Wednesday, 8:30am - 10:00am

 John Calkins
ESRI, Corporate Technical Evangelist

The Geographic Approach and Spatial Literacy

As GIS professionals, we all understand the value of geography.  However, do we employ a geographic approach to problem solving?  Are we capable of thinking spatially and seeing relationships and patterns in multi-dimensions?  The more we understand and raise awareness of the geographic approach and spatial literacy, the more we can help our organizations achieve success.  Explore and increase your abilities to think spatially through a different look at geographic problem solving around the world.

About John:  John Calkins has been with ESRI for 18 years and focuses on special projects that cut across the diversity of GIS applications and solutions around the world. Throughout the years he has focused on natural resources (forestry, petroleum), government, defense, intelligence, and science solutions. In 2000-01, he also consulted to CBS for the television series “The District” which was the first ever prime time television series utilizing a geographic information system. Other notable projects include establishing GIS in Antarctica at McMurdo Station and producing ESRI’s User Conference plenary sessions. Prior to joining ESRI, Mr. Calkins worked for Tenneco Oil Exploration and Production as a geological engineer.

Dinner Wednesday, 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Bruce Blevins
Cody, Wyoming

The Historic Spectrum of Mapping Wyoming: Western Cartography in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries

About Bruce: Bruce Blevins was born and raised in Wyoming and Montana. After
graduating from Montana State University with a degree in Mathematics
in 1969, Bruce was a federal civilian employee with the National
Security Agency for twenty-eight years. With the end of the cold war,
he took an opportunity for early retirement and moved to the region
around Yellowstone National Park. Bruce began collecting antique maps
in 1986 with emphasis on Wyoming. For the last decade Bruce has been
engaged in regional history research projects which has resulted in
nine books being produced, most of which involve historic maps or
early surveys. The latest book, Mapping Wyoming, published by Martino
Publishing, explores contributions to the cartography of Wyoming from
the fur trapping era and military expeditions to geologic surveys and
government boundary surveys, as well as personal travel accounts and
atlas illustrations. Seven hundred seventy-three maps are included in
this history on the mapping of Wyoming, including many of the
University of Wyoming’s Hebard Collection and American Heritage Center
archives. This book and its related research will be the basis for his
discussion this evening.