the watersheds of Flushing Bay and Flushing Creek, which receive roughly 3 billion gallons of sewage and stormwater pollution a year.

2:30 – 3:00 pm     Break

3:00 – 4:00 pm     Competition

“Queens Geo Trivia” presented by Jack Eichenbaum, Queensborough Historian
Trivia on anything related to Queens, past, present, future.  Prizes to be awarded.

3:00 – 5:00 pm     Reception

* Additional presenters may be added.