2026 Conference Agenda Highlights

2026 ASPRS Gulf South Region Geospatial Conference Agenda Highlights

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Welcome Reception

Wednesday April 8^th

6:00pm – 8:30pm

The Gulf South Region Board of Directors invites you to the 2026 Geospatial Conference Welcome Reception. Join us to meet your 2026 board members, enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and network with geospatial professionals from Louisiana, Texas, and beyond.

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Mobile Lidar Data Acquisition for Railroad Applications

Ciaran Manning

Thursday April 9^th

9a-10a

This presentation discusses the use of mobile and terrestrial lidar systems for railroad design and assess inventory.

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Keynote Address

Dr. Christopher Potter, NASA Ames Research Center

Thursday April 9^th

12:00pm

Dr. Christopher Potter is a biologist and an Earth Scientist who has worked for over 35 years at NASA Ames Research Center specializing in the analysis of environmental data to monitor hydrology, coastal zones, wetland change, invasive plant species, nutrient dynamics, and water quality. Dr. Potter holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Emory University, was a AAAS Fellow with the U.S. State Department for two years, and has worked as a Senior Research Scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for over 30 years. He has published more than 200 scientific articles in peer-reviewed research journals on remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), geostatistics, plant species mapping, soil biochemistry, and satellite data analysis.

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Applying ASPRS Standards and Guidelines to Engineering Project Mapping

Karen Schuckman, PLS, CP, CMS, GISP

Thursday April 9^th

2:15pm – 3:15pm

Karen will discuss her experiences as a Project Manager at RRC Companies implementing the ASPRS Standards and Guidelines in high-accuracy, high-resolution engineering project mapping. She will discuss development of project specifications based on the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards for reporting as well as consideration of Best Practice Guidelines in project design. She will also provide an overview of additional ASPRS Standard and Guidelines under development related to Map Quality, Lidar Density, and 3D accuracy assessment.

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From Geometry to Reality: Photorealistic 3D Visualization

Unal Okyay, PhD., CP, CMS

Thursday April 9^th

4:00pm – 5:00pm

This session covers three core approaches to photorealistic 3D visualization—traditional mesh-based rendering, NeRFs, and Gaussian splatting—focusing on how each represents geometry and appearance. We will compare their strengths, limitations, and practical use cases to explain why newer methods can achieve higher visual realism while traditional methods remain essential for engineering and analysis.

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Awards Dinner

Thursday April 9^th

5:00pm – 8:00pm

The Gulf South Region Board of Directors invites you to the 2026 Geospatial Conference Awards Dinner. Food, networking, and the Student Poster and Presentation awards will all be served up Cajun Style!

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TopoDOT Lidar Data Assessment and Reporting

Paul DiGiacobbe, PE, DBIA

Friday April 10^th

9:00am – 10:00am

This session will demonstrate how TopoDOT™ serves a critical role in the evaluation and quality assessment of LiDAR data. With an eye on the Edition 2 (2024) ASPRS standards, this session will show how a holistic approach to assessment can be achieved with TopoDOT™ tools.

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Geospatial Experts Panel

Moderated by Kent Groh of The Geoholics

Friday April 10^th

10:05am – 11:30am

Don’t miss the Geospatial Experts Panel, moderated by Kent Groh of The Geoholics, featuring industry leaders Rob Crawshaw, CP (McKim & Creed), Nicholas Enwright, PhD (Gulf South Region Louisiana State Representative), and Michael Starek, PhD (Texas A&M–Corpus Christi), as they share insights shaping the future of geospatial science and practice.

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Frontier Precision Unmanned

Gratia Geomatics

TopoDOT

G4 Geomatics Resources

McKim & Creed

Sponsor Demonstrations

Friday April 10th

1:00pm – 3:00pm

Explore the latest innovations at our Sponsor Demonstrations, where industry-leading companies showcase cutting‑edge software, advanced surveying and mapping equipment, and specialized geospatial expertise. This is your chance to see new tools in action, ask questions directly to technical experts, and discover solutions that can elevate your projects and workflows.

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Preparation for ASPRS Certification Workshop

Instructors: Scott Dunham, CP, CMS; Bill Swope, CP

Friday April 10^th

1:00pm – 5:00pm

Join instructors Scott Dunham, CP, CMS, and Bill Swope, CP, for the ASPRS Preparation for Certification Workshop, designed to help geospatial professionals build confidence and master the knowledge needed for one of the industry’s most respected credentials. ASPRS certification validates your technical expertise, professional experience, and commitment to high standards—giving you a competitive edge in career advancement, project qualification, and professional credibility. This workshop offers a practical, engaging path to get certification‑ready with guidance from seasoned experts who’ve been through the process.

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