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.
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:
Treasurer - Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:
Secretary - Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:
Technical Committee Chair – Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:
Scholarship & Grants Chair – Elected to two (2) year term. Duties Include:
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.
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!
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
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!
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:
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
1ST PLACE - $100 PRIZE
Bobbi Johnson, Billings PD
2nd PLACE - $50 PRIZE
Kim Kresan and Jeff LeProwse, Water and Environmental Technologies (WET)
3rd PLACE - $25 PRIZE
Jeff Sprock and Joel Griffin, City of Billings
“Billings Capital Project Dashboard”
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!
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
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.
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.
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