SCARC Fall 2025 Conference
September 10th, 11th, 12th, 2025

Pastides Alumni Center at USC

900 Senate Street
Columbia, SC 29201

SCARC 2025 Fall Conference Agenda

Click here for a PDF of the Agenda

Wednesday, September 10th

1:00 pm - Registration Opens

 

1:30 pm - Introductions and Opening Remarks from the SCARC Board

 

2:00 pm - Innovation and the Opportunities to Raise the Value & Importance of GIS  (Ballroom 2/3)

Adam Carnow (Esri)

Innovation is about solving problems in smarter ways, creating more value with less effort, and making room for new possibilities. Innovation is part of our jobs as geospatial professionals. We must make innovation a habit and part of our daily work. By delivering innovation, we transform organizations and raise the value and importance of GIS while simultaneously improving staff recruitment and retainment. There are many opportunities to innovate with GIS. This presentation will help you recognize the opportunities and show you ways you can take advantage of them to elevate your game and visibility.

 

3:00 pm - Vendor Introductions

 

3:30 pm - Seven Ways to Identify Opportunities for GIS in Public Works & Deploy Successful Solutions  (Ballroom 2/3)

Adam Carnow (Esri)

In order to be successful with deploying GIS in support of Public Works, we need to know where to start and how to deliver successful solutions. This presentation will teach you the seven ways to identify opportunities for GIS in Public Works, and best practices to follow to deploy successful solutions, by reviewing real-world examples of your peer’s projects.

4:20 pm - Updates from the State GIS Coordinator  (Ballroom 2/3)

Christy Jacobs (RFA)

4:30 pm - Open GIS Conversation about GIS in the Public Eye

 

Thursday, September 11th

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Beyond Maps: How GIS Powers Smarter Disaster Response  (Ballroom 2/3)

Eryne Sheffield (South Carolina Emergency Management Division)

GIS or Geographic Information Systems  is more than just Waze or Google maps. It’s used to help people view and ingest reliable and accurate information as incidents arise. This information can come in many forms such as weather data, flood models, road conditions, and satellite and drone imagery.

I wish to present on my role here at SCEMD during blue and grey sky days. GIS is beneficial in all aspects of EM, from hurricanes to wildfires. Helene brought bigger need for accurate, real-time info. I, along with many state partners, used geospatial intelligence to create dashboards for debris management, water systems, and even imagery analysis. GIS was also used during the Table Rock Complex fires in collaboration with SCEMD, SCFC, GIS EMAC teams, and North Carolina’s EM GIS Team.

There are many applications for GIS in disaster intelligence. This presentation would allow me the opportunity to shift the stigma/misconceptions of geospatial intelligence in the many disaster frameworks.
 

NSRS Modernization: Understanding the Impact of the 2022 Datums  (Ballroom 1b)

Matt Wellslager (South Carolina Geodetic Survey section of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office)

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will be introducing a new datum, the North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 sometime late in 2026.  Why does the NGS believe the new NATRF2022 datum needs to be created?  To better understand, an understanding of datums and coordinate systems will be identified.  This will be followed with an explanation of why, scientifically, the change/readjustment will occur, an approximation of how much of a shift there will be.  To conclude, there will be a discussion of the latest timeline provided by the NGS for the implementation of NATRF2022.

 

10:15 am – 11:00 am

GIS and Statewide Resilience  (Ballroom 2/3)

Andrew White (South Carolina Office of Resilience)

This presentation will include a brief overview of the South Carolina Office of Resilience, the data products that partner and local agencies might find helpful, and a brief review of GIS in relation to Hurricane Helene. This session will end with time for discussion from attendees on how GIS can enhance their own organization's resilience.

Digitally Transforming a Backflow Testing Program Using GIS and CMMS  (Ballroom 1b)

Jason Brummer (Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission)

With contamination being a constant risk to a water system, backflow devices play a massive role in mitigating some of that danger. Testing backflow devices annually and ensuring they are functioning properly is a key part of the process. However, the larger your system gets, the more difficult it is to track and coordinate this testing. Using Cityworks and ArcGIS, the Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission was able to fully implement their residential and commercial backflow testing in the cloud as of January 2025, helping immensely with the overall tracking and maintenance of all devices. This also includes the management and training of contractors to use our system of record.

High-resolution Deep Learning to Map Tree Canopy Changes in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods, City of Columbia  (Conference Room 1A)

Susan Wang (University of South Carolina), Pengyu Chen, Kirstin Dow, Brian Neiger

Urban tree canopy is a vital component of climate resilience, health and environmental equity especially in disabled communities. In City of Columbia, sustained urban development has raised concerns about the extent of tree canopy covers and canopy loss. This project presents a high-resolution, multi-temporal analysis of tree canopy change in Columbia from 2005 to 2023. Using NAIP aerial imagery and fine-tuned deep learning models, this study extracted tree canopy covers and changes in the past twenty years. Findings reveal substantial canopy loss after 2019, with over 1,500 acres of canopy removed and only 669 acres added in the most recent period. Declines were most pronounced in long-established neighborhoods such as Shandon, where mature trees were predominantly replaced by low vegetation and built structures. This study provides actionable insights for guiding urban greening policies in City of Columbia.

 

11:15 am – 12:00 pm

Tasks in ArcGIS Field Maps   (Ballroom 2/3)

Jay Fowler (Esri )

ArcGIS Field Maps is the all-in-one app for field operations. Built specifically for field teams, ArcGIS Field Maps empowers mobile workers with access to current information, situational awareness, and tools to efficiently and accurately capture and share data from the field, keeping the field and office in sync. ArcGIS Field Maps is adding capabilities to plan and coordinate field tasks which will be covered in this session. Join us to learn about the latest enhancements and what's next for ArcGIS Field Maps.

 

12:00 pm – 1:30 pm - Lunch Buffet

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm

From Maps to Meaning: Innovative Apps from RFA Analytics Mapping Program  (Ballroom 2/3)

Rachel Passer, GISP (SC Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office), AuJour Washington II

The Data Integration and Analysis Division of the Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office offers a variety of services ranging from basic data linkage and mapping to custom application development and spatial analysis. We partner with state agencies, non-profits, researchers, and private entities. This presentation will highlight our services and showcase our innovative ArcGIS apps and dashboards. We make government better by turning health and demographic data into information and information into knowledge.

South Carolina Coastal Atlas: Using ArcGIS StoryMaps to explore the history, tools, and services of the South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program  (Ballroom 1b)

Lyndsey Davis (S.C. Department of Environmental Services / Bureau of Coastal Management)

The South Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program was established in 1977 and in the past 45+ years has experienced many changes and updates. The Coastal Program provides many services, products, and tools to the public, including a variety of web applications.

The South Carolina Coastal Atlas was developed to create an engaging and streamlined public outreach tool to tell the story of the Coastal Program, highlight services offered, and demonstrate the various products and tools developed by the program that are available to the public. This presentation will showcase the South Carolina Coastal Atlas and demonstrate some of the ArcGIS StoryMaps features utilized such as sidecars, map tours, and embedded applications.

 

2:15 pm – 2:45 pm

Resilience 101  (Ballroom 2/3)

Britt Hartley (South Carolina Office of Resilience), Andrew White

The South Carolina Office of Resilience has a core mission of coordinating communities within their watershed boundaries. A part of this coordination is the education about what "Resilience" means to South Carolina. This talk is intended to be GIS-relevant, give an overview of our office, the projects occurring around the state, so that when attendees go back to their respective communities, they know how they can leverage the resources provided through SCOR.

GIS Managed Services - What You Need to Consider  (Ballroom 1b)

Joey Wilson (Avineon)

GIS has abandoned a proprietary world for a more open enterprise environment, where many operational systems must successfully integrate. Maintaining staff with the skills to manage a modern GIS enterprise can be hard for many orgs and outside help is often sought for high-level support. Some vendors now offer Managed Services, which can take many forms, but is meant to support the enterprise GIS in some manner. This presentation will discuss GIS Managed Services in the technology industry.

  

High accuracy mapping: a case study in my garden with Eos GNSS and ArcGIS FieldMaps  (Conference Room 1A)

Tanner Arrington (Freewheel Maps and Eos Positioning Systems )

High accuracy mapping in the field is important in many industries, and it's getting easier to achieve, with GNSS receivers that work directly with GIS-based data collection workflows. Using my yard as a case study to illustrate high accuracy workflows, I mapped 1,000 square feet of garden beds with more than 30 species of plants, documenting species, plant characteristics, and bloom timing with a Eos GNSS unit and ArcGIS Field Maps. The results are illustrated in a dashboard in ArcGIS Online.

 

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Improving Fire Service with GIS  (Ballroom 2/3)

Dale Loberger (Bradshaw Consulting Services)

An introduction to the requirements of the local fire service and how GIS can address those needs by improving technology and processes. Dale Loberger is an active fire chief with decades of experience in GIS. He will lead a discussion of possibilities and answer any questions about changes you can implement in your own jurisdiction.

Walking Through Time: A GIS Comparison of Beaufort’s Tourist Maps from 1939 to Today  (Ballroom 1b)

Kat Kirkland (Interdev)

Walking Through Time explores how Beaufort, SC has represented itself to visitors over the past 85 years through tourist maps. Using GIS to georeference and compare maps from 1939, 1970, 1997, and today, this project highlights shifts in landmarks and naming conventions. The analysis reveals how evolving cartographic choices reflect broader changes in local identity, tourism priorities, and cultural storytelling—offering a spatial narrative of how Beaufort sees itself, and how it wants to be seen.

Energizing the Enterprise: Leveraging GIS at Dominion Energy SC  (Conference Room 1A)

Alison Sengupta (Dominion Energy SC), Joel Mathwig

Dominion Energy South Carolina is leveraging GIS to modernize electric and gas utility operations, drive data-informed planning and decision-making, and improve customer service. This presentation explores how GIS integrations across enterprise platforms—such as network connectivity, enterprise asset management, outage response, and field mobility —are enabling smarter workflows and deeper insights. By connecting spatial data with business systems, Dominion Energy SC is building a more resilient, efficient, and responsive utility infrastructure.

 

3:40 pm – 4:00 pm

Mapping Columbia Water’s Capital Improvement Projects: A GIS Solution for better Coordination  (Ballroom 2/3)

Michael Wagner (City of Columbia Water)

In order to better visualize and maintain current and potential project data for City of Columbia Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs), the City of Columbia Water GIS team has developed a real-time, interactive CIP dashboard linked directly to our GIS for internal use. City engineers are constantly making changes to CIPs, including dollar amounts, project areas, and all things in between; our dashboard allows users to catch up with all completed projects, stay on top of current construction, and have better plans in place for the future of our data. In this talk, I focus on old methods of maintaining our CIP data, the development and implementation of this dashboard and its utilization by the City, including workflows for legacy projects, on-going project updates, and expanded GIS integration opportunities.

Bringing Complex Data to Life with Interactive Dashboards  (Ballroom 1b)

Dominick Bernstein (CDM Smith)

Transportation Demand Model (TDM) outputs can be dense, technical, and difficult to digest especially when presented through traditional static maps. TDMs are used to forecast future travel patterns and evaluate the impacts of proposed infrastructure investments, making them critical tools for long-range transportation planning. This presentation offers a look at a dynamic dashboard built using ArcGIS Dashboards that makes these complex datasets accessible, intuitive, and actionable. Users can toggle between years, scenarios, and build conditions to explore how key metrics change over time, replacing the need for dozens of static maps. This tool demonstrates how interactive GIS can enhance project delivery, improve stakeholder engagement, and support more informed decision-making.

 

4:15 pm – 4:45 pm

Using GIS to Optimize Fire Station Response Times  (Ballroom 2/3)

Nathan Ryan (City of Goose Creek)

This presentation highlights how the City of Goose Creek uses GIS to develop fire station response areas and improve emergency response planning. Attendees will get a high-level look at the tools and steps used to guide the analysis.

 

Transition to ArcGIS Pro with AI  (Ballroom 1b)

Ben Rasmus (LJB Engineering)

I will be talking about multiple conversion processes that local municipalities have struggled with while transitioning from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro and how we can use AI to make these transitions easier. Some of the processes we plan to talk about are geometric network conversions to trace and utility networks, converting attribute assistant functionality to new attribute rules. The goal will be to provide ideas and concepts that could help others while also inspiring groups to use AI to solve other GIS infrastructure problems or improve existing GIS capabilities by expanding on the examples we provide.

 

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Social in the Presidential Dining

Drinks and light hors d'oeuvres will be served in the Presidential Dining Room on the 2nd Floor

 

Friday, September 12th

9:00 am – 9:30 am

Catawba Nation GIS - Building a Legacy  (Ballroom 2/3)

Jim Kiley (Catawba Indian Nation)

Building a legacy means creating something enduring that can be passed on, leaving a lasting and positive impact on the world, whether through your personal life, career, or community. It involves making intentional choices and aligning your actions with your values and purpose to create a positive ripple effect. This presentation will focus on the choices made to establish a firm GIS foundation for the Catawba Indian Nation.

 

Data Decisions: Columbia Water's Data-Driven Sewer Assessment Strategy  (Ballroom 1b)

Stewart Hall (City of Columbia - Columbia Water)

Highlights the utility’s evolving approach to managing and prioritizing sewer infrastructure improvements through data integration and visualization. This presentation outlines the continued progress of Columbia Water’s Sewer Assessment Program, emphasizing the role of digital tools in enhancing operational efficiency. Attendees will gain insight into how the utility leverages a custom dashboard, integrates with Cityworks for asset management, and uses contractor work summaries to support data-informed decision-making. Together, these components form a cohesive strategy for improving system performance, transparency, and long-term planning.

 

9:35 am – 10:05 am

SCDOT: In Our Data Sharing Era  (Ballroom 2/3)

Emily Watts (SCDOT), Elizabeth Thebo

From Fearless Freeways to Gorgeous Greenways, the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s GIS team is here to share the story behind the maps and data that keep our state moving. In this session, we’ll take you on our very own Eras Map Tour—highlighting the datasets, tools, and resources we provide to state and local partners. We’ll explore how collaborative data sharing helps agencies work All Too Well together, reduces duplication, and improves decision-making. Whether you’re new to our mapping resources or a long-time You Belong With GIS fan, you’ll leave with practical knowledge, fresh ideas, and maybe a few Easter eggs for the Swifties in the room.

 

Unearthing forest soils data from AGOL - showcasing layers with dirt on the forest  (Ballroom 1b)

Tamsen Waldron (American Forest Management Inc)

GIS is very helpful in determining activities on the ground.  Soils, Imagery, and so many other layers can be a great starting point for Foresters before any field work begins.  I will showcase the various resources I have found in AGOL hosted layers.  I have come up with process for selecting and using these layers to determine the ground beneath the forest floor.  Soils can help us to determine forest growth, and so many other factors.

 

10:15 am – 11:00 am

AI Applications in ArcGIS: The Future of Geospatial Intelligence  (Ballroom 2/3)

Parker Hinson (Esri)

In this session, we will explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) within the ArcGIS platform. GeoAI, the integration of AI with geospatial technologies, is revolutionizing the way we analyze, interpret, and visualize spatial data. By leveraging AI-driven tools and smart assistants, ArcGIS users can uncover deeper insights, improve predictive modeling, enhance productivity, and simplify GIS workflows across industries. Come discover how AI in ArcGIS is driving smarter, faster, and more intuitive geospatial solutions.

     

11:15 am – 12:00 pm - Closing Session (Door Prizes, Closing Remarks, etc.)

 

12:00 am – 1:30 pm - Lunch Taco Bar

**This agenda is subject to change based on presentation lengths and other factors. Please check back closer to the event for a more detailed and finalized agenda.**

To see the agenda from Past Conferences please visit our Past Events Page.