AGIC Quarterly Newsletter

The AGIC Council, Committees, and Workgroups continue to work hard to bring the Arizona GIS Community a forum for geospatial information exchange. All AGIC meetings and events are open to everyone, so please join us. We value community engagement and believe we are stronger and better together! Visit the  AGIC website  for more information on how to get involved.

The AGIC Council, Committees, and Workgroups were incredibly active and engaged. AGIC's generous volunteers brought tremendous value to the Arizona geospatial community through their efforts. Highlights include:

• More than 100 Council, Committee, and Workgroup meetings and events.
• The Data Committee hosted a Spring Geospatial Summit in partnership with Yavapai College, with live demonstrations and presentations focused on GIS for Good.
• The AGIC Education and Training Symposium celebrated 30 years! The 2023 Symposium was well attended and brought together geospatial professionals from across Arizona, with over a third attending for the first time. The proceedings are available  here. 
• The Admin and Legal Committee completed the first  AGIC Annual Report , highlighting all the amazing accomplishments of 2022.
•  AZGeo , the state geospatial clearinghouse, experienced incredible growth and utilization in 2023. The number of registered users reached over 1,200 by the end of the year.
• And the  AGIC Mentorship Program  completed its second year, with 39 pairings and two new support programs: the AGIC Mentor in Training program and the AGIC Mentor Bootcamp.

This short list doesn’t begin to capture all the hard work that occurred in 2023. More accomplishments will be documented and highlighted in the 2023 annual report that the Admin and Legal Committee volunteers are putting together. Stay tuned.

2024 will bring more opportunities to the geospatial community in Arizona. We have a lot to look forward to. The AGIC Council, Committees, and Workgroups are busy. Here are some of the upcoming activities and opportunities to have on your radar:

• February 1, 2024 is the first AGIC Council meeting of the year. During that meeting, the Council will welcome new appointed board members and determine when the annual AGIC Leadership Workshop will be held. Outcomes from this strategic and interactive workshop will determine the business and strategic direction of AGIC for 2024. The annual community survey that drives this important discussion is open (link below in the  Announcements )! Please make sure to participate by January 26, 2024.
• The annual Symposium t-shirt contest is just around the corner. Start thinking about a design for 2024 now and have a chance to win free registration to attend this year's event.
• AGIC Committees and Workgroups will resume their meeting cadence in January. Many will be coordinating presentations, trainings, and events. Upcoming meetings with planned presentations include the Data Committee, 4D Geospatial Data Workgroup, Natural Resources Workgroup, and UAS Workgroup. Visit the  AGIC calendar  for meeting details.

AGIC's success is entirely due to the generous volunteers that contribute their time and expertise to making Arizona's geospatial community rich and thriving. We are fortunate and grateful to all who contributed.

Each year, the Arizona Geographic Information Council (AGIC) hosts a Leadership Workshop to determine the strategic priorities and business direction for the coming year. The workshop agenda and discussion topics are determined from the results of this survey of Arizona's geospatial community.

Community input is critical to this process and will ultimately determine AGIC activities and priorities for 2024. Your time and thoughtful contribution are valued.

Please click on or scan the QR code on the left to access the survey. The survey will close on January 26, 2024 at midnight. We encourage you to share the link with your professional networks.

The Esri ArcGIS Online School Competition is now open to US middle & high school students who can analyze, interpret, and present data via an ArcGIS Online presentation, web app, or storymap. To enter the competition, an adult sponsor must register the student or student team no later than March 10, 2024.

For more details about the competition, rules, and how to enter, refer to the  AGIC website .

An updated version of the AGIC Member's Manual is now available. It includes all updates approved by the AGIC Council through 2023. The manual is available for download from the  AGIC Publications & Documents website .

Save the Date! The 2024 AGIC Education and Training Symposium is tentatively scheduled for August 27 to 30, 2024 at the Prescott Resort Hotel. Note, these dates are subject to change.

The  AGIC Jobs Board  has been revamped and is now ready to use. If you are an employer searching for a GIS professional, please consider posting your job to the website. If you are searching for a GIS job, please check the website often as new jobs are added.

Did you know that AGIC Social Media volunteers coordinate with the Arizona geospatial professional community to highlight a special geospatial spotlight each month? January is national mentoring month, so this month the AGIC Mentorship Program is the spotlight. Past spotlights, have included the Arizona Remote Sensing Center, the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, Arizona Women in GIS, and many others.  Follow AGIC  on our social media channels to learn more about the amazing geospatial work happening in our state.

AGIC is powered by community volunteers! Formal membership is NOT required to participate. We encourage anyone interested to attend our meetings and events, volunteer their time and expertise, and give back to the Arizona GIS Community.

Consider joining a committee or workgroup distribution list to receive related announcements and meeting notices.  To join, complete this  short form .  Note that joining a distribution list is a courtesy and not required to attend AGIC meetings. All meetings are open to the public. 

To learn more about how you can get more involved, visit the  AGIC Participate Webpage .