2026 WASHINGTON GIS CONFERENCE
BROUGHT TO YOU BY WAGISA
May 19 - 21
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Meydenbauer Center - Bellevue
11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue, WA 98004
Tuesday, May 19 - Pre-Conference Workshops
Full Day of Workshops (List Below)
Wednesday, May 20 - Opening Conference Day
with Keynote Address and Presentations
Thursday, May 21 - Second Conference Day
Full Day of Presentations in Three Tracks
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Links to other Conference pages:
GIS Management Boot Camp
- Full Day (8:30 am - 5:00 pm) on Tuesday May 19, 2026
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Cost: $250
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Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue (Room TBD)
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Instructors: Greg Babinski
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Description: This workshop is based on a framework of the essentials of a successful GIS operation. First – what are the characteristics of a successful GIS? How do we know a successful GIS when we see one? Second – what are the management outputs that guide, support, and sustain a successful GIS? And finally, what are the essential competencies that a highly effective GIS needs to deploy to ensure the GIS succeeds?
This workshop presents eight key perspectives for a successful GIS manager: envision the strategic future, engage stakeholders, manage resources, curate data, curate technology, lead your team, lead change, and lead innovation.
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Intended Audience: Current GIS managers, supervisors, and coordinators, and those who aspire to a successful career in GIS management.
Applied Drone Mapping
From Collection to GIS Integration
- Full Day (8:30 am - 5:00 pm) on Tuesday May 19, 2026
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Cost: $250
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Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue (Room TBD)
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Instructors: Gerry Gabrisch, Ryan Richardson, TJ Abbenhaus, Peter Keum
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Description:
Full day workshop is divided into three main parts.
Part one will focus on the essential knowledge to establish and manage a successful drone program within your organization. This section covers the fundamentals of drone technology, including hardware, software, regulatory requirements, and staff training. Part 1 will also cover typical workflows and various use cases.
Part two will delve into the various components of successful flights. The focus will be on practical knowledge of setting up automatic mission planning and manual flights for 2D aerial and 3D model data collection. In addition to practical flight best-practice information, will go over some existing drone image-processing software, ranging from SaaS to desktop to subscription to open-source options.
Part three will focus on the workflow for using Esri tools to integrate with the organization's existing GIS ecosystem. Will also share data plans ranging from naming conventions to data stores for future use, and share the products with others in the organization. |
* Beginner-to-intermediate drone enthusiast and GIS specialist interested in building a drone program to utilize drone data to support one’s organization's needs.
* Local agency staff who are interested in integrating drones to support local government operations.
* Current or newly certified drone pilots/GIS specialists who are interested in developing drone data products to integrate with GIS
Real-Time GIS
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Half Day – Morning (8:30 am 12:00 pm) on Tuesday May 19, 2026
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Cost: $125
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Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue (Room TBD)
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Instructors: Ryan Richardson, Esri
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Description: This workshop demonstrates how real‑time solutions such as Winter Weather Operations and Street Sweeping provide transparency for leadership and the public. Participants will see how real‑time analytics transform streaming data into actionable metrics. The session also highlights how big data analytics built on real‑time GIS can streamline workflows by automating data collection, reducing manual reporting, and integrating operations data into a single, authoritative operational picture. Concepts covered in this workshop are applicable to workflows beyond public works, such as emergency management and transportation.
Beginner Experience Builder
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Half Day – Morning (8:30 am - 12:00 pm) on Tuesday May 19, 2026
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Cost: $125
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Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue (Room TBD)
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Instructor: Mary Phillips
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Description:
This introductory course provides a hands-on foundation for building web applications with ArcGIS Experience Builder.
Participants will learn how to create an organization-branded template, apply themes, and design a consistent header, footer, and splash screen with basic accessibility features. From there, the course guides learners through adding and configuring core application components—including maps, side panels, and layout elements such as columns, rows, and flow rows.
Attendees will practice creating/configuring a Widget Controller and adding/configuring a variety of widgets, such as Legend, Map Layers, Bookmarks, Filters, Near Me, Search, and a custom information button.
The course concludes by introducing more complex elements like charts and multi page navigation using buttons and menus. Participants will also learn how to configure responsive tablet and mobile views using both automatic and custom layout options.
- Pre-Workshop Requirement: Attendees must have access to an ArcGIS Online account prior to the start of the workshop.
- Intended Audience:
* This workshop is designed for GIS professionals, analysts, planners, and communicators who are new to ArcGIS Experience Builder or have limited experience building web applications.
* Ideal for participants who want a guided introduction to branding, layout, widget configuration, and responsive design.
* No prior Experience Builder knowledge is required—just a basic familiarity with ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise.
Advanced Experience Builder
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Half Day – Afternoon (1:30 pm - 5:00 pm) on Tuesday May 19, 2026
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Cost: $125
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Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue (Room TBD)
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Instructor: Mary Phillips
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Description: This advanced course is designed for users who want to deepen their Experience Builder skills and create highly interactive, data driven web applications. The course begins with a section on working with the attribute table, building custom table views using data views and linked relationships. Participants will learn advanced widget configuration and interactions, including Select by Attributes, Filter and Select, Query, and List widgets. The session also covers creating a custom Help widget and enhancing usability with built in tooltips. Detailed configuration documentation will be provided to all attendees for later reference. The latter portion of the course is dedicated to designing for accessibility. Learners will explore best practices for accessible configurations and will build a text based, data driven narrative using dynamic content, custom data views, and an embedded Nearby Instant App.
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Pre-Workshop Requirement: Attendees must have access to an ArcGIS Online account prior to the start of the workshop.
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Intended Audience: The advanced workshop is intended for users who already understand the fundamentals of Experience Builder and want to build more sophisticated, data driven applications. It is well suited for GIS analysts, developers, and power users responsible for designing interactive workflows, integrating related data, and supporting complex organizational needs.
Young Professionals Workshop
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Half Day – Afternoon (1:30 pm - 5:00 pm) on Tuesday May 19, 2026
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Cost: Free. (Attendees must register for the conference, another Workshop, or pay $50 "Workshop Only" fee.)
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Location: Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue (Room TBD)
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Instructors: Young Professional Special Interest Group Team
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Description: The session will begin with a structured networking activity intended to help participants connect with peers and more experienced professionals in a supportive, low-pressure environment. Guided prompts and facilitated small-group rotations will encourage meaningful conversations around career paths, technical skill development, workplace expectations, and navigating early career challenges. Participants will leave this portion of the workshop with new contacts, conversation strategies, and a stronger sense of belonging within the geospatial community.
Following the structured activity, the workshop will transition into a more informal networking and discussion period where attendees can continue conversations, ask questions, and build relationships organically. Facilitators will be available to share tips on job searching, resumes and portfolios, professional growth opportunities, and ways to stay engaged in the GIS community beyond the conference.
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Intended Audience: This session is ideal for students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals seeking to strengthen their connections within the geospatial field.
Washington Government GIS Leaders Forum
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Description: This year’s WGGL forum will follow the pattern of previous events. GIS Professionals and Leaders from the region present information to their peers, with opportunities for questions and discussion, and to meet peers and learn from their own, unique experiences. In the workshop, we will explore navigating the relationships between IT and GIS, GIS job titles, and branding your GIS. Content will be developed by a committee of presenters, but will likely be similar to past events.
The Washington Local Government GIS Leaders (WGGL) is a special interest group of the Washington GIS Association.
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To register for any Monday Workshop: First choose a Conference registration type on the left. If you are not also attending the Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, choose "Workshop Only - No Conference".
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- All who demonstrate the ability to adhere to the GISCI Code of Ethics may attend the Annual Washington GIS Conference.
- All who register for the Washington GIS Conference or for a Workshop are conferred an annual WAGISA membership
- Annual WAGISA memberships are valued at $25
- Annual membership starts the first day of the Conference and will end May 1, 2027
- For new members, log in to WAGISA.org after May 21 to manage your profile, join committees and access exclusive member content
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NOTE ON PRICES
To simplify registration for our members, WAGISA has included Washington's new Special Event Tax (both State and local) in the prices listed for the Washington GIS Conference.
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POLICIES
Conference and Workshop Cancellation Policy:
1. Cancelled registrations must be received in writing (via email) at least 10 business days before the first day of the conference for a refund of original payment made, minus a $25 cancellation processing fee.
2. Cancelled registrations received after 10 business days prior to the start of the event will not get refunded but a credit will be applied to a future WAGISA conferences and/or events within the following 12 months.
3. Registrations can be transferred to another person within the registered person’s organization.
4. There will be no refund for registered attendees who do not attend the event (no-shows).
Expectations of Attendees:
- Be kind and considerate. Respect each person and common courtesy rules for personal interaction.
- Be aware of your surroundings. Be mindful of others around you to ensure a great experience for your fellow participants.
- Behave appropriately. Refrain from displaying any demeaning, harassing, aggressive, or intimidating materials or behavior. Use welcoming and inclusive language and be respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences.
- Be professional. Dress and behave in a professional manner. Each attendee is responsible for their own behavior and actions.
- Respect property. Do not damage private or communal property.
- Follow the rules. Obey the rules and regulations.
- Report inappropriate behavior. Promptly report any behavior that makes you or others feel uncomfortable to Conference staff at the Washington GIS Conference registration desk.
Photography Policy:
Attendees at the WAGISA 2026 Washington GIS Conference may be included in photographs taken at the event and later posted on the WAGISA web site and other WAGISA communications and marketing material. Registrants for the Conference agree to be included in such WAGISA communications. If you do not want to be photographed at this event, please notify the conference staff on-site at the registration desk upon arrival.
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