The Geoholics

GeoWeek 2023 - Day 1

01:04 Stefan Hrabar - CEO / Co-Founder at Emesent 

16:20 Jared Janacek - President, Texas Drone Company 

29:44 Chuck Boteler and Gavin Schrock, xyHt Magazine

Episode 162- Tony Spicci, GISP CGMP

Soooo many questions were answered during the recording of this show! The guys were joined this week by Tony Spicci, GISP CGMP. Tony currently serves as the Executive Director of the GIS Certification Institute. The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) is a non-profit organization that provides the GIS community with a complete certification program, leading to GISP (Certified GIS Professional) recognition. To say he is an interesting human being is an understatement! Not only is Tony one of the most passionate people we've ever met as it pertains to GIS, he is also a licensed pyrotechnician, a founding member of Missouri Task Force 1: a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team and AND a sideline official (chain gang) for the Father Tolton Trail Blazers, the Mizzou Tigers and the Kansas City Chiefs. To confirm he is an official Geoholic, he also loves craft beer and bourbon! Dr. Nik joined the cast. ChatGPT was quoted with music by RUSH!! 

Episode 161 - Juan ”The Snow Mexican” Forno

This one was so much fun it required a disclaimer! The guys were joined this week by the second Canadian born Latin comedian to headline a comedy club in the U.S., the one and ONLY Juan Forno! In addition to enjoying White Claw walks in fancy neighborhoods and consuming copious amounts of craft beer, Juan is also the COO of Prefinery USA, Inc. and Founder/President of Craft Island Entertainment, Inc.. This guy does it all! We talked all things comedy including the writing process, comedic styles, hecklers, influences, and staying relevant. Check out Juan's "The Snow Mexican" comedy special on his YouTube channel "Comedian Juan Forno"! He is also performing this Saturday, February 11th at the Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, OR. You can purchase live streaming tickets here: https://www.showclix.com/event/juan-forno-talking-trash Oh, and our good friend Michael " The German Guy" Thompson also made an appearance as he coincidentally is not only a land surveyor BUT an aspiring stand up comedian. This was an absolute blast start to finish!!! Music by The Lumineers. CHATGPT was quoted!!

Episode 160 - Marion Ellis, Surveyor & Influencer

FINALLY!!! It has taken nearly 3 years but we FINALLY were able to pin down Marion Ellis long enough to have this undeniably, value-adding conversation. Marion is a "building surveyor" from the UK that has committed herself to changing the complexion of the profession in more ways than one. She is also the host of The Surveyors Hub Podcast and creator of Love Surveying where she coaches and connects surveyors from around the world. Marion feels that for many, sometimes not so obvious reasons, surveyors are NOT making the impact they could in the world today. She wants that to change. That is why she believes we need to focus on personal development as surveyors, as well as the technical skills. Marion is beyond passionate about making this happen and says that "When business is about people, planet and profit, in that order, everyone wins". Dr. Seuss was quoted. Music by Disney!

Episode 159 - Bill Swope, CP & Cody Condron, RPLS, PLS, CP, CMS

If you like to hear really smart people (excluding PS & DD) with common sense (including PS & DD) talk about all facets of mapping...this episode is for you! The guys were joined this week by Bill Swope, CP the Geospatial & Survey Business Development Manager at Halff Associates, Inc. AND Cody Condron, RPLS, PLS, CP, CMS (new record for professional acronyms) the Regional Practice Leader for Texas Land Surveying at KCI Technologies, Inc. Some of the topics discussed include ASPRS, mapping standards, "no rules for tools", different types of photogrammetry, keeping up with technology and understanding its limitations and taming your monkey brain! Charles Darwin was quoted. Music By Jason Boland & The Stragglers. 

Episode 158 - John Nelson, Cartographer

Raised by two Geography teachers, it goes without saying that this weeks guest has map making in his blood! The guys were joined by John Nelson. John is a true cartographer, working with the Living Atlas team and enhancing the user experience (UX) at Esri. He has authored many articles, written a gazillion blog posts and made countless maps, but there is one that sticks out among all the others. The great Robert Krulwich wrote a moving article titled "The Pulsing Earth" about one particular map John created. This is one of John's career highlights to date. Other things discussed include the importance of spending time outdoors, creating things and answering questions, evolution of map making, and the skillset every GIS professional should have. Producer Sean had the dirty C (COVID) so the one and only Big Shoots made an appearance along with our good friend Dr. Nik. Jack Dangermond was quoted. Music by U2!

Episode 157 - Brian Owens the Culture Whisperer

OK...so I made up the "Culture Whisperer"! BUT, Brian once again kicked off the new year with a bang! Brian is the VP of Safety & Team Development for Buesing Corp. where he oversees all the safety programs, sits as the chair of the Continual Improvement Committee, and assists with complex HR/compliance/personnel related matters. Needless to say, everyone reading this will benefit from the value provided during this episode. Just a few topics discussed include the importance of a steering or improvement committee, perspective based decision making, leadership accountability, and of course some relevant safety reminders. Our new best friend J.J. Levenske also joined the conversation! Brian himself was quoted from his book titled "Inversion and the Perspective-Based Safety Culture". Music by Kris Kristofferson!

Episode 156 - Joseph Kerski PhD GISP

Happy Christmas & Merry Geoholidays! The guys were joined this week by the one and only Joseph Kerski! With 30 + years experience in all 4 sectors of society including nonprofit (AAG, NCGE, UCGIS, others), government (NOAA, US Census Bureau, USGS), industry (Esri), and academia (University of Denver and others), Joseph's focus is on using geography and Geographic Information Sciences (GISc) to expand the use of spatial thinking in all sectors of society. He has been at Esri for nearly 17 years and is currently the Education Manager. We learned what life at Esri is like, what life is like growing up in a hotel, what the 5 societal forces are, why spatial thinking is vitally important, and a whole heck of a lot more. This was a GREAT conversation! Music for this episode by Lee Brice!!!

Episode 155 - Paul Burrows aka #RealityCaptureGuy

You gotta get up pretty early to catch up with this weeks guest! The guys were joined by Paul Burrows aka #RealityCaptureGuy from "across the pond"! Paul is the Principal Software Solutions Manager - Reality Capture at Leica Geosystems. He is a laser scanning expert whose passions also include creating sustainable solutions and maximizing the remote working environment. Paul helps us define "reality capture" by walking us through the some of the new realities such a AR, VR, MR as well as digital twins and even the metaverse (DD's favorite). We also got a better understanding of the "Leica Lifestyle" and what this amazingly diverse company has in store for 2023. Producer Sean had an "immersive" revelation. Winston Churchill was quoted. Music by Ben Folds Five!

Episode 154 - Make Surveying Great Again Pt 1

Another insightful conversation with a great group of professionals from the world of land surveying. The guys were joined this week by Peta Cox, National Training & Development Manager at Consulting Surveyors National; Mike McEvilly, PLS, Principal - Director of Surveying at Sitts & Hill Engineers, Inc.; and James Kovalik, PLS, Technology Program Manager at Precise Visual Technologies & Borton-Lawson Engineering. Some of the topics covered in this discussion included the global decline in the number of land surveyors, the top 5 coolest careers includes land surveying, required skillset of the next generation of land surveyors, unique recruiting methods, and the affect that automation and robotics could have on this great profession. We didn't solve all the worlds problems, but we did touch on some unique talking points that will make people think. Music by Aerosmith!