Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals Board News

The K-12 2026 Education Grants and Higher Education Scholarship Applications Deadline has been Extended to March 27, 2026

Meghan Burns — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMT

2026 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarships

MAGIP Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grant

K-12 Education Grants are intended to help educators engage students with geographic principles. This may involve concepts and include the application of traditional tools and contemporary technologies such as:

Instruction with printed or digital maps
Demonstration of traditional navigation or orienteering skills
Use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Application of Image interpretation or Remote Sensing

Grants may be used for:

Curriculum development for classrooms, after school programs, or sanctioned clubs with student participants
Geographically oriented training for educators
Purchase of equipment or software that will enhance enduring geographic instruction

Eligible applicants include educators, and those working with educators.

Applications are due: March 27, 2026

https://www.magip.org/Grants

MAGIP Higher Education Scholarships

All undergraduate or graduate students enrolled at Montana colleges or universities, carrying the minimum number of required credits for full time enrollment, engaged in geospatially-related projects or research, are eligible to apply to the Higher Education Scholarship.

Award packages include an invitation to present at the annual MAGIP Big Sky GeoCon, accompanied by a complimentary registration. A stipend of $150 is also granted to those traveling more than 100 miles to awardees presenting at the conference.

https://www.magip.org/Scholarships

Applications are due: March 27, 2026

Email the Scholarship and Grants Committee Chair Rob Ahl for more information! Thank you!

2026 MAGIP Elections - Call for Nominations

Meghan Burns — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 22:07:05 GMT

Nominations are now open for the 2026 MAGIP Elections!

Please consider this Call for Nominations for the Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals (MAGIP) 2026 BOD elections.

We currently have four positions open:

Vice President (3-year term Vice President, President, Past President)
Web Administrator (2-year term)

And two At-Large positions which would fill the Committee Chair positions of:

Conference Liaison Chair (2-year term)
Member Development Chair (2-year term)

MAGIP Board Nominations can be submitted using the Survey123 link below that will open in a new window.

Submit your Board Nomination(s)

Nominations close on April 21 at 11:50 pm (MT)

See the MAGIP Elections page and the MAGIP Board of Directors page on the MAGIP website for more information.

Register Now for the 2026 Big Sky GeoCon

Meghan Burns — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 14:03:16 GMT

You're invited to attend the 2026 MAGIP Big Sky GeoCon!

The 2026 Conference will once again feature a robust three days of hands-on workshops, two days of concurrent sessions, a map/poster gallery, exhibitor showcase and social reception, a keynote luncheon featuring John Nelson with Esri, and a hosted dinner and award ceremony.

Please see the 2026 Big Sky GeoCon webpage for more information.

Back by popular demand - we will again be offering an Early Career Professional and Student Roundtable during the conference. In addition, you'll have an opportunity have your resume reviewed during a dedicated "Resume Review" time.

Registration Fees (include all Wednesday & Thursday sessions, social/networking events, coffee breaks, and lunch and dinner on Wednesday).

Registration Type	Early Bird January 28 - March 13	Intermediate Rate March 14 - 29	Late Rate After March 29
MAGIP Member	$270	$345	$425
Non-Member	$350	$425	$505
Student	$75	$75	$75
One Day Only: MAGIP Member	$150	$175	$225
One Day Only: Non-Member	$200	$225	$275

NOTE: Workshops on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday are in addition to conference registration. Select workshops and pricing during the registration process.

Conference Registration Cancellation Policy: Cancellations must be made in writing and emailed to Michelle Quinn, MAGIP Administrator. Cancellations made by March 20, 2026, may be issued a full refund. Cancellations made after this time will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to a minimum $100 cancellation fee. "No shows" forfeit entire registration fee.

We look forward to seeing you in Whitefish!

For more information contact Michelle Quinn, MAGIP Administrator, or Jeff Hedstrom, the Conference Liaison.

2025/2025 MAGIP Member Satisfaction Survey

Meghan Burns — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 15:00:00 GMT

As a MAGIP member, your feedback is incredibly valuable and helps our organization do its best to serve the Montana GIS community and our members.

Please take the time to fill out our 2025/2026 Member Satisfaction Survey and share your thoughts on how well MAGIP is doing and how we can do better.

The member survey can be accessed via the link below:

https://magip.org/MemberSurvey

Note: you will have to log in to access the survey. As a member you should also have received an email with the direct link to the survey.

Survey Responses will be accepted through the final day of Big Sky GeoCon: April 17, 2026.

Thank you!!

2026 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarships

Meghan Burns — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:09:19 GMT

2026 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarships

MAGIP Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grant

Instruction with printed or digital maps
Demonstration of traditional navigation or orienteering skills
Use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Application of Image interpretation or Remote Sensing

Grants may be used for:

Curriculum development for classrooms, after school programs, or sanctioned clubs with student participants
Geographically oriented training for educators
Purchase of equipment or software that will enhance enduring geographic instruction

Eligible applicants include educators, and those working with educators.

https://www.magip.org/Grants

MAGIP Higher Education Scholarships

https://www.magip.org/Scholarships

Applications are due March 20, 2026

2025 Election Results

Meghan Burns — Tue, 20 May 2025 21:58:47 GMT

Election Results

Jackson Rose, President
Mike Powell, Vice President
Nick Lewis, Treasurer
Lauren Wilcox, Secretary
Dave Rea, Technical Committee Chair
Dr. Robert Ahl, Grants and Scholarships Committee Chair

Congratulations to our new MAGIP Board Members!

New Board Members will officially take office on May 27.

Visit the Elections page for more information.

2025 Elections - View the Nominees

Meghan Burns — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:49:48 GMT

Visit the MAGIP Elections page to view the 2025 Nominees:

https://magip.org/Elections

Elections open April 28 and close May 12.

2025 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarship Recipients

Meghan Burns — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 20:40:39 GMT

MAGIP Scholarship and Grants Committee 2025 Annual Report

MAGIP awarded scholarships to two PhD students and undergraduate students at The University of Montana, Montana State University, and Montana Technological University. Second, we had the pleasure of establishing a long-term weed mapping and monitoring program through the K-12 education grant with the innovative work being done by Sarah Tabor at Belgrade High School.

K-12 Education Grants

Sarah Tabor and the Belgrade High School in Belgrade

Sarah Tabor and her science students will elaborate on a weed mapping program they established in 2023 on a section of state land near the high school that is enjoyed by students and the public alike. Their work will help state managers better understand the distribution, density, and diversity of weeds on the property. While collecting and analyzing the invasive weed data students will develop critical STEM skills, and in doing so help enhance the ability to manage a valued community resource.

Higher Education Scholarships

Miles Fenolio, Undergraduate Student from the University of Montana

Miles is an undergraduate student at the University of Montana. He has been working at the O’Conner Center for the Rocky Mountain West and as an early academic developed a firm understanding of geospatial technologies. In addressing urban planning concerns, he plans on mapping the high-water mark within Missoula to help planners and enforcement officials understand the environmental delineations to urban camping regulations. His work will surely be of vital importance to planners in Missoula and many other cities like it that are facing ever-pressing pressures on city resources.

Eqi Luo, PhD Student from Montana State University

Eqi is a PhD student in the Earth Sciences Department at Montana State University. He has a strong interest in human geography and will focus on the development of methods that integrate remotes sensing of landcover and climate to model human settlement in response to climate change. As the world faces unprecedented demands on all resources, developing innovative methods to understand human population dynamics will be highly valued.

Ali Saud, PhD Student from Montana Technological University

Ali is a PhD student in the Geological Engineering department at Montana Technological University. He has a background in electrical engineering and is focusing on the development of a multi-directional magnetic gradient sensor. This work will enhance the ability to detect and map mineral resources, including rare earth metals. Prototypes will be tested at known deposits in the Bearpaw mountains, and the results of this work will undoubtably help meet an ever-increasing demand for resources that are fueling the technological revolution of our time.

2025 Elections - Call for Nominations

Meghan Burns — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:00:00 GMT

Please consider this Call for Nominations for the MAGIP (Montana Association of GIS Professionals).

We currently have six positions open:

President (special election due to Board appointment of VP)
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary

And two At-Large positions which would fill the Committee Chair positions of:

Technical Committee
Scholarship & Grants Committee

You can nominate yourself or someone else, but the nominee must be a member in good standing to qualify. I would strongly encourage you to get permission from the nominee’s employer before submitting a nomination.

Nominations can be submitted using this survey.

Please contact current board members or the election committee (Mike Powell or Meghan Burns) if you have any questions.

See the election page and the Board of Directors page on the MAGIP website for more information.

On behalf of the MAGIP Election Subcommittee, thank you for your consideration.

Mike Powell, Past President

2025 MAGIP K-12 Education Grants & Higher Education Scholarships

Meghan Burns — Thu, 23 Jan 2025 15:54:02 GMT

MAGIP is now accepting applications for the:

Applications are due March 21, 2025

Contact the Scholarship and Grants Committee Chair for more information

GIS Day Web Map Contest Results

Meghan Burns — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 21:38:45 GMT

The results are in for the GIS Day Web Map Contest!

1st Place- MT Mountain Ranges by Amy Wally
2nd Place- GVLT Conserved Lands by Eddie Webb
3rd place- McCall, ID Trail Guide by John Driessen

Congratulations to our Contest Winners!

View more info on all of MAGIP's GIS Day Activities.

Conference Planning Kickoff Meeting

Meghan Burns — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 19:32:03 GMT

It’s that time again to start planning for the next Big Sky GeoCon! The 2025 GeoCon will be held April 14-17, 2025 at the Delta Hotel, Helena, Montana.

On behalf of Jeff Hedstrom, 2025 MAGIP Conference Liaison and Local Conference Chair, we would like to invite anyone who wishes to participate on the committee to please contact Michelle Quinn.

The first meeting of the committee is Thursday, October 10^th at 1:00 pm. At that meeting we can then establish a standing day/time moving forward that works best for everyone.

We look forward to starting the planning process and working with all of you!

Best regards,

Michelle Quinn and Jeff Hedstrom

Welcome our new MAGIP Vice President Jackson Rose

Meghan Burns — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 16:51:13 GMT

MAGIP Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals on LinkedIn: Please give a warm welcome to MAGIP's new Board Vice President, Jackson…

Jackson Rose was appointed to the vacant Vice President position by the MAGIP Board at the September 10-11, 2024, Strategic Planning Board meeting.

2024 GIS Day Events

Meghan Burns — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 21:48:36 GMT

Mark your calendar for GIS Day, November 20th, 2024!

Map-a-thon:

MAGIP is continuing to sponsor the map-a-thon event on GIS Day to help map powerlines throughout Montana.

Want to host a meetup?

If you are interested in hosting a map-a-thon event in your area, contact Hilary Kauth by and submit a Member Support Request for up to $200 funding or volunteer support!

Web Map Contest:

We are also bringing back the popular web map contest! Submit an application you've been working on professionally or personally for a chance to win a cash prize. Prizes are awarded to 1st ($100), 2nd ($50), and 3rd ($25) place contestants voted on by our membership. View previous GIS day map submissions from our membership for ideas or inspiration.

Map submissions should be submitted to Hilary Kauth by November 17th.

View all activities on the GIS Day page.

Thanks,

Hilary Kauth, MAGIP Secretary

MAGIP Request for Assistance is now Member Support

Meghan Burns — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:00:00 GMT

We are excited to announce the launch of the new Survey123 request for
assistance form!

As a benefit of the non-profit ArcGIS Online license, we have
been able to transition our request form from Wufoo to Survey123.

This also has the added benefit of being able to automatically map our
requests by city!

You will note that the updated Request for Assistance page has been
rebranded as Member Support.

https://magip.org/RequestAssistance

On this page you will find:

The link to the new request form
The Meetup Request Policy
The Request for Assistance Sign-in Sheet Template for Events
There is also a link to view past requests

Note: that only MAGIP members in good standing will be able to view the Survey123 form once they have logged into their account.

Thank you to Hilary Kauth and Curtis DeVault for all their work updating this form!

Meghan Burns
MAGIP Web Administrator

Website Redesign Launched

Meghan Burns — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 14:00:00 GMT

The new website is up and running. Huge thanks to our working group members, Meghan, Hilary, Tessa, Curtis. Please take a look. It is different but, hopefully you will find it easier to navigate through the content. We certainly invite feedback as the site is ready but there are still some tweaks that can be made.

If you have any feedback, please send it to magip.mt+web@gmail.com or to mpowell@yellowstonecountymt.gov and we will certainly take a look and see what we can do.

Thanks for your patience’s and enjoy the website.

Mike Powell, MAGIP Past President

Website Update Planned

Meghan Burns — Wed, 29 May 2024 17:37:45 GMT

The MAGIP Website Working Group on behalf of the MAGIP Board of Directors would like to provide an update on the website redesign. The working group has been working hard over the last several months reviewing and redesigning the website, and we are now ready to move forward with making the changes official to the website. The MAGIP website will be down on the week of June 17th to make these changes. If for any reason this timeframe is going to conflict with anyone, please let me know as soon as you can so that options can be discussed.

Thank you for your understanding during this transition so that we may offer you this additional functionality.

Contact the Website Working Group here: magip.mt+web@gmail.com

2024 MAGIP Election Results

Meghan Burns — Wed, 29 May 2024 13:30:00 GMT

Thank you to everyone that voted this year.

We would like to welcome:

Meghan Burns – New Web Administrator (new official position)
Helen Paris – New Member Development Chair
Jeff Hedstrom – New Conference Liaison

The Proposed Bylaws updates – Passed

You can see the results here.

We would like to say good-bye and thanks the following board members for a great job:

Erich Schreier: Past Conference Liaison
Mike Eidum: Past Member Development Chair

Our current President, Jeff Sprock, who would be transitioning to Past President this week, is stepping down. Jeff asked if I could remain as Past President for one more year, which I was happy to do.

At the last Board meeting, the Board voted to approve Mike Powell remaining as past president for one more year.

As you can see there is no mention of a new Vice President/President/Past President position. We have yet to find anyone willing to step up to fill the position. We are actively looking for someone at this time.

If you are interested or know someone that is, please get a hold of a MAGIP Board Member to let them know so that we can follow up with them. MAGIP is a great organization that tries to help/support everyone in the state with their needs. However, it can only be done through volunteers like you. Thanks

Mike Powell, MAGIP Past President

MAGIP Funds the Youth Forest Monitoring Program with the Memorial Van Shelhamer K-12 Education Grant

Meghan Burns — Wed, 01 May 2024 13:00:00 GMT

The Montana Discovery Foundation (MDF) foundation supports the Youth Forest Monitoring Program (YFMP), which is a participatory science program that engages high school youth in monitoring forest health, that includes noxious weed management on forest lands. Noxious weeds management is an important theme in Montana, and this grant follows a similar path that last year’s recipient, Sarah Tabor, has begun at the Belgrade High School. With our support, the Montana Discovery Foundation will be able to obtain matching funding for field equipment, and thereby expand an already successful program by engaging high school students in citizen science that monitors noxious weeds on public lands. Students will record noxious weeds using a web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species and pest distribution. Their observations and recommendations will be included in reports submitted to the Forest Service, and this will help the agency to enhance their ability to manage this serious threat our ecosystem integrity in Montana. For more information about this terrific program, you can contact the program manager, Elizabeth Burke.

Last year they made a video celebrating 25 years of YFMP. This includes interviews with past YFMP alumni and footage from the 25th cohort last year. It provides a wonderful look at the roots of the program and how it often leads alumni along of path of Natural Resource employment.

For more information visit the Memorial Van Shelhamer K-12 Education Grant page

2024 MAGIP Elections - Nominations are Open!

Meghan Burns — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 15:00:33 GMT

MAGIP Membership,

Please consider this Call for Nominations for the MAGIP (Montana Association of GIS Professionals). Last Chance to Volunteer! If you are interested in volunteering for our group, please do so by Monday, April 22, 2024.

We currently have four positions open:

Vice President
Web Administrator

And, two At-Large positions which would fill the Committee Chair positions of:

Members Development Committee
Conference Liaison Committee

Nominations can be submitted using this survey. Nominations are due Monday, April 22, 2024

Please contact current board members or the election committee (Mike Powell, Meghan Burns) if you have any questions.

See the Election page and the Board of Directors page on the MAGIP website for more information.

On behalf of the MAGIP Election Subcommittee, thank you for your consideration.

Mike Powell, Past President

Bootcamp GIS - GIS Certificate Program

Meghan Burns — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 21:06:02 GMT

New resource just added to the Training Resources page!

The Bootcamp GIS Enterprise GIS Certificate / Career Services Program was added to the Montana Eligible Training Provider List. This allows any low-income individual to qualify for FREE tuition to enroll in the GIS Certificate program. They are an Esri Business Partner, but you can view the entire Course Catalog to see the Esri and non-Esri tech stack and problems they address. The majority of classes would be useful for most people already using GIS but missing enterprise skills.

Bootcamp is taught by SMEs from around the country. There could be a invitation for someone with a compelling project to enter our instructor cadre.

www.bootcampgis.com

2024 MAGIP Education Grants & Higher Education Scholarships

Meghan Burns — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 14:30:00 GMT

MAGIP is now accepting applications for the 2024 MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarships and the MAGIP Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grants!

Applications are due March 25, 2024

Contact the Scholarship and Grants Committee Chair for more information

Conference Registration is Now Open!

Jeff Hedstrom — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 21:53:32 GMT

Registration is Now Open for the 2024 Big Sky GeoCon! This year’s conference will once again feature a robust two days of hands-on workshops, two days of consecutive sessions, a map/poster gallery, exhibitor showcase and social reception, a keynote luncheon and awards dinner. Please see the conference webpage for more information.

Mapping Contest

Hilary Kauth — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 20:31:51 GMT

Powerlines pose difficulties to various agencies regarding land management, safety, and communication. MAGIP would like to see how the GIS community could use this data in our new mapping contest. Build a unique map, application, or dashboard with a creative or informative story that used the powerline data collected during GIS Day combined with any other datasets. The maps will be judged and displayed during the Big Sky GeoCon in Billings. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Download the mapathon and homeland security data to get started. Have your map or link submitted to magip-board@googlegroups.com by April 13th.

2024 Call for Award Nominations!

Jeff Hedstrom — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:51:02 GMT

The Montana Association of Geographic Professionals (MAGIP) biannually presents two awards. The Distinguished Service Award is presented for long-term service and leadership to the Montana GIS community and the GIS profession. The GIS Professional Livability Award recognizes an individual's measurable contribution to the application of GIS, thus improving the quality of life within their community.

The awards will be presented at the Big Sky GeoCon dinner on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Billings.

Click Here to submit your nomination!

The deadline for submission is February 29, 2024.

If you plan to submit multiple nominations, please create a separate submission for each. Each nomination requires a one-page letter of nomination, two references who also support the nomination, and any supporting documentation.

On behalf of MAGIP Awards Committee, we look forward to hearing from you!

Applicants for the Distinguished Service Award must:

Have substantial years of service (10+) in or supporting the Montana GIS Community and a desire to continue to serve
Displays exemplary accomplishments as a GIS Professional, selfless service to the profession and participation in committees, workgroups, and organizations that support the Montana geospatial community
Has an impact within and / or external to the realm of the member's workplace
Undertakes and leads activities that benefit the GIS Community outside of regular job responsibilities
Demonstrates initiative, resourcefulness and creativity and is willing to seek out and pursue new challenges that benefit the Montana GIS Profession
Acknowledged by his / her peers for leadership and substantial service to the profession and community

Applicants for the Livability Award must:

Demonstrate a measurable contribution to the education, communication, coordination, and application of GIS technologies that have been a major influence to the growth and use of GIS in creating a more livable community
Express exemplary dedication with focus to the development and implementation of GIS technologies which enhance individual and community life and promote the efficient use of community resources
Acknowledged by his \ her peers for perseverance with belief and purpose; tasking themselves with the growth, as well as the challenges of GIS development for them and for their neighbor...sometimes in the face of discouragement

Questions? Contact Erich Schreier, 2024 Conference Liaison

GIS Day Mapathon

Hilary Kauth — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 23:00:00 GMT

To celebrate GIS Day, MAGIP is hosting a one-day Mapathon event for volunteers to collaborate on data collection in Montana. Volunteers will focus on creating a statewide publicly available power line feature class by filling in gaps in the OpenStreetMaps dataset. Event locations include Helena, Bozeman, Missoula and Billings. Find more information and RSVP here.

2023 MAGIP Elections Results

Jeff Hedstrom — Wed, 17 May 2023 15:41:13 GMT

Congratulations to the following MAGIP Members on winning the 2023 Board Member Election:

Vice President - Gail Jorgenson, City of Bozeman

Treasurer - Nate Wold, DNRC

Secretary - Hilary Kauth, Department of Military Affairs

Technical Committee Chair - Tessa Switzer, City of Great Falls

Scholarship & Grants Committee Chair - Rob Ahl, USDA

The proposed amendments to MAGIP’s Bylaws in Article II & Article III, PASSED with 87% of the respondents voting 'For', 9.1% voting to 'Abstain' and 3.9% voting 'Against' the changes.

The proposed amendments to MAGIP's Constitution in Article IV, PASSED with 88.3% of the respondents voting 'For', 9.1% voting to 'Abstain' and 2.6% voting 'Against' the changes.

Thank you to everyone who ran for the various positions and for your dedication to MAGIP.

And a special thank you to the out-going Board members, Jeff Hedstrom, Jason Danielson and Aaron Vaughn, for your time, dedication and commitment to making MAGIP a great organization to be a part of.

2023 MAGIP Election is Open!

Jeff Hedstrom — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 14:56:19 GMT

The MAGIP Elections Committee is pleased to announced that the Election is now open!

The 2023 MAGIP Board of Directors Election is now open now and will remain open until May 12 at 5pm. If your MAGIP membership is up to date, you should have received your e-mail ballot this morning, April 27. The ballot was sent using Wild Apricot (the email may appear to be sent from admin@magip.org) and is unique to each MAGIP Member. If you are a MAGIP Member and you did not receive a ballot, please check your spam and junk folders, and then contact us to have one sent to you.

If you want to become a MAGIP Member and participate in the election, please go to the MAGIP Membership page to join. It may take one or two business days for us to send you your ballot after you join.

Please see the MAGIP 2023 Election page for more information and a list of the candidates with the bios and photos.

On behalf of MAGIP and the Elections Committee, we thank you for your vote.

Jeff Hedstrom, MAGIP Past President

Mike Powell, MAGIP President

Meghan Burns, MAGIP Web Subcommittee Chair

2023 MAGIP Elections - Meet the Nominees

Jeff Hedstrom — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 18:35:54 GMT

The MAGIP Elections Committee is pleased to announced information about the upcoming election!

The board is proposing revisions to MAGIP’s Bylaws, Article II & Article III and amendments to MAGIP’s Constitution, Article IV. Please review the specific changes to the respective articles in the above links.

The elections for both the new board members and the proposed Bylaw and Constitution amendments will open April 27 and will close May 12.

Meet the Nominees for the open board positions.

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President)

Gail Jorgenson, City of Bozeman

Treasurer - Elected to two (2) year term

Nate Wold, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation

Secretary - Elected to two (2) year term

Hilary Kauth, Department of Military Affairs

Katie Shank, Guidewire Software

Technical Committee Chair - Elected to two (2) year term

Tessa Switzer, City of Great Falls

Scholarship & Grants Committee Chair - Elected to two (2) year term

Rob Ahl, USDA Forest Service

Craig Threlkeld, DJ&A P.C.

For Photos and Bios of each of the Candidates visit:

Election Page

If you have any questions about the upcoming election or proposed Bylaws & Constitution amendments please reach out to the Election Committee: Jeff Hedstrom, Mike Powell or Meghan Burns for more information.

Additional information on the elections, current Governing documents, and the Board can be found at the following link.

On behalf of MAGIP and the Elections Committee, we thank you for your consideration.

Jeff Hedstrom, MAGIP Past President

MAGIP 2023 Scholarship and Grants Awarded

Meghan Burns — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 19:23:39 GMT

MAGIP Scholarship and Grants Committee 2023 Annual Report

Committee Chair: Rob Ahl

For the Scholarship and Grants Committee and their nominees, the year 2023 was both extraordinary and innovative. First, we awarded scholarships to students on both sides of the continental divide, at The University of Montana and Montana State University, and second we had the pleasure of awarding more K-12 education grants than we have in the past five years. And lastly, in the theme of this year’s Big Sky Geocon “Common Ground - Building Connections with GIS” we are promoting collaboration between two of our education grantees and in-kind contributions from our friends at The University of Montana Autonomous Aerial Systems Office (AASO). In that joint venture, AASO will provide the use of a specifically designed unmanned aerial system, remote pilots and data processing that will yield ortho-mosaic muti-band imagery and other derivatives to be used in a joint vegetation mapping project on state lands adjacent to the Belgrade High School. Together, students from Sentinel High School in Missoula and Belgrade High school will design a system to accomplish their goals, participate in the flights, learn about data processing, collect reference data, and produce a classified vegetation map that state land managers can use. This is a novel approach to how we allocate education grants and we are excited about implementing it. A third school, the DeSmet School is a Title One school that serves students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in Missoula County, will involve their middle school students in a “River of Life” program developed by Trout Unlimited, in learning about and gathering spatial data on trout habitat in the Clark Fork River.

K-12 Education Grants

Sarah Tabor and the Belgrade High School in Belgrade

Sarah Tabor and her science students will collaborate with Joseph Yakawich and the students in his Aeronautical Engineering course on a joint vegetation mapping project. Sarah and her team will focus on the ground component of this project by designing a sampling protocol, noxious weed identification and spatial reference data collection with hand held devices. They will also be involved in the classification of imagery to define spatial patterns of weeds in a section of state land next to their school.

Joseph Yakawich and the Sentinel High School in MIssoula

Joseph and the students in his Aeronautical Engineering course will work with the University of Montana Autonomous Aerial Systems Office to learn about the wide variety of instruments used to collect aerial imagery in support of a mapping project. In their work they will learn about the interaction between the vehicles and sensors used to collect data, and how those collected data are processed to yield products necessary for creating maps for land managers.

Stacy Bateman at the DeSmet PK-8 School in Missoula

Stacy Bateman is focused on providing her students with real-world, authentic learning experiences. To accomplish this she is using a learning program from Trout Unlimited to bring her classroom outdoors, with spatial data collection devices, to learn about native and non-native trout and their habitats in the Clark Fork River near their school. They intend to map trout habitat and generate a Storymap describing their project.

Higher Education Scholarships

Anna Moser from the University of Montana

Anna is a graduate student in the Department of Geography, and her research places her in a long line of students in the program studying the impacts of climate change on the distribution and characteristics of arctic vegetation in Alaska. Her work will involve a field season in the arctic, collecting reference measurements that will be related to high-resolution aerial imagery collected by unmanned aerial systems.

Eliza Rickenbaugh from Montana State University

Eliza is a graduate student in MSU’s Earth Sciences Department, focusing on water resources and remote sensing. In her work, Eliza will use a novel remote sensing approach to model the spatial and temporal patterns of snow accumulation and melt in a mountainous watershed near Yellowstone Park. Her work will help us better understand how water from snowmelt contributes to agricultural production, and that is certainly valuable for Montanans.

2023 Elections - Call for Nominations

Jeff Hedstrom — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 15:46:20 GMT

Open Board of Directors Positions

Nominations are open through April 20, 2023 for the following positions:

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President).

Duties Include:

Parliamentarian – be aware of bylaws and meeting procedures
Step in for presidential duties when necessary
Attend Board and committee meetings
Help plan MAGIP events
Promote MAGIP

Treasurer - Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:

Keep track of MAGIP accounts
Create draft annual budget for Board review and approval
· Provides budget updates at Board meetings

Secretary - Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:

Record minutes at Board meetings
Post meeting agendas, minutes, and board decisions to the website

Technical Committee Chair – Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:

Responsible for planning and organizing workshops at the annual GIS conference
Responsible for advising the board and membership on technical issues

Scholarship & Grants Chair – Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:

Oversee the annual Education Grants and Higher Education Scholarships

Please consider nominating yourself, or someone who you think would make a great addition to the board, using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MAGIP23Election

In addition to filling these roles, the board is also proposing changes to MAGIP’s Bylaws, Article II & Article III and amendments to MAGIP’s Constitution, Article IV. Please review the specific changes to the respective articles in the above links. The elections for both the new board members and the proposed Bylaw and Constitution amendments will open April 27 and will close May 12.

If you have any questions on the nominations or proposed Bylaw changes please reach out to the Election Committee: Jeff Hedstrom, Mike Powell or Meghan Burns for more information.

Additional information on the elections, current governing documents, and the board can be found at the following link.

2023 Big Sky GeoCon: Call for Posters

Meghan Burns — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 15:36:38 GMT

The 2023 Big Sky GeoCon Committee and the Montana Association of Geographic Professionals (MAGIP) invite you to participate in the Map/Poster Gallery at the 2023 Big Sky GeoCon to be held at the Best Western Grantree Inn, Bozeman MT, April 3-6.

Through the use of maps the MAGIP Community has demonstrated many creative and insightful ways to share their message with their audience. If you have created posters, maps or web applications that you are proud of and would like to put on display for a large group of GIS professionals, the Map Gallery would be a perfect opportunity to show them to the MAGIP community. We encourage you to enter your maps and web mapping applications to the Map Gallery, for display at this year’s conference! All entries will be evaluated by judges during the conference for possible cash awards totaling $700.

Click here for complete Poster/Map Guidelines and Policy Document

Click the Register button now to submit your poster/map! Submit by Friday, March 10. If you plan to submit more than one poster/map, please create a separate submission for each.

Notification of acceptance will be made on or before March 17. All persons submitting a poster will be expected to register for the conference upon acceptance. (early bird registration will be honored)

After notification of acceptance, you will receive the Judging Categories/Guidelines.

On behalf of your 2023 Big Sky GeoCon Planning Committee, we look forward to hearing from you!

Changes for the New Year

Meghan Burns — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 21:41:28 GMT

As we begin 2023, we want to highlight our incredible year and provide an update on upcoming changes.

Accomplishments
MAGIP continues our effort to keep our community informed of happenings in and around Montana, as well as providing opportunities for meetups outside our annual conference. We appreciate the opportunities for our membership to meet in person to collaborate, share ideas, and discuss common issues. Our annual Big Sky GeoCon in Missoula was another great success, as we enjoyed our first in-person gathering since 2019. We supported multiple meetups last year, including numerous to celebrate GIS Day. The 2023 Big Sky GeoCon Conference Planning Committee has been working hard at preparing and organizing for the conference in Bozeman in April. MAGIP started a new Special Interest Group (SIG) for Local Government and will add a new LiDAR SIG in 2023. The MAGIP Board also approved the initiative to grow our social media presence.

Board of Directors Meeting minutes and/or recordings are located on our Board of Directors Meetings webpage, and Work Plans are located on our Governing Documents webpage. As always, we encourage our members to continue to monitor emails, social media, and our website for news and updates.

Annual Membership Fee Increase and Structure Changes
MAGIP membership fees have not increased since the organization’s origin. Last year, the MAGIP Board initiated an evaluation of our membership structure and existing fees. A Task Force was formed to review and analyze historic fees and membership levels (Associate Member A, Associate Member B, etc.). Upon careful review and consideration, a new fee structure and membership model has been approved. Click this link to view the Task Force Recommendation letter. Membership fees have increased, and membership levels have been condensed to provide an efficient alternative for larger organizations:

---
Individual Membership: $50 Annually ($20 increase)
Student Membership: $25 Annually ($10 increase)
Restructure Associate Membership as follows:
   - Rename Associate Membership to “Organizational Membership,”
   - Organizational Membership includes 5 members at the cost of $250 Annually. Additional
      Members can be added at $40 per person annually ($10 savings)
---

Fees for the 2023 Big Sky GeoCon will not change, and MAGIP members will continue to receive a member discount.

Renewal Date Change
In conjunction with the fee increase, the MAGIP Board has also reviewed our existing renewal process. The Board has determined that all memberships be renewed on a single date (rather than when a member initially initiated a membership). The transition to an annual renewal date will assist administration with member management, analysis, and help prepare for our annual elections process. The Board has worked diligently to determine how this change will affect existing memberships and recent renewals. We feel this timeline is appropriate, as it provides a renewal opportunity one month prior to our annual conference. Renewals will begin on March 1, and we will continue to provide correspondence as the deadline nears. We will make every effort for a seamless transition.

We understand these changes are significant but acknowledge their justification. Please email the board or contact any board member if you have any questions. We look forward to strengthening our community and relationships, and we appreciate your continued support!

MAGIP Board of Directors

Mike Powell (President)
Jeff Sprock (Vice President)
Jeff Hedstrom (Past President)
Aaron Vaughn
Nate Wold
Robert Ahl
Michael Eidum
Erich Schreier
Eric Spangenberg
Jason Danielson

2023 Big Sky GeoCon: Sponsor/Exhibitors

Meghan Burns — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 01:38:56 GMT

The Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals (MAGIP) invite you to participate in the 2023 Big Sky GeoCon, April 3-6. This year’s GeoCon will be held at the GranTree Best Western in Bozeman, Montana. This year’s theme for the conference is “Common Ground – Building Connections with GIS” and we are hoping you can help us complement our program by participating as a Sponsor/Exhibitor.

MAGIP is a non-profit professional association that works to identify and support the strengths of its members, find solutions to individual and collective problems, and address the needs of the Montana GIS community as a whole. Our Association has over 200 active members from every level of GIS expertise, and from many different professional fields. Big Sky GeoCon serves as MAGIP’s and Montana’s key geospatial networking event!

We anticipate a diverse group of geospatial technology users and professionals to be in attendance, representing: federal, state, tribal, local government, university/educational, nonprofit, and private business sectors. Big Sky GeoCon attendees embody a wide variety of professions including natural resources, agriculture, utilities, geospatial services, mining, and timber.

The conference will cover a broader spectrum of content including analytics, data acquisition, data science, and how geospatial technology augments them all. It should prove to be a great event to showcase your Company’s technology or services to a diverse audience.

Secure your sponsorship today for the largest and most well attended GIS event in Montana!

View the Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus (pdf) and then secure your Sponsorship and Register Today!

2023 Big Sky GeoCon: Call for Presentations

Meghan Burns — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 01:33:27 GMT

The 2023 Big Sky GeoCon Planning Committee and the Montana Association of Geographic Professionals (MAGIP) is looking for presenters to share their ideas, work, research and expertise and invite you to participate in the presentation of papers, electronic demonstrations and/or panel discussions during the 2023 Big Sky GeoCon, April 3-6 at the Best Western Grantree Inn, Bozeman, Montana.

This year's Big Sky GeoCon will be an interactive gathering attracting a wide variety of GIS users from federal, state, local, tribal and educational institutions as well as private organizations.

With information geared to both new and seasoned users of geospatial technology, the conference is a great opportunity to share, connect, collaborate and be inspired. We encourage you to share your expertise, projects, stories or explorations in any GIS-related field.

Below are the proposed categories for presentation:

GIS in Health
Conservation/Natural Resources
Emergency Services
Government
AEC Engineering Design/Asset Management/Utilities
UAS/Remote Sensing
Tribal

Deadline for submission is extended to February 10, 2023. You will receive notification of acceptance on or before February 17, 2023. Accepted presenters will be expected to register for at least one day of the conference unless only attending to present and then immediately signing off.

Visit the Presentation Submission link to submit your presentation!

If you plan to submit multiple track presentations, please create a separate submission for each.

On behalf of your 2023 Big Sky GeoCon Planning Committee, we look forward to your participation!

For more information visit: 2023 Big Sky GeoCon

GIS DAY 2022 - Web Map Contest Winners!

Jeff Hedstrom — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 04:47:36 GMT

GIS DAY 2022

Wednesday, November 16

MAGIP WEB MAP CONTEST WINNERS!

1^ST PLACE - $100 PRIZE

Bobbi Johnson, Billings PD

“Billings PD Neighborhood Task Force Areas Info & Crime Hub”

2^nd PLACE - $50 PRIZE

Kim Kresan and Jeff LeProwse, Water and Environmental Technologies (WET)

“Anaconda Deer-Lodge Cemeteries”

3^rd PLACE - $25 PRIZE

Jeff Sprock and Joel Griffin, City of Billings

“Billings Capital Project Dashboard”

2022 Map Gallery

A big thank you to everyone who submitted maps to this year's contest, and thanks to everyone who participated by voting for their favorite!

GIS Day Web Map Contest

Meghan Burns — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 14:00:00 GMT

GIS DAY 2022

Wednesday, November 16

Enter your web maps & apps:

Contest Entry Form

Web Maps and Applications will be voted on by the GIS Community.

Winners will be announced after voting closing on Wednesday, GIS DAY.

Visit the MAGIP GIS Day page for more info

New Conference Liaison Announced

Meghan Burns — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 14:00:00 GMT

The MAGIP Board of Directors has appointed a new Conference Liaison.

Please welcome Erich Schreier, a GIS Specialist with the City of Bozeman, to the MAGIP Board!

Erich replaces Haley Jurecki, who resigned in June after taking on a new employment opportunity.

2022 MAGIP Elections Results

Jeff Hedstrom — Wed, 18 May 2022 15:22:37 GMT

Congratulations to the following MAGIP Members on winning the 2022 Board Member Election:

Vice President - Jeff Sprock, City of Billings

Member Development Chair - Mike Eidum, MDT

Conference Liaison – Haley Jurecki, Axim Geospatial

The proposed changes to MAGIP’s Bylaws in Article II, Sections 1 and 4, PASSED with 88% of the respondents voting 'For', 10.6% voting to 'Abstain' and 1.5% voting 'Against' the changes. View a summary of the election voting results in this document.

Thank you to everyone who ran for the various positions and for your dedication to MAGIP.

And a special thank you to the out-going Board members, Michael Krueger, Steve Jay and Phoebe Ferguson, for your time, dedication and commitment to making MAGIP a great organization to be a part of.

2022 MAGIP Election - Meet the Candidates

Meghan Burns — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 16:33:24 GMT

Open Board of Directors Positions

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President)

Jeff Sprock, City of Billings

Member Development Chair - Elected to two (2) year term

Mike Eidum, MDT
Garin Wally, City of Missoula

Conference Liaison – Elected to two (2) year term

Haley Jurecki, City of Helena
Brendan Wiltshire, Stillwater County

For Photos and Bios of each of the Candidates visit:

https://www.magip.org/2022Elections/

In addition to filling these roles, the board is also proposing changes to MAGIP’s Bylaws in Article II, Sections 1 and 4. Please review the specific changes, which are highlighted in this document. At this juncture, we would ask for your review to get acquainted with the changes.

The elections for both the new board members and this proposed Bylaw revision will open May 2nd and will close May 16th.

If you have any questions on the nominations or proposed Bylaw changes please reach out to the Election Committee: Michael Krueger, Jeff Hedstrom, or Meghan Burns for more information.

2022 Elections - Call for Nominations

Meghan Burns — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 16:16:16 GMT

Open Board of Directors Positions

Nominations are open through April 25, 2022 for the following positions:

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President).

Duties Include:

Parliamentarian – be aware of bylaws and meeting procedures
Step in for presidential duties when necessary
Attend Board and committee meetings
Help plan MAGIP events
Promote MAGIP

Member Development Chair - Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:

Ensure that the continuing education needs of the membership are met, GISP certification assistance
Recruitment of new members and retention of existing members
Oversees the mentoring program and GIS Day activities
Report Updates at Board Meetings

Conference Liaison – Elected to two (2) year term

Responsible for planning and coordinating the annual GIS conference
Responsible for the assembling the conference committee
Report Updates at Board Meetings

Please consider nominating yourself, or someone who you think would make a great addition to the board, using this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MAGIP_2022_BOD_Nominations

In addition to filling these roles, the board is also proposing changes to MAGIP’s Bylaws in Article II, Sections 1 and 4. Please review the specific changes, which are highlighted in this document. At this juncture, we would ask for your review to get acquainted with the changes. The elections for both the new board members and this proposed Bylaw revision will open May 2nd and will close May 16th.

If you have any questions on the nominations or proposed Bylaw changes please reach out to the Election Committee: Michael Krueger, Jeff Hedstrom, or Meghan Burns for more information.

Additional information on the elections, current Bylaws, and the board can be found at the following link.

2022 MAGIP Scholarship Recipients

Meghan Burns — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 15:56:39 GMT

The MAGIP Grants and Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the 2022 awards for Higher Education Scholarships. Despite the ongoing pandemic and challenges of online learning and living, MAGIP was fortunate to receive high quality applications from undergraduate and graduate students alike. While we would like to support all submitted projects, we identified two exceptional Higher Education Scholarship proposals that we are delighted to fund this year. These scholarships will be distributed to one highly motivated undergraduate student, and one Master’s degree student. Furthermore, we are excited to distribute these awards across the Continental Divide and support one student at the University of Montana, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, and one student at Montana State University, Department of Earth Sciences.

Two (2) scholarships totally $3,000 were awarded to undergraduate or first-year graduate students studying GIS at a Montana college or university through the MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarship.

Madison Vastine, Undergraduate, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana

“Spatio-temporal variation in black bear activity patterns”

Hayden Yates, Master’s Candidate, Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University

“UAS thermal infrared and machine learning to identify surficial and structural parameters diagnostic of surface thermal anomalies near Norris Hot Springs, Montana”

For more information visit the Scholarships website

2022 MAGIP Education Grants & Scholarships

Meghan Burns — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 20:14:54 GMT

MAGIP is now accepting applications for the 2022 MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarships and K-12 Education Grants!

Applications are due March 25, 2022

Contact the Scholarship and Grants Committee Chair for more information.

2022 Call for Award Nominations!

Meghan Burns — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 19:06:53 GMT

The awards will be presented at the Big Sky GeoCon dinner on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 in Missoula.

Click Here to submit your nomination!

The deadline for submission is February 22, 2022.

On behalf of MAGIP Awards Committee, we look forward to hearing from you!

Applicants for the Distinguished Service Award must:

Have substantial years of service (10+) in or supporting the Montana GIS Community and a desire to continue to serve
Displays exemplary accomplishments as a GIS Professional, selfless service to the profession and participation in committees, workgroups, and organizations that support the Montana geospatial community
Has an impact within and / or external to the realm of the member's workplace
Undertakes and leads activities that benefit the GIS Community outside of regular job responsibilities
Demonstrates initiative, resourcefulness and creativity and is willing to seek out and pursue new challenges that benefit the Montana GIS Profession
Acknowledged by his / her peers for leadership and substantial service to the profession and community

Applicants for the Livability Award must:

Demonstrate a measurable contribution to the education, communication, coordination, and application of GIS technologies that have been a major influence to the growth and use of GIS in creating a more livable community
Express exemplary dedication with focus to the development and implementation of GIS technologies which enhance individual and community life and promote the efficient use of community resources
Acknowledged by his \ her peers for perseverance with belief and purpose; tasking themselves with the growth, as well as the challenges of GIS development for them and for their neighbor...sometimes in the face of discouragement

Questions? Contact Phoebe Ferguson, 2022 Conference Liaison

GIS DAY 2021 Map Contest Results!

Meghan Burns — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

GIS DAY 2021

Wednesday, November 17

MAGIP WEB MAP CONTEST RESULTS

View the Map Entries

Congratulations to Eric Spangenberg for winning this year's MAGIP GIS Day web map contest. His web map titled "Economic Development - City of Helena, MT" received the most votes. Eric's map earned him a $100 prize!

Our first runner-up was Allen Armstrong and his web map titled "BLM Montana/Dakotas Interactive Map" and Allen won $50 for his map.

Rounding out the top three was Haley Jurecki and her web map titled "City of Helena Major Infrastructure Projects". Haley won $25 for her effort.

A big thank you to everyone who submitted maps to this year's contest, and thanks to everyone who participated by voting for their favorite!

I am already looking forward to next year's contest.

Steve Jay, Membership Development Chair

Local Government Special Interest Group Meeting

Meghan Burns — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 15:08:07 GMT

MAGIP has re-established the special interest group (SIG) to bring together GIS professionals who work in or with local governments to share issues, ideas, problems, or just to meet other local government staff.

You are invited to join the Local Government Special Interest Group meeting on Thursday, November 18 at 2:00 pm.

Thank you,

Tommy Luksha, Madison County GIS

Local Government SIG Chair

email: TLuksha@MadisonCountyMT.gov

phone: 406-843-4242

Join the 2022 Big Sky GeoCon Planning Committee!

Meghan Burns — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Hello MAGIP Member!

On behalf of MAGIP President, Jeff Hedstrom and Local Conference Chairs Andrew Stickney and Kyle Burke, we invite you to participate on the 2022 Big Sky GeoCon planning committee. The 2022 Big Sky GeoCon will be held at the Holiday Inn, Missoula, MT April 4-7, 2022.

Help us develop the topics, secure speakers, shape the format, plan social events and more! Time commitment is one-hour planning meetings each month starting in September or October and then twice a month or more often a couple months prior to the conference. Also plan to be onsite as much as possible during the conference week. If you are interested or would like more information about participating on this committee, please reach to any of us below. We would like to finalize the committee by August 31. Thank you!

Jeff Hedstrom, MAGIP President

Andrew Stickney, Local Co-chair

Kyle Burke, Local Co-chair

Michelle Quinn, MAGIP Administrator

2021 MAGIP Election Results

Meghan Burns — Tue, 25 May 2021 13:00:00 GMT

I would like to congratulate the following MAGIP Members on winning the 2021 Board Member Election:

Vice President: Mike Powell, GIS Manager from Yellowstone County
Secretary: Aaron Vaughn, Great Falls City GIS Coordinator
Treasurer: Nate Wold, GIS Technician at the Montana State Library
Technical Committee Chair: Jason Danielson, GIS Database Analyst and Address Coordinator for Lewis and Clark County/City of Helena GIS Services
Scholarship & Grants Committee Chair: Rob Ahl, Geospatial Systems Specialist for the USDA Forest Service in Missoula

Thank you to everyone who ran for the various offices, for your dedication to MAGIP.

And a special thank you to the out-going Board members for your time, dedication and commitment to making MAGIP a great organization to be a part of.

Jenny Connelley, MAGIP Past President

MSU Earth Sciences Student Colloquium Poster Competition Results

Meghan Burns — Tue, 18 May 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Recently, MAGIP supported the GIS-based student research virtual poster competition at the Montana State University Earth Sciences Student Colloquium (ESSC) by providing two judges and cash prizes to the winners.

The ESSC is an annual event organized and fundraised by graduate students in the Department of Earth Sciences at Montana State University. The public event includes student research talks, a poster session, a raffle, and a keynote address. This year, the event was held online on Thursday and Friday, April 22nd-23rd. The goal of the ESSC is to advance, support, and celebrate student research in the Earth Sciences. GIS is one of the principal academic tracks in MSU's Department of Earth Sciences and is widely applied across all avenues of research in our department -- from geology and paleontology to snow sciences and city planning.

The Poster Competition winners were:

Tied for 1st Place ($75 each):

Joseph Bobrowski: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8rM7pIPXn0
Kendall Edmo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZe1SCQCY5c

3rd Place ($25):

Cameron Hoefer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORmk-Ixor88

2021 MAGIP Elections Nominees

Meghan Burns — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 13:00:00 GMT

View the Nominees!

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President)

Mike Powell

Secretary - Elected to two (2) year term

Aaron Vaughn
Heather Widlund

Treasurer - Elected to two (2) year term

Nate Wold

Technical Committee Chair - Elected to two (2) year term

Jason Danielson
Kenny Ketner

Scholarship & Grants Committee Chair - Elected to two (2) year term

Dr. Robert Ahl
Craig Threlkeld

REMEMBER - Only MAGIP Members in Good Standing can vote in the MAGIP Election!

Elections will run May 3 - 17

Look for your ballot in your email on May 3!

More information can be found at the 2021 MAGIP Elections page

2021 MAGIP Scholarship and Grant Awards

Meghan Burns — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 20:03:51 GMT

The MAGIP Grants and Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the 2021 awards for Higher Education Scholarships and K-12 Education Grants.

Despite the challenges of online learning and living, MAGIP was fortunate to receive a relatively large number of high-quality scholarship applications from Doctoral and Master degree candidates.

While we would like to support all submitted projects, we identified two exceptional Higher Education Scholarship proposals that we are delighted to fund this year. These scholarships will be distributed to one Doctoral student, and one Master’s degree student:

Christopher Hansen, Ph.D. Candidate, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana; Project Title: “Vegetation Response to Livestock Grazing on Public Lands in the Western United States”
Shira Ellenson, Master’s Candidate W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation Department of Geography University of Montana; Project Title: “Arctic Greening: 25 Years of Change from In-Situ and Remotely Sensed Observations”

Furthermore, we are excited to work with the Frenchtown Intermediate School through a Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grant and help them develop geospatially oriented lesson plans based on GeoCaching and Orienteering exercises.

Riley Devins, Principal Frenchtown Intermediate School Frenchtown, MT

Visit the Grants and Scholarship pages for additional information about these projects.

Congratulations to these well-deserving awardees on behalf of MAGIP and the Scholarships and Grants Committee!

2021 MAGIP Elections

Meghan Burns — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 13:00:00 GMT

We have three Board Officer positions and two committee chair positions that will be open for nominations: Secretary, Treasurer, Technical Committee Chair and Scholarship & Grants Committee Chair. These are all two year positions. And we also have the Vice/President/Past position, which is a three year position.

View the 2021 MAGIP Elections Page

If you’ve considered getting more involved in YOUR GIS professional organization on a State Board level, now is the time. I can guarantee that you’ll get to work with a fun, easy-going group of people who are as interested in GIS as you are! J

You can nominate yourself or someone else, and you may also run again if you are an existing Board member. As far as a time commitment, I would say that you get back as much as you put in, but you are looking at a minimum of 5-10 hours per month, depending on the position you hold and the month. There is more time required leading up to conferences in April. Board Members are pseudo members of other committees, so if you are someone who likes to be involved, this is your opportunity.

I am sending this email out now so that you have some time to consider whether you’d like to do this, have the time to commit, AND have time for your employer to consider allowing you to hold a position as it does require time during the day, during the work week to attend Board and other meetings. The Election process will begin following the MAGIP Conference next month.

The election process, as spelled out in the MAGIP By-laws is as follows:

Article IV – ELECTION PROCESS

Section 1. For any decision requiring a vote of the membership, the entire membership shall be afforded the opportunity to vote, with results being decided by a simple majority of those voting.

Section 2. A Call for Nominations shall be sent to the Association membership no less than fourteen (14) days before the date set for the voting period to begin for the annual election of Board members. Members may nominate themselves or any other Association member.

Nominations shall be submitted to the Past President, who will verify that Nominees agree to run and that they are qualified to sit on the Board according to Article II of these Bylaws. The Nominations shall close no less than seven (7) days before the election. The Past President shall prepare a Ballot of the slate of Nominees.

Section 3. Ballots shall be sent electronically to Association members not less than fourteen (14) days before the date set for the end of the election period and returned within the prescribed time to be counted.

Section 4. The Board shall appoint a non-standing Election Committee consisting of at least three (3) Association members.

Section 5. Ballots are valid if received by the close of business on the day specified by the Board. A count shall be made by the Election Committee of the votes and a report made to the Board and the membership. Tie votes shall be resolved by a vote of the Board. This section shall apply to all elections unless otherwise specified in these By-laws.

Section 6. A complete file of all ballots, tallies, and documents of Election Committee actions shall be maintained by the Board.

Section 7. Election results shall be announced by the President not more than seven (7) days after the report by the Election Committee to the Board. Newly elected Board members shall take office on the first Monday after their ratification by a majority of the Board.

I’ve held multiple Board positions, so if you have any questions or would just like to talk through this to see if it’s for you, please give me a call. I’m happy to share my experience with you.

Jenny Connelley | Engineering Technician

City of Bozeman | 20 E. Olive St. | Bozeman, MT 59715

P: 406.582.2922

www.bozeman.net

Registration Now Open!! 2021 Big Sky GeoCon

Meghan Burns — Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Registration Now Open!!

2021 Big Sky GeoCon

"Analyzing the Past, Adapting to the Present, Shaping the Future"

April 5-8, 2021
Virtual Conference

The 2021 Virtual Conference will feature two days of workshops, two days of consecutive sessions, a keynote luncheon, map gallery, sponsor spotlights, virtual exhibitor hall, social networking and knowledge sharing opportunities! Please see the conference webpage for more information. Register today! Instructions on how to access the virtual platform will be sent 1-2 weeks prior to the conference.

Sponsor the 2021 Virtual Big Sky GeoCon!

Meghan Burns — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings!

The Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals (MAGIP) invite you to participate as a sponsor/exhibitor in the 2021 Virtual Big Sky GeoCon, April 6-9. This year we are bringing the best of the Big Sky GeoCon to all attendees wherever they are on the map!

The theme is "Analyzing the Past, Adapting to the Present and Shaping the Future" and we are hoping you can help us complement our program by participating as a Sponsor/Exhibitor. This year's virtual landscape can potentially offer you more value by:

· Potential to reach a larger audience

· Metrics are more trackable

· Easier to measure ROI

· Increased visual options to showcase your services

Big Sky GeoCon will be utilizing the PheedLoop virtual conference platform and we anticipate a diverse group of geospatial technology users and professionals to be in attendance, representing: federal, state, tribal, local government, university/educational, nonprofit, and private business sectors. Big Sky GeoCon attendees embody a wide variety of professions including natural resources, agriculture, utilities, geospatial services, mining, and timber.

View the detailed prospectus with sponsor/exhibitor options. Click here to register and secure your spot today for the largest and most well attended GIS event in the Montana - Idaho region!

èTo learn more about the virtual platform and how to maximize your experience, we encourage you to watch this video.

We are looking forward to hearing from you!

On behalf of,

The 2021 Big Sky GeoCon Conference Planning Committee

GIS DAY 2020 - Web Map Contest Results

Meghan Burns — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 01:00:00 GMT

GIS DAY 2020

Wednesday, November 18

MAGIP WEB MAP CONTEST

1^st Place - $100

The Sprague Fire and the future of Glacier National Park's Sperry Chalet - Morgan Voss

2^nd Place - $50

Gallatin County SAR 2019 Annual Report - Curtis DeVault

3^rd Place - $25

Gillette Aerial Hub - Nick Swartz

View Map Entries

Voting Ends Wednesday, November 18 at 5pm

Also, MAGIP is hosting an all day Mapathon on GIS Day look for more details through the MAGIP Email List and the GIS Day page.

2020 MAGIP Mini GeoCon

Meghan Burns — Fri, 02 Oct 2020 13:00:00 GMT

The Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals in collaboration with ESRI, invite you to participate in the 2020 Fall "Mini-GeoCon" Wednesday, October 21 - Thursday, October 22

This event will be delivered in a virtual format via Zoom and is FREE to MAGIP members! Only $40 for non-members (save $10 by registering as a member!)

Presenters include ESRI, Missoula County, DNRC, City of Bozeman and community users.

Sessions include:

Transitioning from ArcMap to ArcGIS Pro
ArcGIS Enterprise Architecture and Administration Discussion
Montana ArcGIS Enterprise, AGOL, Blended Environments
ArcGIS Experience Builder
COVID-19 Information
Montana Forest Action Plan
Recovery Dashboard

For questions or more information on the conference content contact Jeff Hedstrom or Jenny Connelley.

Click Here to see Full Schedule and to access the presentation recordings

2020 MAGIP Higher Education Scholarship Recipients

Meghan Burns — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Although we were disappointed not to be able to honor Montana GIS students in general and particularly our MAGIP Higher Education Scholarship awardees at this year’s Big Sky GeoCon, we would like to share some success stories with you now.

This year MAGIP was fortunate to receive a record number of high-quality scholarship applications from Doctoral, Master, and Bachelor degree candidates at both the University of Montana and Montana State University.

While we would like to support all submitted projects, which included work on snow science, unmanned aerial systems and photogrammetry, wetlands and riparian systems assessment, geological hazards analysis, agricultural systems analysis and pest management, we worked long and hard to identify and award four scholarships, distributed to two Doctoral students, one Master’s degree student, and one Bachelor degree student. Below are the names, institutions, and project descriptions of those well-deserving awardees.

Seth Mangini, PhD student
Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University“Southwestern Wetlands: Erosion, Geomorphology, and Implications for Restoration”

Sasha Loewen, PhD student
Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University“Data driven adaptive management of organic dryland cropping systems”

Zachary Miller, MS student
Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University“Mapping Snow Depth Variability in Complex Mountain Terrain Using UAS and SfM Photogrammetry”

Lochlin Ermatinger, Bachelor degree student
Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University
“Developing Spatial Tools and Methods for Integrated Pest Management of the Wheat Stem Sawfly (Cephus cinctus) in Montana’s Golden Triangle”

For more information you can read the Project Abstracts

Congratulations to each of the recipients!

Robert Ahl, PhD

MAGIP Education Committee Chair

https://www.magip.org/Scholarships/

2020 Big Sky GeoCon has been CANCELED

Meghan Burns — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 19:00:00 GMT

2020 Big Sky GeoCon

"Analyzing the Past, Shaping the Future"

April 6-9, 2020

Holiday Inn Downtown | Missoula, MT

Notice: The 2020 Big Sky GeoCon has been Canceled

MAGIP will issue a full refund for registration and workshop fees

Please contact the Holiday Inn Downtown to cancel your hotel reservation

Letter from Jenny Connelley, MAGIP President

Last Call for 2020 MAGIP Awards Nominations

Meghan Burns — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 23:00:00 GMT

Submit your nomination!

The deadline for submission has been extended to February 24, 2020

The awards will be presented during the Big Sky GeoCon dinner on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 in Missoula.

On behalf of MAGIP Awards Committee, we look forward to hearing from you!

Applicants for the Distinguished Service Award must:

Have substantial years of service (10+) in or supporting the Montana GIS Community and a desire to continue to serve
Displays exemplary accomplishments as a GIS Professional, selfless service to the profession and participation in committees, workgroups, and organizations that support the Montana geospatial community
Has an impact within and / or external to the realm of the member's workplace
Undertakes and leads activities that benefit the GIS Community outside of regular job responsibilities
Demonstrates initiative, resourcefulness and creativity and is willing to seek out and pursue new challenges that benefit the Montana GIS Profession
Acknowledged by his / her peers for leadership and substantial service to the profession and community

Applicants for the Livability Award must:

Demonstrate a measurable contribution to the education, communication, coordination, and application of GIS technologies that have been a major influence to the growth and use of GIS in creating a more livable community
Express exemplary dedication with focus to the development and implementation of GIS technologies which enhance individual and community life and promote the efficient use of community resources
Acknowledged by his \ her peers for perseverance with belief and purpose; tasking themselves with the growth, as well as the challenges of GIS development for them and for their neighbor...sometimes in the face of discouragement

Additional information and Past Award Recipients can be found on the MAGIP Awards page

Questions? Contact the Professional Development Committee Chair

2020 MAGIP Education Grants & Scholarships

Meghan Burns — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 14:30:00 GMT

MAGIP is now accepting applications for the 2020 MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarships and K-12 Education Grants!

Applications are due March 15, 2020

Contact the Education Committee Chair for more information.

New Linkedin Page

Meghan Burns — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 14:00:00 GMT

MAGIP has a new way to connect through Linkedin!

You can now add MAGIP to your Experience Section in your Profile!

Visit and Follow MAGIP through the new Linkedin company page.

2020 Big Sky GeoCon - Call for Presentations & Posters

Meghan Burns — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 14:00:00 GMT

Call for Presentations!

The 2020 Big Sky GeoCon Committee and the Montana Association of Geographic Professionals (MAGIP) invite you to participate in the presentation of papers, electronic demonstrations and/or panel discussions. With information geared to both new and seasoned users of geospatial technology, the conference is a great opportunity to share, connect, collaborate and be inspired. We encourage you to share your expertise, projects, stories or explorations in any GIS-related field. To learn more and submit your presentation, click here.

Call for Web Maps and Posters!

The 2020 Big Sky GeoCon Committee and the Montana Association of Geographic Professionals (MAGIP) invite you to participate in the Map/Poster Gallery at the 2020 Big Sky GeoCon.

The MAGIP Community has demonstrated many creative and insightful ways through maps, other graphical forms, and the web for getting their message out to their audience. If you have created posters or web maps that you are proud of and would like to share with a large group of GIS professionals, the Map Gallery would be a perfect opportunity to show them to the MAGIP community. We encourage you to enter your maps and web mapping applications to the Map Gallery, for display at this year’s conference! All entries will be evaluated for possible cash awards totaling $700 by judges during the conference. To learn more and submit your web map or poster, click here.

For more conference information, click here

GIS DAY 2019 WEB MAP CONTEST

Meghan Burns — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 23:00:00 GMT

GIS DAY 2019

MAGIP WEB MAP CONTEST

RESULTS

1^st Place - Broomfield, CO Walkability Tool (Nick Swartz)

2^nd Place - 4th Largest State in US Has 44th Largest Population (Bobbi Johnson)

Tie for 3^rd Place - Gallatin County Historical Plat Book Viewer (Dylan Olin) &

Lewis and Clark County, MT Open Lands Program (Lewis and Clark County Staff)

View Map Entries

--------------------

For more info visit MAGIP/GISDay

2020 Big Sky GeoCon Sponsorship Opportunities

Meghan Burns — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 13:55:43 GMT

Don’t miss your chance to participate in the 2020 Big Sky GeoCon scheduled for April 6-9, 2020 in Missoula, Montana!

Please see the 2020 Sponsor Prospectus for all of the sponsorship opportunities.

Contact Michelle Quinn with any questions or if you would like to take advantage of a sponsor opportunity for the 2020 Big Sky GeoCon!

We hope to see you there!

Michelle Quinn

2020 Big Sky GeoCon Coordinator

Email Michelle or call her at: (406) 625-7060

New Professional Development Committee Chair

Meghan Burns — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 19:39:03 GMT

Announcing that Brandy Holstein (Montana Department of Revenue) has accepted the role of Professional Development Committee Chair on the MAGIP Board of Directors effective August 20, 2019.

Welcome New Board Members!

Meghan Burns — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 16:30:21 GMT

At the last MAGIP Board meeting held July 16, 2019 two new board members were appointed to the MAGIP Board of Directors for the term of July 2019 - May 2021:

Kenny Ketner, Montana State Library, Technical Committee Chair
Catherine Maynard, NRCS, MLIAC Representative

Welcome to our new Board Members!

MAGIP 2019 Scholarship and Grant Recipients

Meghan Burns — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 12:30:00 GMT

The Education Committee is pleased to announce the 2019 scholarship and grant award winners. This year we were able to distribute a total of five awards, including a MAGIP Higher Education Scholarship to Jesse Bunker, a MAGIP/RedCastle Resources Higher Education Scholarship to Ryan Rock, and a K-12 Education Grant to Morgan Anderson. In addition, we also issued a combination Higher Education Scholarship and K-12 Education Grant to two recipients to Holly Nesbitt and Anna Crockett.

Jesse Bunker, of Montana Tech in Butte, is doing pioneering work with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and sensor technology. In his research he is developing methods for detecting and measuring groundwater discharge in the Yellowstone River in southwestern Montana.

Ryan Rock is doing innovative remote sensing-based forest inventory and modeling work in collaboration with the Montana Department of Natural Resources, primarily focused on the Stillwater State Forest.

While Morgan Anderson is continuing her geography research into the dynamics of land development patterns in the west, she is also going to work with the Education Committee to organize and catalog past K-12 projects and help make them readily accessible to for use by current and future educators.

Holly Nesbitt and Anna Crockett are both working on highly relevant water quantity and also water distribution models. Each of their projects have unique qualities, but together they represent a body of work that will advance the state of traditional water management but also has the capacity to help people understand and the challenges of moving around and sharing water resources. We have awarded them each Higher Education Scholarships, and have asked them to frame their work in a manner that can be applied in a K-12 setting. After all, water management is as much a social practice as a scientific one. Bringing this kind of thinking to classrooms will help students adapt STEM principles and potentially help future leaders understand the social and environmental implications of sound water management. Their work will take place in the Upper Clark Fork Watershed, and will engage with local schools and perhaps Montana Tech in Butte.

For additional information about the MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarships and K-12 Education Grants contact the MAGIP Education Committee Chair, Rob Ahl

2019 MAGIP Election Results

Meghan Burns — Tue, 21 May 2019 21:19:24 GMT

The MAGIP Election Results are in!

The winners of the election are:

Michael Krueger – Vice President
Jeremy Grotbo – Member-at-Large
Heather Widlund—Member-at-Large

Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who threw their hats in the ring. We truly appreciate your interest and willingness to volunteer!

New Board Members will take office in June 2019

For more information visit: https://www.magip.org/2019Elections/

2018 MAGIP Salary Survey Results

Meghan Burns — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 14:56:16 GMT

The 2018 MAGIP Salary Survey Results have now been posted to the MAGIP website on the Professional Development Committee page

This survey was a collaborative effort between the MAGIP Professional Development Committee, Operations & Business Committee and the Board of Directors. It was designed for GIS professionals, educators and trainers within Montana.

2019 MAGIP Elections Open May 1

Meghan Burns — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 13:00:00 GMT

Elected Positions

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President)
Member-at-Large (2 Positions) - Elected to two (2) year term

Only MAGIP members in good standing are eligible to run for a MAGIP Board position, submit a nominations, and vote in the election for the three (3) elected positions.

Voting will take place starting Wednesday, May 1 and will end at 5 pm on Thursday, May 16.

New Board Members will take office in June 2019

For more information visit: https://www.magip.org/2019Elections/

2019 MAGIP Big Sky GeoCon

Meghan Burns — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 13:30:00 GMT

REGISTER NOW for the 2019 Big Sky GeoCon hosted by MAGIP!

The conference is April 1 - 4, 2019 at the Clarion Inn Copper King in Butte.

Check out the 2019 Big Sky GeoCon page for more information on workshops, presentations, conference activities, and to register.

2019 MAGIP Grants & Scholarships

Meghan Burns — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:30:00 GMT

MAGIP is now accepting applications for the 2019 MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarships and K-12 Education Grants!

Applications are due March 27, 2019

Contact the Education Committee Chair for more info

2018 MAGIP GIS Day Web Map Contest Results

Meghan Burns — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 13:30:00 GMT

2018 MAGIP GIS Day Web Map Contest Results

1st ($100) - This is the place... by Morgan Anderson, University of Montana

2nd ($50) - Birding in the Helena Area by Valerie Stacey, Big Sky Watershed Corps

3rd Place ($25) - Canyon Ferry: Before the Reservoir by Nick Swartz, Montana DNRC

View all of the web maps on the MAGIP GIS Day page.

Thanks to everyone that participated!

2018 MAGIP GIS Day Events

Meghan Burns — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 13:00:00 GMT

2018 MAGIP GIS Day Web Map Contest

Prizes for 1st ($100), 2nd ($50), and 3rd Place ($25)

Vote for your favorite web map/app on the MAGIP GIS Day page.

Winning maps will be announced on GIS Day, Wednesday, November 14!

And Join MAGIP members at a meetup on GIS Day -

Check on the Montana GIS and Geospatial Meetup page for events in your area!

Quick Map Vendors List

Meghan Burns — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 13:00:00 GMT

MAGIP has added a new Quick Map Vendors page.

This page has a list of vendors who have indicated they are available to field requests to make simple, inexpensive maps for members of the general public.

MAGIP created the page because it has members who work for agencies that receive requests for maps, but are not set up to accept payment from the public. These agencies need a list of vendors to refer the requests to.

We created the list by contacting the vendors we could find in our membership list and asking them if they wanted to appear on the page.

Vendors appearing on the page must be registered as a business with the Montana Secretary of State and have an employee who is a MAGIP member.

If you are a vendor who would like to appear on the page, please contact MAGIP.

Sincerely,
Gerry Daumiller
MAGIP Past President.

2018 MAGIP Board Election Results

Meghan Burns — Wed, 30 May 2018 18:00:00 GMT

MAGIP is pleased to announce the results of the 2018 MAGIP Board Elections.

Vice President: Jenny Connelley

Member-at-Large positions:

Liz Juers
Andrea Stanley

The new board members will take office on Monday, June 4.

View additional information on 2018 Elections page.

2018 MAGIP Board Election Nominees

Meghan Burns — Wed, 09 May 2018 12:30:00 GMT

MAGIP is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2018 MAGIP Board Elections:

Nominees running for Vice President:

Jenny Connelley
Michael Krueger

Nominees running for the two Member-at-Large positions:

Steven Jay
Liz Juers
Andrea Stanley

View photos and bios of each of the nominees on the 2018 Elections page.

Voting will take place via email. Ballots were emailed to all MAGIP members in good standing on Wednesday, May 9. Elections will be open until 5 pm on Wednesday, May 23, 2018. If you did not receive a ballot, please contact MAGIP to have one sent to you.

2018 MAGIP Award Recipients

Meghan Burns — Mon, 07 May 2018 12:30:00 GMT

Congratulations to the 2018 MAGIP Award Recipients:

2018 Distinguished Service Award Recipient - Meghan Burns

2018 GIS Professional Livability Award Recipient - Jon Henderson

Biennially, MAGIP recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the organization, the profession, and community. The two awards were presented at the first annual 2018 Big Sky GeoCon held in Helena, April 16 - 19, 2018.

For more information visit the MAGIP Awards Page

2018 MAGIP Grant & Scholarship Recipients

Meghan Burns — Fri, 04 May 2018 15:52:45 GMT

The year 2018 was extraordinarily positive for the MAGIP Education Committee. First, we had more funds to distribute than ever before, and second we awarded more K-12 Education Grants than in previous years.

In summary we allocated four K-12 Education Grants, and two higher education scholarships. Our grants funded Junior High School emergency response app development, Middle School topographic education, poetry and mapping at the fourth grade level, and the development of GIS and Remote Sensing curricula for Flathead Valley High schools.

The Higher Education Scholarships supported investigations into the geographically influenced dynamics of rural communities, and strategies for protecting grizzly bear movement corridors using conservation easements. Following are short descriptions of the awardees and the projects we funded.

MSU Earth Sciences Colloquium Poster Winners

Meghan Burns — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 17:30:00 GMT

MAGIP is pleased to announce the poster winners for the annual Montana State University Earth Sciences Colloquium!

Volunteers from the MAGIP community judged over 30 posters this year!

Congratulations to the winning posters!

First Place - Chris Goodhue

Second Place - Tessa Switzer

2018 Big Sky GeoCon

Meghan Burns — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Register Now for the MAGIP 2018 Big Sky GeoCon!

April 16-20, 2018
Radisson Colonial Hotel
Helena, Montana

The Workshop Schedule has been Posted!

ArcGIS Pro 1	Intro to ArcGIS Online	Image Processing
Socioeconomic Data	ArcGIS Enterprise	ArcGIS API for Python
HOT OpenStreetMap	NASA Remote Sensing	Python Workflows
SQL Queries	Coordinate Systems	GPS & Surveying
Situation Analyst	UAS and GIS	Cartography
Census Data	Census Software

The Conference Agenda is now available!

Check out the Great Presentation Lineup!

Interested in sponsoring the conference, a conference break, or a student scholarship? View the Exhibitor/Sponsor Prospectus for all the details.

2018 Board of Directors Elections

Meghan Burns — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 12:00:00 GMT

Please take a moment to consider all the great things MAGIP does for the Montana GIS community.

We would like to encourage you to take an active role in MAGIP.

One way to be involved is by being part of the MAGIP Board of Directors. We need new board members for the term starting June 2018.

Please consider nominating yourself, or someone who you think would make a great addition to the board, using this survey.

Nomination are open through April 20, 2018 for the following very rewarding positions:

Vice President - Elected to three (3) year term (Vice President, President, Past President)
Member-at-Large (2 Positions) - Elected to two (2) year term

There are also openings for the following two Appointed Positions:

Professional Development Committee Chair - Appointed by Professional Development Committee to two (2) year term. Contact Jeff Hedstrom for more information.
Web Subcommittee Chair - Appointed by Web Subcommittee to two (2) year term. Contact Meghan Burns for more information.

Please contact current board members or the election committee (Brian Andersen, Meghan Burns, Valentijn Hoff) if you have any questions.

Or see the election page and the BOD page on the MAGIP website for more information.

On behalf of the MAGIP Election Committee, thank you for your consideration.

Valentijn Hoff, National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis

Helpful links:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MAGIP_2018_BOD_Nominations

https://www.magip.org/BODmeetings

https://www.magip.org/Elections

2018 MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarship

Meghan Burns — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:27:56 GMT

Announcing the 2018 MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarship:

Undergraduate student or a first-year graduate student at a Montana college or university in 2018 who are doing a GIS-related project or research, are eligible to receive up to $3,000 in funding through the MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarship.

Applications are due March 30, 2018.

For more information and to download the application package visit the MAGIP Scholarship page.

2018 Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grant

Meghan Burns — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:25:02 GMT

MAGIP is now accepting applications for two $1,500 grants to support the development and use of geographic location-based technologies, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), or Remote Sensing in K-12 classrooms. Eligible projects include curriculum development, training for teachers, and purchase of equipment or software that will enhance geographic instruction.

Grant Applications are due March 30, 2018.

Visit the K-12 Education Grant page for additional information and to download the application.

Montana GIS Salary Survey

Meghan Burns — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 13:30:00 GMT

Announcing the opening of the newest salary survey of GIS professionals, educators and trainers within Montana. This survey was a collaborative effort between the Professional Development Committee, Operations & Business Committee and the MAGIP Board of Directors.

Please click the survey link to begin filling out the survey, it is 27 questions and will likely take between 5-8 minutes to complete. This survey is open to everyone in the Montana GIS industry.

Montana GIS Salary Survey

The closing date on the survey will be Friday, February 23, 2018

Following the closing date, the two committees will then analyze the results, provide some narrative and we plan on presenting the survey results at the upcoming 2018 Big Sky GeoCon in Helena, April 16-20.

Thank you everyone and we look forward to providing the results to you all and getting some feedback.

Jeff Hedstrom

MAGIP Professional Development Chair

(406) 455-8437

jhedstrom@greatfallsmt.net

2018 MAGIP Award Nominations

Meghan Burns — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 16:04:04 GMT

MAGIP would like to recognize two individuals who have made a significant contribution to the organization, the profession, and community in the areas of Distinguished Service and Professional Livability.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented for long-term service and leadership to the Montana GIS community and the profession.

The GIS Professional Livability Award is an award that recognizes an individual for a measurable contribution to the application of GIS, thus improving the quality of life within their respective community, city, or state.

Each nomination requires a one-page letter of nomination, two references who also support the nomination, and any supporting documentation you may have. You can submit more than one nomination for each award.

Submit your Nomination(s)

Nominations will close February 19

Visit the MAGIP Awards page for additional information and to view the list of past award recipients

Please nominate one or more candidates that deserve this recognition!

2017 MAGIP GIS Day Web Map Contest

Meghan Burns — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 17:06:50 GMT

2017 MAGIP GIS Day Web Map Contest

Prizes for 1st ($100), 2nd ($50), and 3rd Place ($25)

View the Map Contest Entries and Winners on the MAGIP GIS Day page.

Winning maps were announced on GIS Day, Wednesday, November 15 @ 6 PM at Meetups around the state.

MAGIP is now on Twitter

Meghan Burns — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 17:12:51 GMT

MAGIP is now on twitter! The sole mission of the account is to showcase all things geospatial, especially when it comes to Montana! You can Follow Us @MAGIP_MT and encourage you all to do so. If you don’t have a twitter account…now would be the time to get one. If you don’t like social media….now would be the time to re-consider. And, if you are having other doubts…they are misplaced.

Subject matter you may encounter includes:

·          Time and place of great GIS events in MT and abroad!!
·          Happenings and updates from said events!!
·          Education opportunities!
·          What MAGIP is up to!
·          Random photos of Robert Ahl and Jeff Hedstrom
·          Key updates on Montana GIS stuff
·          Tech Committee knowledge courtesy of @geonerdist
·          And so much more!!

It is highly expected that you share your GIS stories with @MAGIP_MT as well!

Brought to you by:

Michael Krueger, MAGIP Membership Subcommittee Chair

GISCI Releases GISP Practice Exam

Meghan Burns — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 17:48:04 GMT

The long awaited GISP practice exam has arrived!

The GISCI posted the following on their website:

Des Plaines, IL (August 3, 2017)

In response to great demand, GISCI has produced its first Practice Exam, designed to provide 50 sample questions based on most of the KSAs listed in our Exam Blueprint. This is intended to aid those preparing to take the exam by giving an individual an opportunity to determine her/his knowledge of the areas tested.

The practice exam is available for download here (pdf).

We hope that this will be the first of several practice exams we and others in the geospatial community will be able to provide to assist exam candidates in adequately preparing to sit for the Geospatial Core Technical Knowledge Exam.

2017 MAGIP Grant and Scholarship Recipients

Meghan Burns — Fri, 19 May 2017 22:24:07 GMT

The MAGIP Education Committee is pleased to announce that after reviewing a fine collection of applications the 2017 Grant and Scholarship awards have been released:

Two (2) $1,000 grants to assist K-12 educators to support GIS-related curriculum through the Van Shelhamer K-12 Education Grants

Lauren Stephens, Emily Dickinson Elementary School, Bozeman, MT
Laura Zanolli, Lolo Schools, Lolo, MT

One (1) $2,000 scholarship to undergraduate or first-year graduate students studying GIS at a Montana college or university through the MAGIP Higher Education GIS Scholarship

John Sykes, Montana State University

$2,000 in scholarship money through the RedCastle Resources, Inc. /MAGIP GIS Scholarship

Moran Voss, The University of Montana
Jonathan Byers, The University of Montana
Andrew Nemecek, The University of Montana

For more information about their projects visit the MAGIP Grants & Scholarships page.

2017 MAGIP Election Results

Meghan Burns — Thu, 18 May 2017 20:08:30 GMT

MAGIP is pleased to announce the results of the 2017 Election:

Bob Cochran at Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) will be our new Vice President,
Philip Davis at the Montana State University will be a Member-at-Large and,
Michael Krueger at HDR Engineering will also be a Member-at-Large

Congratulations to the new board members and thank you to the MAGIP membership for participating in the election.

2017 MAGIP Election Nominees

Meghan Burns — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 15:42:54 GMT

Announcing the 2017 MAGIP Election Nominees:

For Vice President: Bob Cochran, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP)

For Member-At-Large (2 Positions):

Philip Davis, Montana State University

Michael Krueger, HDR Engineering

View the nominees and additional election information here.

The 2017 MAGIP Board Election opens May 1. Members in good standing with received a link to vote via email on May 1.

Now Accepting Nominations for open MAGIP Board Positions

Meghan Burns — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 15:00:00 GMT

Nominations are sought for the following open MAGIP Board Positions:

Vice President: 3 year term (Vice President, President, Past President)
Member-at-Large: 2 year term
Member-at-Large: 2 year term

All nominees must be MAGIP members in good standing

Nominations close on April 21, 2017 at 5 pm

For more info and to submit your nominations visit the 2017 Election site

2017 Grant & Scholarship Applications

Meghan Burns — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 21:55:03 GMT

Announcing the 2017 K-12 Grants and Higher Education GIS Scholarship Applications are now available!

This year MAGIP is offering:

2017 Higher Education GIS Scholarships

One $2,000 MAGIP higher education scholarship to a student studying at a Montana college or university
Up to $2,000 in scholarship money awarded by RedCastle Resources, inc. to students studying natural resources and GIS/remote sensing

2017 K-12 Education Grants

Two $1,000 grants to assist K-12 educators to support GIS-related curriculum

Applications are due: March 31, 2017

For more information email the Education Committee Chair Rob Ahl

MAGIP Web Site Redesign

Meghan Burns — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 18:53:11 GMT

MAGIP is currently updating the web site in order to accommodate new functionality including:

Mobile-Friendly web design
Search Functionality
Webpage Breadcrumbs
Rotating Graphics

The update to the new theme will commence on Tuesday, December 27. During this time some of the content may not be available. We will send an update to the MAGIP e-mail list when the web site redesign work is complete in early January 2017.

Thank you for your understanding during this transition so that we may offer you this additional functionality.

Meghan Burns
MAGIP Web Subcommittee Chair
Email: magip.mt+web@gmail.com

2017 Intermountain Conference

Meghan Burns — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 00:30:20 GMT

Registration is Open for the 2017 Intermountain GIS Conference. This event hosted by the Northern Rockies Chapter of URISA will be held April 18-21, 2017 at the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone, Montana.

2016 MAGIP GIS Day Online Map Contest

Meghan Burns — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 15:00:00 GMT

Congrats to the 2016 MAGIP GIS Day Online Map Contest Winners!

1st Place - Memories of Ice by Jonathan Byers
2nd Place - Montana Shared-Use Paths by Corey Richardson
3rd Place - TNC - Long Creek by Amy Pearson

View all of the maps in the MAGIP Map Gallery.

Thank you to all who participated!

Happy GIS Day!

Montana Association of Geographic Information Professionals Board News

The K-12 2026 Education Grants and Higher Education Scholarship Applications Deadline has been Extended to March 27, 2026

2026 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarships

MAGIP Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grant

MAGIP Higher Education Scholarships

2026 MAGIP Elections - Call for Nominations

Nominations are now open for the 2026 MAGIP Elections!

Register Now for the 2026 Big Sky GeoCon

2025/2025 MAGIP Member Satisfaction Survey

2026 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarships

2026 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarships

MAGIP Van Shelhamer Memorial K-12 Education Grant

MAGIP Higher Education Scholarships

2025 Election Results

Election Results

2025 Elections - View the Nominees

2025 MAGIP K-12 Education Grant & Higher Education Scholarship Recipients

2025 Elections - Call for Nominations

2025 MAGIP K-12 Education Grants & Higher Education Scholarships

GIS Day Web Map Contest Results

Conference Planning Kickoff Meeting

Welcome our new MAGIP Vice President Jackson Rose

2024 GIS Day Events

MAGIP Request for Assistance is now Member Support

Website Redesign Launched

Website Update Planned

2024 MAGIP Election Results

MAGIP Funds the Youth Forest Monitoring Program with the Memorial Van Shelhamer K-12 Education Grant

2024 MAGIP Elections - Nominations are Open!

Bootcamp GIS - GIS Certificate Program

2024 MAGIP Education Grants & Higher Education Scholarships

Conference Registration is Now Open!

Mapping Contest

2024 Call for Award Nominations!

GIS Day Mapathon

2023 MAGIP Elections Results

2023 MAGIP Election is Open!

2023 MAGIP Elections - Meet the Nominees

MAGIP 2023 Scholarship and Grants Awarded

2023 Elections - Call for Nominations

2023 Big Sky GeoCon: Call for Posters

Changes for the New Year

2023 Big Sky GeoCon: Sponsor/Exhibitors

2023 Big Sky GeoCon: Call for Presentations

GIS DAY 2022 - Web Map Contest Winners!

GIS DAY 2022

Wednesday, November 16

MAGIP WEB MAP CONTEST WINNERS!

2022 Map Gallery

GIS Day Web Map Contest

GIS DAY 2022

Wednesday, November 16

Enter your web maps & apps:

Contest Entry Form

New Conference Liaison Announced

2022 MAGIP Elections Results

2022 MAGIP Election - Meet the Candidates

Open Board of Directors Positions

2022 Elections - Call for Nominations

Open Board of Directors Positions

2022 MAGIP Scholarship Recipients

2022 MAGIP Education Grants & Scholarships

2022 Call for Award Nominations!

GIS DAY 2021 Map Contest Results!

GIS DAY 2021

Wednesday, November 17

MAGIP WEB MAP CONTEST RESULTS

Local Government Special Interest Group Meeting

Join the 2022 Big Sky GeoCon Planning Committee!

2021 MAGIP Election Results

MSU Earth Sciences Student Colloquium Poster Competition Results

2021 MAGIP Elections Nominees

View the Nominees!

2021 MAGIP Scholarship and Grant Awards

2021 MAGIP Elections

Registration Now Open!! 2021 Big Sky GeoCon

Registration Now Open!!

2021 Big Sky GeoCon

April 5-8, 2021Virtual Conference

Sponsor the 2021 Virtual Big Sky GeoCon!

April 5-8, 2021
Virtual Conference

1^st Place - $100