Pre Conference training

RAC 1^st 9:00 am – 12:00 pm GISP Certification Process Buck DeFee, HNTB Corporation

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm    Lunch                        (on your own)

RAC 1^st 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm ArcGIS mobile and Trimble Positions      Eric Bock, NEI

HGI* 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm GPS Poker Run: Downtown Lafayette Bernard Lemoine & Thell Gillis, NEI

9:00 am – 12:00 pm GISP Certification Process Buck DeFee, HNTB Corporation

Abdalla Hall

Regional Application Center (RAC), 1^st Room 164/166

635 Cajundome Blvd. Lafayette, LA 70506

Bio: Dr. Buck DeFee left the University of Arkansas where he was an Assistant Professor of Spatial Information Systems to assist in recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Since coming to Louisiana, he has promoted the use of GIS in environmental analysis and infrastructure management throughout the U.S. Dr. DeFee has been a member of the Outreach Committee at the GIS Certification Institute for the last three years.
Overview: This session will provide an overview of the GIS Professional program with the GIS Certification Institute. The application process will be introduced with information on how the application is reviewed and approved. Specific examples of how to complete the forms will be given.
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch (on your own)
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm ArcGIS mobile and Trimble Positions Eric Bock, NEI

Abdalla Hall

Regional Application Center (RAC), 1^st Room 164/166

635 Cajundome Blvd. Lafayette, LA 70506

Bio: Eric Bock is employed with Navigation Electronics Inc. as the Technical Support & Training Department manager. He has been with the company for over 5 years and has received national recognition for Trimble’s trainer of the year for Mapping & GIS. Eric graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Geography degree emphasing on GIS and Remote Sensing. He has worked in the GPS and GIS related fields for the past 15 years in the private, state and federal levels.
Overview: Come join NEI for a half-day workshop that focuses on data collection with ArcGIS for Windows Mobile, while providing in-depth training on using the Trimble Positions extension to prepare and process GPS data. Designed to convey the understanding of field-to-office workflow for collecting and managing high-quality data. This workshop will include:
• Creating Mobile Cache

• Creating Mobile Project

• Field Data Collection

• Differential Correction

• Updating Geodatabase
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm GPS Poker Run: Downtown Lafayette Bernard Lemoine &

Thell Gillis, NEI

*Starting at Hilton Garden Inn (HGI)

2350 West Congress Street, Lafayette, LA 70506

Bio: Bernard Lemoine has been happily employed at NEI for 5 years and currently serves as the Mapping/GIS Sales Manager. Prior to serving in this capacity he held the position of Mapping/GIS Sales Representative for Louisiana in which he had the pleasure of working directly with all of Louisiana’s state/local government and private businesses. He is a Louisiana native, originally from Ponchatoula, but now residing in Youngsville, LA. Bernie received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana, and he has been certified in Trimble MGIS and ESRI software training. He has a one year old black lab, and enjoys taking part in the lively culture that Acadiana offers.
Benton Thell Gillis has recently joined the NEI team as the new Mapping & GIS Representative in Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. Thell began his career in Lafayette, Louisiana in Natural Gas Pipeline Operations and the Oil & Gas Industry. He’s worked for Fortune 500 Companies such as; The Williams Companies, Panasonic TOUGHBOOKS and Trimble Navigation, Ltd. Thell has developed, hosted and sponsored numerous leading industry forums, authored whitepapers and various articles from RFID to mobile workforce management. Mr. Gillis served 6 years in the U.S. Coast Guard stationed at Lake Charles, LA. He completed his graduate degree at College of DuPage in Business Administration. Thell is married to an awesome Louisiana native and together they have two amazing sons and one not-so-brilliant dog!
Overview: NEI is hosting a GPS poker run in downtown Lafayette to showcase some of the Hub City’s downtown hot spots. This is a unique poker run which will incorporate Trimble GPS technology, teamwork, clues, and plenty of fun! There will be five teams, each with their own GPS unit and five clues. The objective is for each team to navigate to a particular lat/long, solve a clue, and locate a specific bar/restaurant. A poker card will be waiting for you, but relax and grab a drink before you’re off to find the next spot. All five teams will end in the same location with a poker hand of five cards. The best poker hand wins! Prizes will be given to the best poker hand, and to the team with the most creative team name.

We will meet at the Hilton Garden Inn which is on the same street as Eric’s training class. We will meet in the lobby which is where we will give all the instructions and the GPS’s. The participants can caravan to the parking garage downtown (map will be provided). The poker run will conclude downtown. food will be served at most of the establishments we will be meeting at, so participants can grab a bite to eat while having fun.