USC Spatial Sciences Institute invites students, young professionals, and industry leaders in the geospatial industry to gain insights on GIS trends and to network at the 2025 Los Angeles Geospatial Summit.
(Los Angeles, CA) – John P. Wilson, Professor and Founding Director of the USC Spatial Sciences Institute, announced the details of its 15th annual hallmark conference: The 2025 Los Angeles Geospatial Summit taking place at the USC Hotel on Friday, February 28, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. PST.
Each year, leading organizations in geospatial science, including Esri, Eclipse Mapping and GIS, NV5 Geospatial, HRL Laboratories, and others, gather to explore innovative ways geospatial science can address some of the world’s most urgent challenges. From urban planning and environmental sustainability to public health and beyond, scholars and professionals deepen their understanding of how spatial data and analysis can drive impactful solutions.
“We’re honored to facilitate the convergence of great minds and ambitious changemakers with another summit that embraces in-person learning for students, young professionals, and industry leaders,” Wilson said. “In a highly contentious time, exploring ways to address pressing issues related to environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, community resilience, and business productivity is of the utmost priority—and so many solutions can be answered through geospatial science.”
The opening session will feature a keynote address on “Geospatializing the Veterans Health Administration” by Daniel Gall, FACHE, Deputy Chief Strategy Officer, Veterans Health Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Following the keynote, Wilson will lead a discussion with Gall and Courtney Fassett, Southern California Growth Lead, Deloitte Consulting LLP, for the audience and discuss the trends and changes ahead in the geospatial industry.
The first afternoon session will focus on how companies, organizations and agencies make decisions using geospatial data. The speakers will include Evelyn Kim, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist and Group Lead, Intelligent Systems Center, HRL Laboratories; and Caroline Wu, Director of Research, Placer.ai.
Thomas Horan, H. Jess and Donna Senecal Endowed Dean’s Chair and Dean, School of Business, University of Redlands, will moderate the closing session on “Empowering the Geospatial Workforce of the Future.” The panelists will include Micah Brachman, Community Manager, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and Canserina Kurnia, Senior Solution Engineer, Education, Esri.
Showcase presentations will be made by Dave Bernstein, Vice President of Hydrospatial Operations, NV5 Geospatial; Joseph Seppi, Senior Vice President, Geospatial, Woolpert, Inc.; and Isaiah Mack, Eclipse Mapping and GIS.
A popular part of the program is the annual Los Angeles Geospatial Summit ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition sponsored by Esri. Undergraduate and graduate students from California State University, Long Beach, the University of Redlands, the University of Southern California, and other Southern California higher education institutions will be selected to present their ArcGIS StoryMaps and compete for awards in three categories:
1) most innovative use of technology
2) most compelling communication using maps
3) most suitably applied methodology or analysis
“Every year, we’re inspired by young people dedicating their academics and careers to changing the world through geospatial science. We’re consistently ‘wowed’ by the ingenuity and innovation behind their projects,” Andrew Haglund, Esri Higher Education Senior Account Manager, said. “The ArcGIS StoryMaps platform provides a dynamic and rich paradigm to share the narrative of projects in a cloud-first approach. We can’t wait to witness another competition of StoryMaps that addresses the pressing issues our world faces today.”
Winners in each category will receive prizes provided by Esri and will be featured in Esri and SSI post-Summit communications.
Three students representing California State University, Long Beach; the University of Redlands; and the University of Southern California selected by a faculty committee will have the opportunity to present their research in a lightning talk session. The featured subject matter experts discussing the talks with the lightning talk presenters will include Cora Chong, GIS Specialist, Innovation, CBRE; and Suzanne Perlitsh, Ph.D., Professor, Chair, Department of Geography, and Director, Master of Science in Geographic Information Science.
A popular part of the Summit program is the lunchtime “Knowledge Network”, during which Summit participants will network with representatives of leading companies and organizations. This year’s roster of Knowledge Network participants include: California Geographic Information Association, California State University Long Beach, California URISA, Eclipse Mapping and GIS, Esri, Gamma Theta Upsilon Nu Theta Chapter, HRL Laboratories, NV5 Geospatial, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), SC Mappers, Southern California Association of Governments, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, University of Redlands, USC Libraries, USC Spatial Sciences Institute, and Women in GIS.
This year’s Summit program will conclude with a networking reception for all Summit participants.
USC students, USC alumni and members of CGIA, the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, and the Geospatial Professional Network (URISA) can take advantage of a discounted registration rate.
“We thank our Gold Sponsors – Eclipse Mapping and GIS, Esri, HRL Laboratories, NV5 Geospatial, and the University of Redlands – as well as our Bronze Sponsors – the California Geographic Information Association (CGIA) and the California State University Long Beach Department of Geography – for their support in making a student registration rate possible and in joining us to present a program featuring cutting-edge industry trends,” Wilson said. “We hope you will join us for a day of stimulating interactions.”
Summit Registration Information:
Friday, February 28, 2025
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
USC Hotel
3540 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90007
GIS and geospatial sciences students from any college or university, as well as industry professionals, can register for the Summit here.
A detailed program breakdown of the Summit can be found here.
About USC Spatial Sciences Institute
Since its founding in 2010, the USC Spatial Sciences Institute has been using the power of connecting place, space, and time to help address global challenges like population growth, environmental sustainability, and human well-being. Housed in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the research and academic programs of the Spatial Sciences Institute contribute to the rapidly evolving body of geospatial knowledge. They are innovating ways to empower decision-makers with the analysis, modeling, and visualization of location-based data. As the hub of spatial-related academic programs at USC, the Spatial Sciences Institute is unique in offering interdisciplinary courses and degrees at every higher educational level. For more information about our research and academic programs, please visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/spatial/.