AGIC 2nd Quarter 2025 Quarterly Newsletter

The AGIC Council, Committees, and Workgroups continue to work hard to bring the Arizona GIS Community a forum for geospatial information exchange. We welcome you to all AGIC meetings and events as they are open to everyone. 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 next AGIC Education and Training Symposium is returning to the Prescott Resort in beautiful Prescott, AZ from August 26 to 29. Join us to learn what your fellow GIS professionals are doing around Arizona and join the fun to watch the next Iron Cartographer competition.

A Call for Presentations is now Open!!!

Please submit your abstracts on the  2025 AGIC Symposium Abstract Submission form . The last day to submit is May 23, 2025, so don't wait!

At the February 6th Council meeting, the Council Officers did their annual "Changing of the Chairs." Lucas Murray is the new Chair with Patrick Whiteford moving to the Past Chair and Shiloh Johnson starting as the new Vice Chair. Howard Ward continues as the AGIC Treasurer and Sage Donaldson as the AGIC Secretary.

Please join the Council in congratulating everyone on their new positions and thanking Kevin Blake, the outgoing Past Chair, for all his dedicated work over the last three years!

The next AGIC Council Meeting is on May 1, 2025. The meeting will continue to be held virtually using Google Meets. However, for those who would like to attend in-person, the meeting will also be held at two venues (see below). Please join us at either location.

Phoenix: Maricopa Association of Governments 302 N. 1st Ave., Chaparral Room Phoenix, AZ 85003 Tucson: Pima County 33 N. Stone Ave., 12th floor large conference room Tucson, AZ 85701

The Emerging Technologies and Natural Resources Committees have teamed up to host the next AGIC Spring Presentation Series, titled Emerging Technologies in Natural Resources and the Built Environment. The one-day event will showcase the latest advances in geospatial technologies and their applications to various field.

The event will be in-person only, scheduled for April 29th at the Phoenix office of Westland Resources, located at 2020 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85004. Please follow AGIC-L or AGIC social media for updates.

Women in GIS offers a variety of networking and professional growth opportunities in for women geospatial fields of work or study. The group offers a book club, where the group meets virtually each month to discuss a member-selected book.

Ready to kick your Fridays up a notch? Join Mugs & Mornings! Grab your favorite morning beverage and join the Arizona Chapter of Women in GIS for Mugs & Mornings on the last Friday of every month. Be sure to  register  to let us know you're coming and to get the Zoom connection details. This event is open to all, including women and men, and a great way to start your Friday morning with casual conversation and friends.

Categories are used in AZGeo to help improve data discovery. Data custodians and content creators can add categories to their datasets/feature services, maps, and applications within AZGeo, making it easier for AZGeo users to find the content they want.

The AZGeo Advisory Committee is working to update the categories available in AZGeo, making them more applicable to Arizona and AZGeo data and content. The categories will be changed in a phased approach. Please review the  AZGeo Category Update Plan  for more details.

The 2023 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery for Arizona is now available! NAIP acquires aerial imagery during the agricultural growing seasons in the continental U.S. Click the link below to access the data on AZGeo.

For those who would prefer a copy of the imagery files, please contact the  Arizona State Land Department . You will need to provide an external hard-drive with sufficient memory to store the NAIP imagery files (approximately 16 Terabytes).

A couple of AGIC Workgroups are seeking additional help.

The Social Media Workgroup, based out of the Outreach Committee, is seeking anyone interested in assisting with creating and posting content for AGIC's social media accounts. You do not need prior experience using Canva to create posts. If interested, contact  Aparna Thatte ,  Sage Donaldson , or  Cheryl Therman 

The Education Workgroup, based out of the Outreach Committee, was recently formed to identify ways that AGIC can better support GIS education in K-12 and higher education. Any assistance would be appreciated. If interested, contact  Lucas Murray 

The 2025 AGIC Mentorship Program is currently thriving with mentors and mentees paired. This will be the fourth year of the program, which has seen many successes in the past.

The  AGIC Mentorship Program  was developed to provide and support professional development for Arizona geospatial professionals. Mentorship offers an opportunity to find and explore how we can make the most meaningful impact in our professional capacity. This program is intended to build and support a sustainable geospatial professional community in Arizona and promote life-long learning in all phases of an individual’s career. The Program was developed and is facilitated by AGIC Volunteers.

While the AGIC Council makes the decisions, its the AGIC Committees and Workgroups that get the work done. Anyone, regardless if they are an AGIC Council Member or not, can join a Committee or Workgroup. There are three ways to get involved:

• Join as a Voting Member
  • As a voting member, you would have a say in any votes or decisions the group makes. However, as a voting member, it would be important to attend most, if not all meetings. Talk with the chairs of the respective Committee or Workgroup about becoming a voting member. Refer to the  AGIC Organizational Chart  for current chairs by group.
• Join as a Public Member
  • Public members may not get a vote but are important all the same. Their insights and opinions may still influence how voting members may decide an issue. In addition, Public Members do not have to attend meetings if they prefer. Joining as a Public Member does not require any formal process. Simply attend a meeting that interests you. Learn more about each Committee and Workgroup from the  AGIC Organizational Chart  or view upcoming meetings on the  AGIC Calendar .
• Join an Email Distribution List
  • Want to follow a Committee or Workgroup but don't have the time to attend their meetings. Ask to be added to their email distribution list to receive any correspondence from the group, including information about upcoming meetings. If interested, complete this  short form  to be added to a group's list.

There are many ways to get involved with AGIC. Learn more at the  AGIC Participate webpage. 

Tired of searching for a GIS job and getting posts for a GI Joe Toy Maker? Use the  AGIC Jobs Board  to find employers specifically hiring Geographic Information Systems positions.

For employers looking for qualified GIS professionals, post your opportunities to the  AGIC Jobs Board .

View additional AGIC-related events, such as committee and workgroup meetings, on the  AGIC Calendar. 

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 .