Thank you for joining the GIS Day Live Chat!

[CandaceLoya]

And that's a wrap!

Thank you for joining us today on our first GIS Day Live Chat. Your questions have been great.

And a special thank you to our special guests Joseph Kerski‌, Nicole Minni‌, and Luis Olivieri‌. 

If you would like to post additional questions for our guests, please continue and they will respond to additional questions as they have time. 

We encourage you to continue sharing your GIS Day celebrations by posting your photos and stories on the https://community.esri.com/groups/gis-day/blog/2018/11/01/celebrate-gis-day-2018-share-your-story-on...‌

• 11:00 a.m. - And we're live! Go ahead and ask your questions! 

• 11:15 a.m. - If you are just joining us, feel free to ask any question. 

• 11:30 a.m. - We're halfway through, Great questions! Keep them coming! 

• 11:45 a.m. - If you are just joining us, feel free to ask any question. 

• 11:55 a.m. - Five minutes to go! Got any fun questions for our guests?

• 12:00 p.m. - And that's a wrap! The  LIVE CHAT has ended with our guests.

[F-Agatone]

Joseph, Luis Olivieri, and Nicole,

Thanks for guest spotting at this event - I'm looking forward to reading all of the questions and responses.  I am wondering, as GIS moves towards more of a web paradigm (particularly with the growing use and popularity of AGO), how to involve and excite non-technical users, with the goal of supporting and enabling them to become more technical? 

Are there any strategies that Luis in particular uses - since you are working with students that likely don't have GIS backgrounds?

Thanks!

[JosephKerski]

Fariss - I think Nicole touched on this well with the statements about web GIS changing things - one of those ways is it is helping the non geo-GIS-enviro community get into spatial analysis.  One set of activities I developed to help get them excited is here:  https://community.esri.com/community/education/blog/2017/07/26/10-things-you-can-do-with-arcgis-onli...     It includes story map activities, web mapping activities on migration, natural hazards, and more, and analysis in ArcGIS Online.  There are other ways too - such as thearcgisbook.com - all the maps in it are clickable and interactive.

--Joseph K 

[NicoleMinni]

This is a very good question Fariss. Before we used to be very technical with writing aml programming with ArcInfo and so the learning curve was great. It was hard for people to really get an understanding on what exactly GIS was. Now with ArcGIS Online the learning curve is much easier. So, I believe it allows for students to get very excited about using GIS and then they grow in their technical skills as their project ideas develop. Here are some examples of story maps that our own students have done after sitting with me for just a short couple of hours - then they just ran with it. GIS Story Maps | Planning for Complete Communities in Delaware  

[LuisOlivieri1]

Do you remember the movie, Field of Dreams" and the phrase, "if you build it they will come!"  I think the same way happens with GIS.  Show the non-technical people some good examples and you will have them. They need to understand that AGO is easy to use...  It has its limitations, but at the same time, it's a great tool.   

As per the question of my experience with young people.  They are very open to exploring new technologies.  The easiest way to me is by assigning them a problem that they can solve with a nice map.  

[NicoleMinni]

Luis, that is exactly right; I love it! The younger generation seems to really gravitate to technology and visual learning is just another way to reach them and they get them excited about learning.

[F-Agatone]

Great answers - thanks also for the additional resources Nicole and Joseph. Using the technical knowledge to create a beautiful and functional map or app for the non-technical user to consume will almost always get them hooked!

[JuanWitrago]

Does anyone know if there are any GIS Day events happening in the Central Valley California?  Like at CSU Fresno or UC Merced? 

[JosephKerski]

Juan  - the best way is to go to the map on www.gisday.com and pan to Central California. My colleague is going to U Cal Davis, for example.  

--Joseph K

[deleted-user-PtRDJk6zxghS]

Question for all,

Next week our GIS department plans on showing the power of our web GIS and how we can integrate every department into our GIS. My question is, what are some of the best ways that you all have found to get people to invest in digital spatial data instead of static paper maps or tabular data? 

[NicoleMinni]

Hi Michael, this is a great question. I really think having examples can help them get excited about making their job easier. Next week I am presenting at the Institute for Local Government Leaders and I will be sharing with them how the City of Lewes is beginning to expand their GIS services in the town. Here is story map to learn more http://arcg.is/1mXTy8