Geospatial Forum
The Geospatial Forum brings together researchers, educators, practitioners and students in the geospatial data sciences for a series of lectures, studios and panels focused on important topics and cutting-edge techniques in geospatial analytics.
Ways to join the Forum:
Unless noted below with an asterisk (*), events will take place in 5103 Jordan Hall on select Thursdays from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET. Refreshments will be available. Expand each event below for more details.
Watch live online by visiting go.ncsu.edu/geospatial-forum-live.
The Geospatial Forum is hybrid delivery with in-person guest speakers and the option to participate remotely for Distance Education students and external participants. To the extent possible, all forum events will be livestreamed and recorded.
Fall 2026 Events
Expand each title for more details.
SEP 10 – Dr. Corey Scheip, BGC Engineering | Lecture
Lecture
Speaker: Dr. Corey Scheip, Data Science and Earth Observation Team Lead, Senior Geoscientist, BGC Engineering
Hosted by: Dr. Karl Wegmann, Professor and Associate Head of MEAS Dept., and CGA Faculty Fellow
Summary: Forthcoming.
NOTE this event is co-hosted by NC State’s Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
About the speaker: Forthcoming.
*SEP 24 – Dr. Caren Cooper, NC State | Studio | 2:00-4:00 PM
Studio
Speaker: Dr. Caren Cooper, Professor, Dept. of Forestry and Environmental Resources, and CGA Faculty Fellow, North Carolina State University
Hosted by: Dr. Georgina Sanchez, CGA’s Director of Research Engagement
Summary: Forthcoming
About the speaker: Forthcoming.
OCT 8 – Global Data for Local Action: Saving the World One Data Dashboard at a Time | Lecture
Lecture
Speaker: Dr. Ted Wong, Data Scientist and Research Associate, Urban Analytics, Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, World Resources Institute
Hosted by: John Vogler, Research Scholar, CGA
Summary: World Resources Institute is a large environmental NGO which (among other things) provides geospatial data and analyses to local governments to support sustainable urban planning. This talk will examine how WRI builds and deploys data products supporting city-level planning and decision-making for extreme heat, urban biodiversity, and decarbonization. We will discuss theories of change, user research, project-level business models, strategies for mainstreaming, representation of uncertainty, and of course all the technical considerations behind our data products.
About the speaker: Ted Wong is a data scientist on the Urban Analytics team at WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. He develops data products, analytical tools, and training resources to support governments and communities in equitable, data-backed planning processes for decarbonization and climate resilience. Ted is an ecologist by training, and before coming to WRI he was a faculty member at Bryn Mawr College and the Community College of Philadelphia. He teaches an occasional GIS class for social policy students at the University of Pennsylvania. Ted has a B.S. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and a Master of Forest Science degree from the Yale School of the Environment.
*OCT 23 – Event To Be Announced | Panel | 2:30-4:00 PM
Panel
Hosted by: Dr. Georgina Sanchez, CGA’s Director of Research Engagement
Moderator: To Be Announced
Panelists: To Be Announced
NOV 19 – GIS Week | Event To Be Announced
TBA
Speaker: TBA
Hosted by: the Geospatial Graduate Student Organization
Summary: Forthcoming.
About the speaker: Forthcoming.
*DEC 10 – MGIST Digital Symposium
Symposium | 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm | Hunt Library Teaching and Visualization Lab (room 4505)
The MGIST Digital Symposium is an opportunity for our graduating professional master’s students to present their Capstone projects to the geospatial community at NC State and beyond. This includes student peers, alumni, faculty and staff from across the university, and our community and industry partners.
The technology in Hunt Library will allow students to present digital posters of their Capstone projects on a large, immersive projection screen in a social atmosphere with networking and open discussion. The event is capped off with an award to the winner of the poster competition!
Schedule TBA
Watch Recordings on YouTube
Geospatial Forums are recorded and posted with closed captioning on the Center’s YouTube channel.
Join the Geospatial Forum listserv
Subscribe to receive email announcements about upcoming events; simply send an email to John Vogler ([email protected]) with the subject line “Add to Geospatial Forum listserv.” You can also add the Geospatial Forum calendar to your Google Calendar.
The Forum is a Sustainable Event!
NC State’s University Sustainability Office has recognized the Geospatial Forum with Champion certification for its contribution to environmentally responsible operations. For example: Forum advertising is almost entirely paperless; all of the disposable items used during Forum events are compostable; refreshments accommodate vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diets; and all leftover food is donated.