PROGRAM
Thursday, November 16, 2023
12:30 - 1:00
Registration
Dr. John Konarski
Chief Executive Officer
American Geographical Society
Dr. Christopher Tucker
Chairman
American Geographical Society
Dr. Marie Price
President
American Geographical Society
Welcome & Introduction
1:00 - 1:10
Mx. Todd Barr
Director of Geospatial Products and Solutions
Verisk
Ms. Briana Brown
Director of Content & Product Marketing
Ecopia AI
Overview
1:10 - 1:20
Panel Presentations: A Candid Discussion on Justice, Equity, and Risk: Conundrum or Quagmire?
1:20 - 2:10
Dr. Demetrice “Dee” Jordan
Instructor
Harvard Medical School
Moderator:
Dr. Robert Bullard
Distinguished Professor
Texas Southern University
Mr. Ryan Hathaway
Director of Environmental Justice
Office of the President of the United States
Dr. Orville Grey
Head of the Secretariat - National Adaptation Plan
International Institute for Sustainable Development
Speakers:
Panel Presentations: A Case Study About Sea Level Rise: It’s All About the Geography
2:10 - 3:00
Moderator:
Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Dobson
Professor Emeritus
University of Kansas
“Processes and Probabilities of Sea Level Rise”
Dr. Jerry X. Mitrovica
Frank Baird Jr. Professor of Science
Harvard University
“Physical and Social Impacts”
Dr. Radley Horton
Professor
Columbia University Climate School
“Finance and Insurance”
Dr. Roger Greiner
Senior Vice President
Verisk
Speakers:
3:00 - 3:05
Lightning Talk: NYC GISMO
“The GISMO Role in NYC’s Enterprise GIS”
Mr. Alan Leidner
Board Member
Geospatial Information Systems & Mapping Organization (GISMO)
Panel Discussion: New York City: On the Front Line of Climate Change
3:05 - 3:50
Dr. William Solecki
Professor of Geography
City University of New York
Moderator:
Dr. Deborah Balk
Director of the Institute for Demographic Research
City University of New York
Prof. Sheila Foster
Visiting Professor
Columbia University Climate School
Dr. Luiz Ortiz
Assistant Professor in Climate Applications
George Mason University
Prof. Joel Towers
University Professor
The New School
Speakers:
3:50 - 4:15
Break/Caucus
Fireside Chat: A Conversation with the Administrator of FEMA and the Director of NGA
4:15 - 4:55
Moderator:
Dr. Lee Schwartz
The Geographer
United States Department of State
Ms. Deanne Criswell
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
VADM Frank Whitworth
Director
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
Speakers:
4:55 - 5:55
Lightning Talks
Dr. Christopher Tucker
Moderator:
“Stress Testing the US Food System Using a Digital Twin Model”
Mr. Mikey Abela
Product Manager
The Earth Genome
"Sinking Shorelines: Assessing the Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Communities and Infrastructure"
Dr. Reda Amer
Director of the Geospatial Collaborative
University of Missouri-St. Louis
“Funding Equitable Co-Production in Climate Risk Adaptation”
Ms. Katherine Cann
Doctoral Student
Rutgers University
“Geospatial Superpowers: Harnessing Esri’s Technology to Navigate the Climate Crisis”
Mr. Asaf Even-Paz
Imagery Account Executive
Esri
“Estimating Populations at Risk”
Mr. Tom Fitzwater
Chief of the Demographic and Economic Studies Branch
U.S. Census Bureau
"From Pandemic to Climate Crisis: Lessons for Resilient Responses"
Dr. Annette Hübschle
Senior Researcher
University of Cape Town
"IRA 2022 Energy Incentives,Water Demand, Climate Change, and Economic Risk"
Dr. Hildegaard Link
Director of Research and Development
AquaLink Engineering
“What is the ‘Grammar’ Necessary to Translate Models and Satellite Information for People’s Needs?”
Dr. Daniel Osgood
Lead Scientist of the Financial Instruments Sector Team
The International Research Institute for Climate & Society (IRI)
“How to Detect Wildfire Smoke Using Amazon Rekognition”
Mr. Daniel Sheehan
Solutions Architect
Amazon Web Services
"Exploring the Potential Pitfalls of GIS in Micro-Level Urban Planning"
Dr. Ankita Sood
Disaster & Climate Risk Data Library Fellow
World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
"Mapping Housing Stock from Drone Images and Street View Photos for Climate Resilience in the Caribbean"
Ms. Isabelle Tingzon
Disaster & Climate Risk Data Library Fellow
World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
"A Visibility Risk Assessment Tool for Maritime Operations"
Dr. Katie Verlinden
Senior Scientist
Applied Ocean Sciences
Review of the Day/Planning for Day Two
5:55 - 6:00
6:00 - 7:00
Welcome Reception
Friday, November 17, 2023
8:00 - 8:30
Registration and Breakfast
Lightning Talks: Exposure Mapping
8:30 - 8:45
Dr. Meredith Gore
Associate Professor of Geographical Sciences
University of Maryland
Moderator:
"Leveraging Generative AI for Real-Time Assessment of Risk and Damages in Catastrophic Weather Events"
Dr. Chad Meley
Senior Vice President of Product Strategy
Kinetica
"End-to-End Data Solution for Parametric Flood Insurance"
Ms. Bessie Schwarz
Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder
Floodbase
"Climate Change and Permafrost Degradation Threats to Arctic Infrastructure”
Dr. Dmitri Streletsky
Professor of Geography
George Washington University
Panel Presentations: The Future of Exposure Mapping Techniques
8:45 - 9:30
Moderator:
Dr. Meredith Gore
Mr. David Carttar
Senior Director, Geospatial Development
Moody’s RMS
Mr. Michael Koterba
Chief Technology Officer
MJ Engineering
Dr. Eric Tate
Professor
Princeton University
Speakers:
Panel Presentations: Are We in Good Hands? Navigating the Future of High-Risk Property Insurance
9:30 - 10:20
Dr. Alex de Sherbinin
Senior Research Scientist
Columbia University Climate School
Moderator:
Dr. Charles Huyck
Executive Vice President
ImageCat, Inc.
Mr. Jay Mullen
Insurance Sales Manager
Esri
Dr. Megan Hart
Managing Director
Aon
Speakers:
Break/Caucus
10:20 - 10:50
Plenary Presentation: Geography 2050: Reflections from the Columbia Climate School
10:50 - 11:10
Mr. Al Di Leonardo
Co-Chief Executive Officer
Black Cape
Introduction:
Speaker:
Dr. Jeffrey Shaman
Interim Climate School Dean
Columbia University
Panel Presenations: Geospatial Technologies for Risk Modelling and Monitoring
11:10 - 12:00
Dr. Nuala Margaret Cowan
Disaster Risk Management Consultant
World Bank
Moderator:
Dr. Michael Mann
Associate Professor
George Washington University
Ms. Rachel Olney
Chief Executive Officer
Geosite, Inc.
Ms. Katie Zezima
Sr. Geospatial Advisor
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Speakers:
Presentation: Space to Village: Managing Climate Risk Around the World
12:00 - 12:30
Mr. Daniel Irwin
SERVIR Global Program Manager
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Ms. Carrie Stokes
Chief Geographer
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
12:30 - 1:10
Lunch
1:10 - 1:20
Spotlight: The Role of Geospatial Data in Managing Interconnected Climate and Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) Risks
Dr. Richard Hewston
Director, Climate Risk
Verisk Maplecroft
1:20 - 1:50
Lightning Talks
Dr. Wesley Reisser
Deputy Director
U.S. Department of State
Moderator:
"The Risk Data Library Standard: Opening up Risk Information for Better Risk Management"
Dr. Mattia Amadio
Senior DRM Consultant
World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
“Climate Change Vulnerability Profiles and Local Adaptation Strategies in Indonesia"
Mr. Mohammad Fadli
Disaster & Climate Risk Data Library Fellow
World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
"Climate Change Risks to Ocean Economic Viability"
Dr. Kevin Heaney
Chief Executive Officer
Applied Ocean Sciences
"Using Geospatial Analytics to Boost Climate Resilience in Hawai'i"
Mr. Tobin McGilligan
Project Manager
CARTO
"Advancing City Responses to Extreme Heat and Heat-Related Health Impacts in South Africa - A Case From Three Cities in the Gauteng Province"
Mr. Bradley Riley
Disaster & Climate Risk Data Library Fellow
World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR)
TBD
Col. Mark Read
Professor and Department Head of the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering
U.S. Military Academy
Panel Presentations: Spatial Finance of Public and Private Investment in Resilience
1:50 - 2:40
Dr. Joshua Campbell
Chief Executive Officer
Sand Hill Geographic
Moderator:
Mr. Will Cadell
Founder
SparkGeo
Dr. Jamie Herring
Chief Executive Officer
Climate Engine
Ms. Erin Bigley
Chief Responsibility Officer
AllianceBernstein
Mr. Mike Spaeth
Director - North America
EarthDaily Analytics
Speakers:
AGS Honors and Awards Ceremony
2:40 - 3:00
3:00 - 3:15
Break/Caucus
National Geographic MapMaker: Where Education Meets Innovation
3:15 - 3:35
Dr. Deborah Grayson
Chief Education Officer
National Geographic Society
Dr. Serena McCalla
Explorer
National Geographic Society
Mr. Alexander Tait
The Geographer
National Geographic Society
Spotlight: Beyond the Balance Sheet: The Interconnectedness of Finance, Biodiversity, and Impact
3:35 - 3:55
Mr. Jalen Gildersleeve
Ecosystem Developer
Buckminster Fuller Institute
Panel: From Space to the Ground and Back: The Future of Geo for Dealing with Risk, Hazards, and Finance
3:55 - 4:35
Dr. Robert Chen
Director of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)
Columbia University Climate School
Moderator:
Ms. Maggie Cawley
Executive Director
OpenStreetMap, US
Mr. Skip Maselli
Vice President of the Public Sector
Pixxel Space Technologies
Mr. Ian Warner
Director of Industry Workforce Development & Innovation
Trimble, Inc.
Panelists:
4:35- 4:55
Lightning Talks
Ms. Emily Lowe
Senior Vice President
Hudson Insurance Group
Moderator:
"On the Fly Terror Exposure Aggregations with H3 Hexagons and Snowflake"
Ms. Priscilla Cole
Geospatial Engineer
Vantage Risk
“In Conflict or Disaster, Population Data for Mitigating Harm to Civilians”
Mr. Patrick Ellis
Senior GEOINT Officer for Human Geography
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)
“The Impact of Climate Change on our Built Infrastructure”
Dr. Bonny McClain
Geospatial Analyst
Global Impact Assessment
“The YouthMappers Environment”
Ms. Annaca Sutton
Regional Ambassador for the Americas
Youthmappers
Conclusion, Prospectus for the Future, and Announcement of the 2024 Theme
4:55 - 5:00
Dr. Marie Price
Dr. Christopher Tucker