The American Geographical Society's 2023 Fall Symposium, Geography 2050: The Changing Map of Risk, Hazards, & Finance, kicks off with welcome remarks from Chief Executive Officer Dr. John Konarski, an introduction by AGS Chair Dr. Christopher Tucker and AGS President Dr. Marie Price, and an overview of the intersection between geography/geospatial science and the insurance industry led by Verisk's Mx. Todd Barr and Ms. Briana Brown from Ecopia AI.

AGS Councilor Dr. Demetrice "Dee" Jordan leads a panel on the need to ensure social justice and equity are crucial considerations when managing environmental and climate-driven risk. Her guests include 2023 AGS John Gould Award Winner Dr. Robert Bullard from Texas Southern University, Mr. Ryan Hathaway, Director of Environmental Justice in the Office of the President of the United States, and Dr. Orville Grey, Head of the Secretariat - National Adaptation Plan at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

AGS President Emeritus Dr. Jerome "Jerry" Dobson from the University of Kansas leads this discussion of the risks associated with sea level rise with guests Dr. Jerry X. Mitrovica, Frank Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, Dr. Radley Horton Professor at the Columbia University Climate School, and Dr. Roger Greiner, Senior Vice President at Verisk.

This special session on how New York City is taking the lead in managing the effects of climate changes leads off with a Lightning Talk from Alan Leidner from the New York City chapter of the Geospatial Information Systems & Mapping Organization (GISMO), then moves to a panel led by Dr. William Solecki, Professor of Geography from the City University of New York (CUNY) and featuring Dr. Deborah Balk, Director of CUNY's Institute for Demographic Research, Prof. Sheila Foster, Visiting Professor at the Columbia University Climate School, Dr. Luiz Ortiz Assistant Professor in Climate Applications at George Mason University, and Professor Joel Towers of the New School.

The American Geographical Society arranged an unprecedented meeting of the US government's "top brass" utilizing geography and geospatial technology to preserve and protect our country from natural and man-made threats. AGS Councilor and the Department of State's Geographer of the United States, Dr. Lee Schwartz, leads this special conversation with Ms. Deanne Criswell, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

Lightning Talks return for another year with another amazing array of presentations on cutting-edge research and bleeding-edge technology. Our diverse group of presenters keep it tight with a five-minute time limit and no control over their slide shows!

Day two of of the 2023 AGS Fall Symposium kicks off with a special series of Lightning Talks dedicated specifically to the topic of mapping exposure to risk. Five minutes - no slideshow control!

Moderated by AGS Councilor Dr. Meredith Gore, Associate Professor of Geographical Sciences from the University of Maryland, this panel takes a look at the cutting-edge technologies that are building our capacity to map exposure to risk. The panel includes Mr. David Carttar, Senior Director of Geospatial Development for Moody’s RMS, Mr. Michael Koterba, Chief Technology Officer of MJ Engineering, and Dr. Eric Tate, Professor at Princeton University.

Columbia Climate School's Dr. Alex de Sherbinin leads a special panel to look at the geospatial tools that inform the insurance industry and how those tools continue to evolve. Joining Dr. de Sherbinin are Dr. Charles Huyck, Executive Vice President of ImageCat, Inc., Mr. Jay Mullen, Insurance Sales Manager from Esri, and Dr. Megan Hart, Managing Director of Aon.

Dr. Jeffrey Shaman, Interim Dean of the Columbia Climate School, reflects on the challenges and opportunities that have been addressed through the Geography 2050 partnership of the American Geographical Society and the Columbia Climate School.

The World Bank's Dr. Nuala Margaret Cowan leads up this panel on the ongoing development of technology dedicated to predicting and monitoring the effects of natural disasters. The panel includes Dr. Michael Mann, Associate Professor at George Washington University, Ms. Rachel Olney, Chief Executive Officer of Geosite, Inc., and Ms. Katie Zezima, Senior Geospatial Advisor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

A look at SERVIR, a joint initiative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and leading geospatial organizations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, SERVIR partners with countries and organizations in these regions to address critical challenges in climate change, food security, water and related disasters, land use, and air quality. With the SERVIR Global Program Manager, Mr. Daniel Irwin, from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and AGS Councilor and Chief Geographer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Ms. Carrie Stokes.

A special presentation by Dr. Richard Hewston, Director of Climate Risk for Verisk Maplecroft.

The U.S. Department of State's Dr. Wes Reisser serves as Master of Ceremonies for this collection of informative Lightning Talks that give a further look at research and innovations targeting the challenges of climate-related risk management.

This informative panel moderated by AGS Councilor and CEO of Sand Hill Geographic, Dr. Josh Campbell, explores the geospatially-informed mechanisms being developed by financial institutions to build resources for resilience against climate-driven risk. Panelists include Mr. Will Cadell, Founder of SparkGeo, Dr. Jamie Herring, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Engine, Ms. Erin Bigley, Chief Responsibility Officer for Symposium sponsor AllianceBernstein, and Mr. Mike Spaeth, Director for North America of EarthDaily Analytics.

The American Geographical Society takes a moment from the 2023 Fall Symposium to honor the contributions of three outstanding professionals whose achievements truly represent the Society's vision of using geography for the good of society. This year's medalists include Dr. D. James Baker, recipient of the George Davidson Medal, Dr. Robert Bullard, recipient of the John Gould Medal, and Dr. Sallie Marston, recipient of the Alexander & Ilse Melamid Medal.

Guests from sister organization the National Geographic Society give a look at their exciting new tool putting power in the hands of first-timers and season pros to develop maps for better understanding the climate risks facing the world today. With Dr. Deborah Grayson, Chief Education Officer, Dr. Serena McCalla, Explorer, and The Geographer of the National Geographic Society, Mr. Alexander Tait.

Mr. Jalen Gildersleeve, Ecosystem Developer of the Buckminster Fuller Institute, shares his thoughts on the opportunities and rewards of investing in community resilience and environmental protection.

AGS Councilor and Director of the Columbia Climate School's Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Dr. Robert Chen, leads the 2023 AGS Fall Symposium's final panel of non-profit and commercial industry leaders to take a look at the future of geospatial technology in the management of Risk, Hazards, & Finance. Joining the discussion are Ms. Maggie Cawley, Executive Director of OpenStreetMap, US, Mr. Skip Maselli, Vice President of the Public Sector for Pixxel Space Technologies, and AGS Councilor Mr. Ian Warner, Director of Industry Workforce Development & Innovation for Trimble, Inc.

Ms. Emily Lowe, Senior Vice President of the Hudson Insurance Group, is our special guest Master of Ceremonies for the final series of thought-provoking Lightning Talks about exciting developments in geospatial tools and thinking for addressing risk, hazards, and finance. Then, AGS Chairman, Dr. Christopher Tucker, and AGS President, Dr. Marie Price, give parting thoughts on this year's Symposium and a look at the theme of the 2024 AGS Fall Symposium.