Redistricting typically occurs once each decade and the long periods in between may cause even the most seasoned professional to forget critical details. Additionally, new staff may require an overview of the process. GIS is tailor-made for redistricting, and it is inconceivable anyone would attempt redistricting without GIS. County commissioners, school boards, city councils, state house, state senate, and so on will look to their GIS staff for advice and answers. The purpose of this workshop is to outline key issues, methodologies, and tools that facilitate the redistricting process. Now is a great time to get to know the process, the associated data and relevant techniques before these questions come your way following the 2020 Census.
MAGIC Redistricting Workshop
February 13, 2019
Washington University West Campus Library
7425 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63105
Cost: $50
Limit: 50 Attendees
Click here to see the workshop outline.
Meet the Instructors:
Shelby Johnson, Geographic Information Officer, State of Arkansas
Shelby Johnson serves as the Geographic Information Officer for the State of Arkansas and his GIS experience spans over 25 years. He’s a former Board Member and President of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC). He is serving on the NSGIC Geo Enable Elections Project steering committee, which examines the adoption of GIS technology into election management systems. Shelby directs the Arkansas GIS Office, which plays an active role in the U.S. Census Bureau’s geography programs. This work feeds local GIS data into the TIGER BLOCK file that is used for redistricting. This includes municipal boundaries through the Boundary and Annexation Survey (BAS), the School District Data Review Program, and the Voting Tabulation District (VTD) programs. Over his career, Shelby has been directly involved with redistricting in Arkansas in the two previous decades. He has served in a technical advisory role to the Arkansas Board of Apportionment on Legislative Redistricting, the Arkansas Legislature on Congressional Redistricting, as well as numerous cities, counties, and school districts on their redistricting plans. In 2021, it is likely that Shelby will play an advisory role in Arkansas on his third cycle of redistricting. He’s been in an active role in the Mid-America GIS Consortium for over 20 years.
Kenneth Nelson, Geographic Information Officer, State of Kansas
Kenneth A. Nelson serves as the Kansas Geographic Information Officer, Director of the Kansas GIS Data Clearinghouse (DASC), and a Research Project Director at the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS), a research unit of the University of Kansas. Ken joined the KGS team in 1995. Over the past 23 years, Ken has directed numerous GIS database and application development projects and collaborated with all levels of government and the private sector. DASC provides a variety of services for the Kansas GIS community and supports enterprise GIS applications for numerous state agencies. Ken serves on the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council and chairs the GIS Committee which is developing GIS standards and policies for the Council’s Next Generation 911 system. Additionally, Ken serves on the National States Geographic Information Council’s (NSGIC) Geo-Enabled Elections (GEE) Steering Committee.
Lunch Provided: See Menu Choices
Parking: Visitor parking is available on the first level of the West Campus garage.
