As Guan prepares for a new season of Geographical Thinking, we're pleased to share a conversation with Esri Canada’s Genevieve George about GeoAI. This content originally aired as part of Spatial Report Podcast's Episode 3: An Eye for A.I. Maggie Samson and Mark Ho host. Artificial intelligence is changing the way we approach geospatial analysis, and GeoAI is at the forefront of this transformation. In this episode, Maggie and Mark are joined by a product expert who will explore what GeoAI...

Put on your hiking shoes and pack your picnic basket.  The funcast podcast is back, and this time we’re taking a leisurely stroll through your favourite parks.  Esri Canada instructors André Piasta and Nigel Pereira trade their laptops for frisbees as they battle for trivia geo-glory.  From Stanley Park to Gros Morne, join us on an awe-inspiring journey that traverses the most captivating landscapes our planet has to offer.  Don’t forget the sunscreen!

James Hardcastle, Associate Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), discusses the significance of the global initiative to protect 30% of the Earth by 2030, otherwise known as 30X30.  

GIS has entered the boardroom of investment firms and is now seen as a game-changer with regards to better understanding climate change and the long-term prospects of corporations.     Alex Martonik, Business Resilience, Financial Services, and Insurance Lead for Esri, talks about why climate resilience matters to businesses. 

Marta Segura, Chief Heat Officer & Climate Emergency Mobilization Director for the city of Los Angeles, talks about using mapping and location technology to help bring relief to residents during heatwaves.  

An online app showing the locations of Naloxone kits in Newfoundland and Labrador became popular on social media in early 2023. Guan Yue spoke with Mark Squires, the creator of the app, about his role as a GIS analyst in Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, as well as other projects that bridge data and health needs. 

Did you know the vital role GIS professionals play in the Canadian Armed Forces? In this episode of Geographical Thinking, Guan Yue speaks with Lieutenant Colonel Denise Sweet about the many projects in Canada's Armed Forces using location data and GIS. Learn more at Esri.ca.

Defining Moments Canada is a Canadian heritage organization dedicated to commemorating significant moments in our shared histories. In their efforts to engage young Canadians with their history, Defining Moments Canada has embraced diverse media, ArcGIS Storymaps being one of them. Joining Guan Yue to discuss this initiative is Louis Lebel, Digital Content Manager at Defining Moments Canada.

Edmundston, New Brunswick leveraged GIS to gather input from citizens for a municipal urban plan, an initiative they call Imagine Edmundston, Joining Guan Yue to share more about the initiative is the Coordinator of Geomatics for Edmundston's City Hall, Daniel Arsenault.

Lights! Cameras! Geo-Glory! This feature presentation of the funcast podcast goes to the movies. Join Maggie Samson and Michelle Brake as they guess film names based on short descriptions. The ironic twist? Each title contains a geographic place name. This game promises to be everything everywhere all at once (with an emphasis on the where). And be sure to stay for the dramatic conclusion where we will make a shocking announcement! Spoiler alert: it's "spatial"!

Did you know that the current 9-1-1 emergency service was designed for the analogue phone system? It is undergoing a drastic change to support callers in this digital era. Hear from Joann Fox, industry manager of NG 9-1-1 at Esri Canada, as she unpacks layers of complexity in this transformation and the vital role that GIS plays in it.

In many cities and towns, 311 provides residents, businesses and visitors with access to non-emergency city services. Matt Pietryszyn, CEO and co-founder of Qwhery, has created another way for people to interact with municipalities: using their smart home devices, like Google Home or Alexa. In this conversation with Matt, hear about Qwhery's voice interface for geospatial data.

“Training artificial intelligence (AI) model requires massive amount of data and patience.” says Maja Kucharczyk, a 2022 Esri Young Scholar Award winner and a PhD candidate from the University of Calgary. Maja talked about her research that automates assessment of roof damage after disasters, as well as how AI model building is a collaborative effort in the academic community.

Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound is a UNESCO Biosphere Region just north of Vancouver, BC. It is a place where the mountains meet the ocean. Bridget John is the Program Manager of the Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound Marine Stewardship Initiative. She talks about a living online map, and how it helps the communities build towards a sustainable future.

Jodi Derkach, senior manager of land and resource at Nutrien, talks about how “where” is the key to solving major challenges in Nutrien’s potash business. Among other things, mapping helps Jodi’s team reach executives and secure the millions of dollars needed to run capital-intensive seismic programs. Want to grow your geospatial strategy toolbox? Get a quarterly roundup of resources sent right to your inbox by visiting our Communication Preference Centre and selecting “GIS Strategy”.

Carla Evans, senior geospatial consultant and director of spatial information management and CAD and IM solutions with Golder Member of WSP’s Ontario - Earth & Environment division, talks about the importance of aligning your geospatial strategy with the overall company strategy to best effect change.

Amar Singh, executive vice president of Infrastructure Ontario’s (IO’s) Commercial Advisory and Strategy practice, talks about the strategy behind increasing Internet access in Ontario’s rural and remote communities. By streamlining processes, using innovative procurement solutions and using geospatial tools like IO’s Broadband One Window, IO has successfully helped Internet service providers, the electricity sector and municipalities work together. It’s all with the aim of improving...

The last funcast podcast of 2022 looks back at 2021 – the 2021 Census of Population to be precise.  Every five years, Statistics Canada invites Canadians to participate in the census to learn more about who we are and where we live.  Andrea Zagar and Carson Smulders are quizzed about several key indicators revealed from the May 2021 census results.  Learn about how your province or territory stacks up: in population, socioeconomics, housing and more.  It’s a short form game for long form...

Ranchers in BC are working with local officials to pilot an innovative wildfire mitigation project – using cows to graze on lands and lower the volume of forages around communities. Amanda Miller, an ecologist working on the project talked about how it’s a win-win situation.

In Halifax, Dr. Ajantha Jayabarathan, a physician, is heading up a project to use GIS technology to help physicians across the province make better-informed decisions about their patients’ healthcare. She is mapping out the social determinants, environmental factors and local healthcare services available across the province. Visualizing this data will enable doctors to make better recommendations for healthcare options as well as reducing travel and wait times.

We honour Remembrance Day with Paul Heersink who has been mapping the 20,000 ships that sank during World War II. His dashboard illuminates patterns and stories across the naval theater and through the progress of the entire war. He shared his 8 years journey of mapping the sunken ships on Geographical Thinking.

Tegan Buckingham, Director of Integrated Marketing and Development at Toronto Humane Society uses GIS to better understand who adopts pets and how her organization can serve them better. Tegan joined Geographical Thinking to talk about the spatial analysis done by Toronto Humane society and why it's a critical skill for other non-profits.

About 1 in 7 people in Canada do not have enough food to eat. A third of women heading households with children in this country are food insecure, as are a lot of people who live in northern Canada and climate change is making that worse. On this episode of ‘Geographical Thinking' hear how GIS apps are helping Foodbanks Canada deal with a growing problem.

"Clothing has never been created in a vacuum," says Sam Huckerby describing her storymap that connects the geography of the sourced materials for 19th century fashion with environment, economic and social movements. Hear her on Geographical Thinking.

Domains are in our brains as the funcast podcast returns for some late summer fun. GIS nerds know that a domain is a list or range of valid values. Hear Dawn Price and Arif Rafiq compete for geo-glory as they determine which geographic landmarks fall within this game’s domain – UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Is the Great Barrier Reef a world heritage site? The Rideau Canal? The White House? Play along to find out which famous locations are UNESCO or UNES-NO!