2026 Pre-Conference WorkshopsEvery year, KAM offers some pre-conference workshops in support of its mission to provide educational opportunities to the greater Kansas mapping community. On Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, we cordially invite you to attend one or more of these workshops. Attendance at the conference itself is encouraged but not required to participate in a pre-conference workshop. Full-Day WorkshopsMorning WorkshopsAfternoon WorkshopNote: a $25 registration fee will be charged to anyone who registers for workshops on the day of the event. |
Full-Day Workshops
Introduction to COGO Editing in ArcGIS Pro
Instructor: Kara Utter, GeoSpatial Training Services
9 am to 4 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Register
IMPORTANT: This course does not cover Parcel Fabric or tools that are unique to Parcel Fabric.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for beginner students who want to learn how to use Coordinate Geometry (COGO) tools in ArcGIS Pro to create, edit, and check geometry using bearings, distances, and curves. It is also designed for those professionals who are transitioning from using COGO in ArcMap and need to learn how to use COGO in ArcGIS Pro
Before beginning this course, you should be comfortable with basic ArcGIS Pro editing operations like creating and modifying features. While formal surveying education isn’t required, familiarity with concepts like bearings, distances, and angles will help you grasp the material more quickly. Knowledge of different measurement units – feet, meters, degrees – is important since survey data comes in various formats. If you’re new to any of these concepts, consider reviewing the ArcGIS Pro editing basics course before proceeding.
Software and Licenses
Students need to have their own computer hardware and access to ArcGIS Pro. An ArcGIS Pro Standard or Advanced license is sufficient.
Course Modules
- Module 1: Introduction to COGO & Basic Surveying Terminology
- Module 2: COGO Settings in ArcGIS Pro
- Module 3: COGO Workflow and Line Construction
- Module 4: Working with the Traverse Tool
- Module 5: Update and Adjust Line Features
If either requirement is a hardship for you, please contact KAM to discuss options for borrowing a device.
Cost: $370 if paying by check / $380 if paying by credit card
Morning Workshops
Kansas NG911 GIS Data Maintainer
Instructor: Kansas Data Access and Support Center (DASC) staff
9 am to 12 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2026
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In the Kansas NG911 GIS Program, the Data Maintainer is the person who will be performing the actual maintenance of GIS data for the NG911 Program. Every PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) must have a certified Data Maintainer or have a maintenance contract with a vendor that has a certified Data Maintainer on staff. Those completing this class will be certified as Kansas NG911 Data Maintainers.
Topics to be covered: The role of GIS in NG911; an update on the status of the NG911 program in Kansas; the role of the Data Maintainer and the responsibilities that come with the position; the Kansas NG911 GIS Data Model and its requirements; the tools available to assist in data maintenance; and a discussion of geoMSAG maintenance and the GIS role in telephone record accuracy. During the Behind-the-Scenes of the NG911 Toolbox, we will go in-depth covering the details of certain tools and how they work and how users can leverage the tools to make their data life easier.
What to bring with you: We recommend bringing a notepad and writing utensil if you wish to take notes.
Cost: Free. Registration required.
Legal Descriptions – The Quick and Dirty
Instructor: Pamela Dunham, PKM, retired Butler County GIS Director
9 am to 12 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2026
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This half-day session is geared toward those individuals that work with legal descriptions. Are you a Clerk that is trying to work deeds? Are you a GIS Technician trying to key legal descriptions into ArcGIS or CAD? What do you do when the legal does not close or does not make sense? This class is for you.
We will take a close look at legal descriptions and break them down to just the information you need to identify the property being conveyed. Then, we will take a deeper dive into the rectangular survey system and metes & bounds descriptions with some tips and tricks to make them understandable. We will cover the hierarchy of calls when there are errors in the legal description, how to read a land compass and figure out what an Azimuth is.
When we converted to GIS I thought, “whew, now I can just key in the legal and my computer will map it for me!” How wrong I was. This base knowledge is invaluable. What to do when the legal does not close? What if the legal shows 400’ to the river and the river is 600’ away? How do I make sense of a page long legal described in course and distance when trying to determine what property is being conveyed? We will answer all these questions and more.
What to bring with you: We recommend bringing a notepad and writing utensil if you wish to take notes. All participants will receive a copy of the presentation and documents.
Cost: Members $75 / Non-Members $125
Afternoon Workshops
Introduction to Experience Builder
Instructors: Andrew Schappert, Shawnee County, and Mark Schmidt, Butler County
1 pm to 4 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2026
It is impossible to deny that the current inertia for GIS is pushing us as analysts and technicians towards a web map format as a primary. Additionally, with the older web mapping applications being depreciated Experience Builder is the primary method of creating accessible, usable, and public facing applications. With that in mind, it is plain to see that gaining both skill and proficiency in Experience Builder is in the benefit of the entirety of KAM.
The point of this presentation is to establish a baseline level of competency within the Experience Builder application and at the same time show minor tips, pitfalls and other important issues that might crop up.
As a session, we will be going step by step in showing how to use experience builder to create a working web map. At the same time we will be demonstrating useful and more hidden functions within the program to both help and save headaches for all involved.
What to bring with you: A laptop and access to your ArcGIS Portal or ArcGIS Online for the Experience Builder app.
Cost: Members $75 / Non-Members $125
Map that Spreadsheet!
Instructor: Amy Roust, GISP, PMP
City of Lawrence, Kansas
1 pm to 4 pm, Tuesday, October 6, 2026
RegisterThis half-day workshop guides participants through the basics of mapping information stored in spreadsheets using ArcGIS Pro. Attendees will learn how to prepare tabular data for GIS use, import it into a project, and represent it spatially using three different techniques: attribute joins, display XY data, and geocoding.
Through hands-on exercises, attendees will practice all three techniques and then troubleshoot the most common issues that arise with each. (That's right - you won't be working with perfectly clean data!) This workshop is designed for beginners who have basic familiarity with ArcGIS Pro, so we will move slowly to ensure understanding.
What to bring with you: Participants need to provide their own computer with the following software: ArcGIS Pro version 3.x with a Basic or higher license, Microsoft Excel, and the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable 64-bit driver. Please feel free to contact the instructor at aroust@lawrenceks.gov with any questions.
Cost: Members $75 / Non-Members $125
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