2018 ESRI User Conference
Calgary, Alberta
I attended this conference as part of my time as a GIS student at SAIT. Some reasons for attending this conference were to attend conferneces to see what technological trends were emerging and to network with various industry peers.
I attended the Cemetery App presention by Jairo Castillo from the City of Calgary. I chose to go to this presentation because I am currently employed as a grave digger at the City of Calgary. I have used the app personally to help find a general idea of where plots are for families or myself. As well, I have briefly seen the background functions running behind the app as all office staff at the cemetery use ArcGIS to map out where burials are and also put in all the contracts and personal information directly into ArcGIS. For people who are not traditionally educated in GIS they have a great understanding of the applications of ArcGIS and how to utilize it to complete their tasks on a daily basis.
I was interested to find out all plots across all seven operational cemeteries are in the same feature class. This means 40,000 plots and all required information are under one feature class. As well an interesting development was that one of the biggest challenges for the City of Calgary was dealing with the fact that multiple internments can occur in a single plot and how to organize this so that the app would function properly.
As well, I was interested to learn that all data is queried when searching for a name on the app. Cemeteries are not separated into their own feature classes so an advanced query system runs in the background to select the specific plot that you are looking for. As well, the system is automated so that any burials we complete during the day are automatically updated to the map at midnight every night so the app is constantly up to date. Since the plot number structure can vary between cemeteries and even within cemeteries all data was taken into FME and processed there. FME is still used as the primary way of converting the data inputted by staff in ArcGIS so that the output is all of a similar format. Then it is imported back into ArcGIS and translated into the app framework.
Another conference I attended was Gearing Up to be an ArcGIS Developer presented by Matt English from ESRI Canada. I chose to go to this presentation because I find coding an interesting subject. I am interested in expanding my coding knowledge and finding ways to eventually learn how to create tools, write scripts, and automate tasks in ArcGIS.
I found it interesting that the presenter has been at ESRI for over 20 years and Python and JavaScript are still as relevant today as they were 20 years ago. He stressed the importance of learning both of these as he doesn’t see their impact diminishing as an ESRI coding languages. As well, he brought to my attention the emerging importance of source controls and how that is becoming more relevant to ESRI coding functions.
The presenter highlighted Visual Studio Code, which is the application that he works out of for all of his coding applications. He can easily switch between Python, JavaScript, and source codes all in one program. He was very effusive in his praise for this program and encouraged us to download it and play around with it. With his walkthrough and examples this program looks like an easy to use software package that fully supports and integrates into ArcGIS. During the course of his presentation the presenter highlighted several tools and tutorials that we can use to help make our coding lives easier. He highlighted extensions to change the colors of brackets so we don’t lose track of which bracket is which in Python. As well, he talked about developer tools for web apps on the ArcGIS website. In addition, he highlighted how we can create GitHub websites and servers to allow for sharing between groups and easy storage of data on the web. All these little tips and tricks sprinkled into the presentation will greatly improve my coding quality of life.
SAIT: Flying High Unmanned Systems in Alberta Conference
September 24, 2019
Calgary, Alberta
I attended this conference as part of my time at the CIRUS lab at SAIT. Some reasons for attending this conference were that volunteers were needed to help bring equipment from the lab down as well as set up tables and chairs and booths for other conference attendees. As well, I was displaying my capstone project, which further expanded upon at my work in the lab, which was also being presented as a topic in the conference. Therefore, I would be available to answer questions and network with fellow attendees who had interest in what I was doing. This was very beneficial as I touched base with a Professor of Hydrology from U of A who was interested in mapping riverbeds using drones. Finally, I was there because I find the area of unmanned systems very interesting and really wanted to listen to a few of the presentations (Dr. Oudjehane’s presentation on UAS in Construction was very interesting) as well as the roundtable on the future of unmanned systems. As well, the keynote speaker’s presentation on unmanned systems in heavily populated areas and flying beyond line of site was a particularly intriguing look into where technology is at right now and how people are pushing the boundary of what is possible.
At this conference I helped bring down equipment from the lab as well as set up and take down the booths. Then over breakfast there was some networking time available as well as time to answer any questions about my capstone poster from wandering attendees. Throughout the day there were many interesting presentations and coffee breaks and a lunch which allowed for more networking opportunities. As well, at the end of the day I helped answer more questions about my capstone poster before helping clean up and tear down booths as well as bring equipment back up to the SAIT lab.
FME World Tour Online
April 6 – 14, 2020
Online Conference
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic I attended the FME World Tour online at home instead of at their regular Calgary stop on April 7th like I had hoped to attend through my workplace. The event was spread out over five days as a series of webcasts where users could log in and listen to presentations being given while also asking questions in the chat and getting help from the various support persons in the chat. Each session was two hours long (11am – 1pm) with the last day going half an hour longer to include a final wrap up and thank you.
I attended the FME World Tour because I find FME a very powerful but also quite obtuse program to use. I love seeing how people use it for their spatial data and conversion needs and build impressive workbenches that solve their specific problems. Through this Tour I was hoping to gain some insight and tips and tricks on how to become a better FME user. Another reason I wanted to attend this convention was the fact that I enjoy seeing what other users are using FME for. I enjoy seeing how others are solving their problems using FME and GIS applications. A very interesting application was a program called Pinterra which when integrated with FME could use aerial imagery to isolate elements in the environment that the user wanted to look at. As well, the new PIX4D integration within FME is very helpful for automating large datasets such as when mapping mine walls. Finally, I wanted to network with other individuals at the FME conference, but as this did not come to pass I instead noted down companies and individuals to look up to see if I could connect to them on LinkedIn or research online and see what job or training opportunities they had available.