2025 WLIA Spring Conference

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has become an indispensable tool for organizations across various industries. American Family Insurance has been leveraging GIS for over 25 years to enhance its operations, improve customer service, and drive strategic decision-making. This keynote address will take you on a journey through American Family Insurance's innovative use of GIS technology.

We will explore how GIS has been integrated into our core business processes, from risk assessment and claims management to market analysis and customer engagement. By harnessing the power of spatial data, we have been able to gain deeper insights into risk patterns, optimize resource allocation, and enhance our ability to respond to natural disasters.

Join me to learn how American Family Insurance is using GIS to drive business through geospatial insights.

Kaukauna Utilities’ (KU) integration of the utility network management   system has transformed how they model and manage their infrastructure.   This presentation will explore the differences between implementing ESRI’s   Utility Network model with the help of a third-party vendor versus in-house, highlighting the opportunities and obstacles associated with each   approach. By utilizing ArcGIS's Solutions for the Utility Network Foundation   and tools, KU developed an in-house utility network model for a small-sized   water distribution company. The implementation of this model resulted in   improved data accuracy through data cleaning, field editing and tracing, as   well as better integration with existing operational systems.

Learn how this integration reduced ticket processing time and improved accuracy of field responses.
In early 2022, the City of Brookfield recognized the need to modernize its paper-driven process for managing underground utility markings. Facing a significant rise in One-Call locate requests, the City sought to replace outdated, manual workflows that were hindered by disjointed office-to-field communication and inefficient tracking methods.

With responsibilities that span storm sewer, sanitary sewer, potable water, street lighting, and traffic signals, Brookfield needed a scalable and integrated solution. The City adopted the KorTerra One Call ticket management suite to streamline operations and meet increasing demand with greater accuracy and efficiency.

KorTerra’s platform not only aligns with Common Ground Alliance (CGA) best practices and damage reporting standards, but also integrates seamlessly with Diggers Hotline and ESRI’s REST-based feature services. This allows staff to access, update, and manage locate tickets and GIS data within a unified interface—enhancing coordination between field crews and office personnel.

ESRI provides many tools to help administer your ArcGIS Enterprise.  This   session will walk you through some of the supported and “un-supported”   tools available to help you make informed decisions to better administer   your ArcGIS Enterprise environment. 
WebGISDr – Web GIS Disaster Recovery. The ESRI WebGISDr tool (Web GIS   Disaster Recovery) is used to back up and restore ArcGIS Enterprise   deployments, ensuring data and configuration settings can be recovered in   the event of a system failure or disaster.
System Log Parser. The ESRI System Log Parser tool analyzes ArcGIS Server   log files to help diagnose performance issues, errors, and usage patterns by   providing detailed reports and visualizations.
Enterprise Goedatabase Health – EGDB. The ESRI EGDB (Enterprise   Geodatabase) Health Check tool assesses the overall health and   performance of an enterprise geodatabase, identifying potential issues   related to storage, performance, and configuration.
Data Stores. The ESRI Data Store tools help manage and maintain the   ArcGIS Data Store, allowing administrators to configure, back up, restore,   and validate the data store for optimal performance and reliability in an   ArcGIS Enterprise deployment.

OPG-3 will be presenting Laserfiche. Laserfiche is document management system that helps organizations go paperless. We will be showing the basics of Laserfiche on the ease of filing, indexing, and searching for documents all with database lookups. We will also highlight how Laserfiche can manage requests made under Act 235 to seamlessly redact information through a front end Laserfiche Form. Finally, Town of Grand Chute will be showing their integration with ArcGIS to make these documents easily accessible to employees or the public.

Learn some tips and tricks to enhance your Hub Site by integrating Experience Builder (ExB). ExB provides additional customization and functionality that can help your users navigate your Hub Site and showcase apps you've built. This presentation will compare Hub Site's Gallery Cards with using ExB's Card Widgets to create your own app gallery.

Managing city-wide inspection programs requires a structured approach for   organizing field data and tracking progress.  Geographic Information   Systems (GIS) provides a practical framework for streamlining these efforts,   improving efficiency, and maintaining accurate records.
This presentation will highlight two GIS-driven programs that support municipal operations:

1. Sanitary Sewer CCTV Inspection Program – Traditional methods rely on flash drives and paper reports that are difficult to access.  We will walk through how this process was modernized and integrated with GIS, enabling cloud-based video storage, real-time access, and spatial visualization of inspection results.
2. Sidewalk Inspection Program – Traditionally managed through paper forms, this program was redesigned using GIS to improve efficiency during the construction phase.  Inspectors use GIS to input quantities, capture site photos, and document resident communication and contractor activity.  This GIS-driven approach improves coordination between inspectors and project managers by providing real-time access to field notes, inspection progress and project photos.

By integrating GIS into these programs, field crews and project managers can streamline workflows, enhance data accessibility, and improve overall project management. Attendees will gain insight into how GIS supports infrastructure inspection and management on a city-wide scale.

Do you have repeatable workflows that can’t be fully automated or need to be shared with others? Then you should be taking your workflows to Task. Tasks within ArcGIS Pro allow you to share guided workflows, solidify best-practices, reduce clicks and windows, and improve data quality. This presentation will provide an overview of what a Task is and what it is NOT, describe the key components that make up Tasks and Steps, identify use cases, and show a short demo. With Tasks, you can combine your SOP and tools into one ArcGIS Pro pane.

Discover how innovative planimetric methods are helping a suburban community tackle the challenges of installing, budgeting, and managing the lifecycle of its off-road pathways. This presentation will cover data collection techniques, accuracy considerations, and the integration of planimetric data into everyday GIS and asset management workflows. You’ve got your WROC imagery and LiDAR—now learn how to put them to work to make smarter, data-driven decisions for your infrastructure.

Waukesha County is a hot bed of GIS work.  Join us on a virtual whirlwind tour of all the great things happening around us as we highlight the various GIS programs from County, Municipal, Regional, and Private organizations. We’ve got everything from teams of GIS professionals to one-person-shows to public/private partnerships collaborating to give service and value to our citizens.  We’re excited to show you a sampling of the myriad of solutions being tackled all over the area every day.

FME (Feature Manipulation Engine) is a handy tool that works great with GIS. If you're just starting out, FME’s simple drag-and-drop interface helps you move and convert data between different formats (like turning CAD files into GIS layers). As you get more comfortable, you can use FME to automate boring tasks, clean up messy data, and connect different datasets. For experts, FME can handle big, complex jobs—like processing LiDAR, working with cloud data, or running custom scripts. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, learning FME with ESRI GIS saves time and makes your mapping and data work way easier.

In partnership with Hanson Professional Services, NV5 Geospatial is delivering a cutting-edge asset management and smart city solution for the City of Springfield, IL. This program will capture detailed above-ground structures and below-ground infrastructure, enhancing urban planning, infrastructure maintenance, and emergency response. It will also preserve a digital record for historical and educational purposes and establish an interactive platform to engage and inform community stakeholders.
NV5 Geospatial role includes acquisition, processing, and feature extraction of the above-ground features using a combination of mobile and aerial LiDAR and imagery. NV5 leverages machine learning, photogrammetry, and quality control workflows, to ensure accurate mapping of roadways, utilities, ADA features, and critical assets while adhering to ASPRS accuracy standards. NV5’s process culminates in a highly accurate 3D mesh model, supporting Springfield’s long-term goals in infrastructure planning, public safety, and digital twin initiatives.

In this presentation, we will outline Best Practices for obtaining High Accuracy GNSS both Horizontal and Vertical aka “MSL/USFT” using ArcGIS Field Maps.
We will cover the following topics:
     •Is your Point Feature Class “Z” Enabled?
     •Do you need to see the MSL/USFT live in the field?
     •Do you only need to see the MSL/USFT back in the office?
     •Confirm that your GNSS Firmware is up to date.
     •What Correction Source are you using?
     •Applied the proper Geoid file in your GNSS application?
     •What Settings are critical for High Accuracy GNSS? Confirm the following:
             • Antenna Height 
             • Provider
             • Profile
•Have you confirmed your Accuracy on certified NGS Control Points?

We all see the cool ESRI 3D buildings and other high end BIM showcases. We are all envious and in awe of those presentations. We all would love to do that and have that data for a variety of reasons. However, the products often seem out of reach and is costly. In this presentation, we are going to focus on Wisconsin Act 109 and what that means in terms of public safety. We will look at how to get started, what is needed to complete a product, time management, and the challenges along the way.

The City of New Richmond staff completed and submitted their initial Lead Service Line (LSL) Materials Inventory to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for the October 16, 2024 deadline. Explore ways the City leveraged GIS technologies to enter, gather, maintain, and visualize public and private services through the public water system (PWS). With a comprehensive understanding of materials throughout the PWS, staff began formulating plans to replace LSLs over the coming years through ordinances, budgeting, Capital Improvement Plans, grants, and loan services. Learn about program updates and next steps.

As communities grow, and stormwater management needs increase, more and more communities are developing Stormwater Utilities. Stormwater Utilities behave much like a water utility, they seek to charge customers for a service they receive. Municipalities must spend money to maintain their stormwater infrastructure, including everything from cleaning inlets of debris to street projects that update pipe sizes to accommodate larger storms. These expenses add to the community’s operating budget. Rather than raising taxes, many communities are opting to create Stormwater Utilities.

There are many types of Stormwater Utilities, and they vary depending on community needs. Spatial components are often part of a Stormwater Utility and are used as a way to organize the stormwater customers, the benefits they receive, and their bill based on parcel size or impervious area. As technology and record keeping strategies advance, the incorporation of GIS into Stormwater Utilities can help streamline maintenance and add a visual component to an otherwise static and “paper only” record system.

This presentation will focus on how GIS can assist in creating and maintaining a Stormwater Utility.