URISA to Host GIS for Equity and Social Justice Workshop

Des Plaines, IL (December 14, 2021) URISA is pleased to host its popular Certified Workshop, Introduction to Equity and Social Justice, on Friday, January 21, 2022. The four hour course will be presented virtually according to this schedule:

1:00-5:00 PM Eastern
12:00-4:00 PM Central
11:00 AM-3:00 PM Mountain
10:00 AM-2:00 PM Pacific

This workshop will serve as an introduction to recent trends and practices related to using GIS for Equity and Social Justice (ESJ). GIS professionals are bound by the GIS Code of Ethics to consider the impact of their work on society. For hundreds of years mapping has sometimes been a tool for creating and preserving inequity. During the past 25 years there have been some uses of GIS for issues related to equity or social justice.

We will explore critical race theory (CRT) and trends in critical race spatial analysis. We will review recent literature and academic programs around the topic of GIS for ESJ. Most importantly we will outline best practices for GIS professionals in doing GIS for ESJ work. This includes creating a data/mapping/application support framework both for their own work and to support the work on non-GIS professionals. Non-GIS professionals will become the largest community doing actual ESJ work with GIS. These non-GIS professionals include those who work for agencies, non-profits, and NGO’s with an ESJ mission, as well as government policy professionals who want to use GIS to support an ESJ lens for developing upstream agency policies.

Learning Objectives:

Why GIS for Equity and Social Justice
GIS code of ethics and moral imperative
Principles of equity and social justice
The role of GIS professionals
The role of ESJ practitioners
The role of public policy
Critical race theory
Critical race spatial analysis
How upstream policies impact downstream outcomes
Understanding how maps and GIS can be used to create long-term inequity
How GIS and maps can expose oppression and inequity
How GIS can be used to manage and monitor pro-equity policies
Examples of public agencies with ESJ policy priorities
Educational resources for GIS professionals

Instructors:

Nicole Franklin, Chief Equity Officer, King County Information Technology, Seattle, WA
Nicole Franklin develops workable, pragmatic solutions to technology access problems faced by the unserved and underserved communities. She serves as the chief equity officer for the Department of Information Technology, where she leads efforts to ensure social justice and equity in her workplace and community.

Greg Babinski, GISP, EthicalGEO Fellow, GIS Management Consulting Services, Seattle, WA
Greg Babinski is a GIS management consultant, researcher, author, and instructor. He was GIS Manager, Marketing and Finance Manager, and Marketing and Business Development Manager for the King County GIS Center in Seattle from 1998 through 2021. Previously he worked for nine years as GIS Mapping Supervisor for the East Bay Municipal Utility District in Oakland. Greg also taught GIS for Public Policy at the University of Washington Evans Graduate School of Public Administration. Most recently Greg has focused on the application of GIS for issues related to equity and social justice. He is co-author of the URISA-Certified Introduction to GIS for Equity and Social Justice Workshop. Greg’s Ethical GEO Fellowship allowed him to develop GIS for Equity and Social Justice Best Practices that further the aims of the Ethical GEO fellowship program. He has spoken about GIS management across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Workshop Host/Moderator: Xan Fredericks, GISP

This course counts toward 4 hours of GISP Education Points.

Seats are limited.

Registration Fee: URISA members $50; Nonmembers $100

For an online registration form, visit: https://www.urisa.org/webinars

Wendy Nelson
Executive Director – URISA
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