Houston Area GIS Day Workshops

Course Description

This hands-on workshop introduces digital accessibility in GIS through an overview of the principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), with a focus on best practices for GIS content and organizational processes to support accessible design. Participants will learn to apply these concepts through guided exercises in accessible cartography design and ArcGIS app configuration. Topics will include understanding color contrast in map symbology, keyboard and screen reader navigation in ArcGIS apps, and accessible app configuration. The session emphasizes realistic, repeatable approaches to building accessibility into everyday GIS workflows.

Participants will require their own laptops for the session. It is recommended to bring an iPad, tablet, or monitor to provide a second screen for tutorials.

What you’ll learn:

• Explain the core principles of digital accessibility and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as they apply to GIS.
• Evaluate and improve map symbology using appropriate color contrast and accessible cartographic design practices.
• Test and configure ArcGIS applications to support keyboard navigation and screen reader accessibility.
• Apply accessibility best practices when designing GIS applications and information products.
• Incorporate repeatable accessibility checks and processes into everyday GIS workflows.
• Identify organizational strategies that support the creation and maintenance of accessible GIS content.

Course Description

Ready to take your geospatial skills beyond the basics? This year's workshop builds on the GPS and mobile GIS fundamentals introduced last year and dives into the tools and workflows that professionals use to collect highly accurate spatial data in the field.
We'll start with a quick refresher on pairing professional GNSS receivers with smartphones, collecting GIS data in ArcGIS Field Maps, and understanding what different levels of positional accuracy actually mean. From there, we'll step into advanced field workflows by exploring Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning, which delivers centimeter-level accuracy, and discuss when that level of precision truly matters.

Next, we'll introduce smartphone-based 3D reality capture using PIX4Dcatch. You'll learn how modern smartphones can create detailed digital twins using LiDAR and photogrammetry, and how these datasets are transforming work in utilities, engineering, environmental science, construction, and infrastructure management.
Then it's time to head outside. Participants will capture their own 3D scans using their smartphones, with the option to pair Bad Elf survey-grade GNSS receivers for real-time georeferencing. Back in the classroom, we'll process the data, visualize point clouds and 3D models, extract GIS features, and discuss practical workflows, lessons learned, and common mistakes to avoid.

Whether you're preparing for a career in GIS, remote sensing, surveying, or engineering, this workshop will give you hands-on experience with technologies that are rapidly becoming standard across the geospatial industry.

Participants will require their own laptops for the session. It is recommended to bring an iPad, tablet, or monitor to provide a second screen for tutorials.

What you’ll learn
By the end of this workshop, you'll be able to:

• Choose the appropriate level of GPS accuracy for different mapping projects.
• Pair a professional GNSS receiver with a smartphone using Bluetooth.
• Understand how RTK corrections enable centimeter-level positioning.
• Collect high-accuracy GIS data using ArcGIS Field Maps.
• Capture georeferenced 3D reality capture datasets using PIX4Dcatch.
• Understand the strengths and limitations of smartphone LiDAR and photogrammetry.
• Visualize point clouds and 3D models for GIS analysis.
• Extract useful GIS features from reality capture data.
• Recognize real-world applications across engineering, utilities, environmental science, public works, and asset management.
• Apply field collection best practices that improve data quality and reduce costly mistakes.

Technical Requirements
Participants should bring:

• A smartphone (iOS recommended for use with PIX4Dcatch).
• PIX4Dcatch installed before the workshop (free download).
• Comfortable shoes suitable for outdoor field activities.

Equipment provided:

• Bad Elf GNSS receivers, including RTK-capable units
• RTK correction service
• Demonstration datasets
• Additional field equipment needed for the exercises

This workshop emphasizes learning by doing. Students will leave with practical experience using professional-grade GNSS, mobile GIS, and reality capture workflows that can be applied to research, coursework, internships, and future careers in the geospatial sciences.
 

Course Description

Maximize your field data collection with advanced training on ESRI ArcGIS Field Maps and Trimble MGIS GNSS hardware. This session guides participants through the integration of mobile GIS applications with high-accuracy GNSS receivers — demonstrating workflows that improve efficiency, data quality, and decision-making in complex environments.

What you’ll learn:

• Device setup & GNSS receiver configuration
• Survey accuracy under open sky, canopy & urban conditions
• Writing and structuring Arcade expressions in ArcGIS Field Maps
• Using Arcade to validate and constrain field data entry in real time
• Building dynamic attribute calculations and auto-populated fields with Arcade
• Applying Arcade expressions to control form visibility and conditional logic
• Leveraging AI tools to help draft, troubleshoot, and refine Arcade expressions faster

Course Description

Discover how ArcGIS AI Assistants are transforming the way GIS professionals work. In this hands-on workshop, participants will use natural language to streamline mapping, analysis, content creation, search, documentation, survey design, code generation, and data discovery workflows across ArcGIS. Explore the latest AI assistants available in ArcGIS and learn how they can improve productivity, reduce complexity, and make GIS more accessible for users of all experience levels. Participants will gain practical experience with real-world workflows while learning best practices for responsible and trusted AI adoption in ArcGIS.

Participants will require their own laptops for the session. It is recommended to bring an iPad, tablet, or monitor to provide a second screen for tutorials.

What you’ll learn:

• Use ArcGIS AI Assistants to accelerate mapping, analysis, and content creation workflows.
• Create surveys, generate code, and improve data discoverability using conversational AI.
• Explore AI-powered assistants across ArcGIS applications and workflows.
• Understand trusted AI principles, governance, and responsible use of AI in GIS.
• Learn how AI assistants and emerging geospatial agents are expanding access to GIS knowledge and capabilities.