Geospatial Opportunities: From Humanitarian Work to the UCs & Bhutan

NASA Lifelines Introduction:This talk will introduce NASA Lifelines - a recent initiative to bridge the gap between geospatial data and humanitarian action.Happiness is... GIS in Bhutan!:UC Davis offers its LDA/ABT 150 (Upper division “Introduction to GIS”) course as a study abroad class in the mountainous Kingdom of Bhutan, which is also known as “The Land of the Thunder Dragon.” Dr. Karen Beardsley has taught this 4-week course four times since its inception in 2018, most recently in the summer of 2024. The class is open to students from all UCs and will be held again August—September of 2025. Together with IT Manager Carlos Barahona, Dr. Beardsley will present the course syllabus, teaching methodology, and experience with the final group projects. In addition, they will share some advantages (and challenges!) of teaching GIS in a culturally and biologically rich environment, at over 8000 feet in elevation.GeoConnect: Centralizing Geospatial Resources Across the UC System:GeoConnect is a group of Librarians and GIS staff from across the University of California system. We were awarded a two-year research grant from the Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC). GeoConnect will assess what GIS users on our campuses seek with regards to geospatial resources and support and to collaboratively organize these resources. We aim to examine our existing LibGuides to assess the current content, conduct a survey across the UC System to assess what patrons are seeking, and finally create a centralized resource hub to support the UC community. This presentation will discuss what has been done thus far and long-term goals for the project.NASA Equity and Environmental Justice Introduction:NASA’s EEJ program helps ensure Earth data can benefit everyone, regardless of race, color, national origin or income. We help communities across the U.S. make informed decisions about issues affecting them. The program also builds new partnerships to support community outreach, training, and information and tools that use Earth observations. We aim to create opportunities for people to support community empowerment with Earth observation information.