PIG-PIB representatives at the Esri User Conference 2023 in San Diego

grafika ilustracyjna On 10-14 July 2023, the Sand Diego Convention Centre (USA) held the 43rd edition of the annual Esri User Conference 2023 (Esri UC 2023) in hybrid form. It is the largest event in the field of GIS, participated by approx. 18 thousand specialists in person and over 20 thousand online, including the representatives of the Polish Geological Institute.

The event brought together professionals from all over the world, the everyday work of whom is based on the use of geological information systems from such fields as earth sciences, defence, environment, public administration, natural resources, security, public services, etc. The Polish delegation consisted of approximately 30 people. The Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PIG-PIB) was represented by: Anna Stawicka and Jakub Kobiela from the Department of Engineering Geology in Warsaw.

ArcGIS Pro software offered by Esri is one of the basic tools applied in implementing projects conducted at the Department of Engineering Geology, funded both by subsidies and grants in research and commercial projects, as well as other PIG-PIB organization cells. The software is extremely extensive and offers numerous functions intended for many spatial analyses, as well as data acquisition and archiving, the results of which are then displayed in graphic form, e.g., as maps. It is also perfect for data and 3D model visualisations. Spatial information systems are widely employed within investment project processes associated with engineering geology, as manifested by evident the GIS component present in numerous handbooks and guidelines developed by the Department of Engineering Geology. The conference helped expand the knowledge in terms of the dynamically developing software capabilities, such as field applications, BIM/CAD solutions, developer apps used to share data and other products. The know-how gained in the course of this event will be employed to apply the tools more effectively in ongoing and future ventures, both in terms of creating map projects, as well as operations associated with data processing for visualization purposes.

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Polish delegation representatives in front of the Sand Diego convention centre (photo by Małgorzata Grzywacz, Esri Poland)

Conference participants had the opportunity to listen to many lectures and technical sessions related to products offered by Esri, learn about the novelties implemented in new software versions, its embodiment examples in different industries, as well as announcements of new functionalities to be introduced in the coming years.

The exhibition hall (Expo zone) hosted numerous companies and institutions from the GIS industry, offering public and commercial solutions from many domains. The zone also enabled discussions with software developers about the possibilities and limitations of the tools in relation to the projects implemented at the Department of Engineering Geology.

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Consultations with software developers at the Expo zone (photo by Anna Stawicka)

During the conference, PIG-PIB representatives held a meeting with Esri specialists on the implementation of ArcGIS Production Mapping and ArcGIS Workflow Manager systems in the ongoing and future projects: Geological and Engineering Database (BDGI), Low-temperature Geothermal Potential Maps (MPGN) and Geological and Engineering Maps of Poland (MgiP). The consultations were also participated by Karolina Karpisz, an ESRI Poland representative.

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PIG-PIB delegation representatives discussing with Esri specialists (photo by Karolina Karpisz, Esri Poland)

The conference was a great chance to find out about different, innovative methods of applying well-known tools, as well as the full potential and practical applications of the other software in the Esri portfolio. The poster zone and UPSG (United States Geological Survey) stand allowed to compare the scopes of geological survey activities.

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