NACIS 2026

Agentic mapping on the web
Kristian Ekenes, Esri
In this talk I’ll provide an overview of how you can build web mapping applications that allow end users to explore, and even create, fully interactive web maps using a natural language interface. You’ll learn how AI components and agents empower map authors, app developers, and end users of web mapping applications to be more efficient in their workflows. I’ll summarize pros and cons of using AI to create web mapping applications and review what this means for the future of web mapping and why having a solid foundation of geographic and cartographic knowledge matters more now than ever.

Collaborative Mapmaking at Audubon: From Story Through Design
Julie Rossman, National Audubon Society
Ryan Hobbs, National Audubon Society
This session offers a look into how the Enterprise GIS and Design teams at the National Audubon Society collaborate with editors, artists, and editorial leadership to produce maps from early concept through final publication for Audubon Magazine.
We'll walk through our end-to-end process: working with editors to understand the story a map needs to tell, developing an art direction that serves the content, hiring and guiding illustrators, sourcing and visualizing data layers, and navigating the messy reality of bringing it all together. We'll use a map created for a story about the ecological impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine as our central case study.
A key theme is collaboration: how GIS sits at the intersection of data, design, editorial judgment, and artistic vision, and what it takes to make that intersection productive. We’ll close with additional examples—including maps on plastics in the ocean, poaching in Cyprus, and sage grouse habitat loss—and we’ll discuss lessons we've learned in fact-checking, data sourcing, and an honest look at what we'd do differently.

Workflow Development When Designing Maps and Data Visualizations for Print
Harman Singh, Pennsylvania State University
Fritz Kessler, Pennsylvania State University
This session explores the challenges faced when developing a design workflow for print visuals included in a book that takes a data-driven design and cartographic storytelling approach. Specifically, this session draws on a book project that pieces together point data related to the U-boat campaign's geographic operations during World War II. Topics covered during this talk will include constraints and considerations for print design, such as color, scale, and layout; designing workflows across multiple software, such as ArcGIS Pro, R, and Adobe Illustrator; and discussion around the use of small multiples, multivariate symbolism, and statistical analysis.

Hating on choropleths (but in a nicer way)
Kelsey Taylor, Stamen Design
Eric Brelsford, Stamen Design
Choropleths are one of the most common types of maps clients ask us for at Stamen. In some cases, they are a totally legitimate way to aggregate and visualize data. But, in many cases, they introduce major biases, overemphasize certain types of areas, or are tied to scales that are not appropriate for the data on the map. Cartographers often face a tradeoff between simplicity, legibility, and meaningfulness that make choropleths rank low on the list of enjoyable maps to make.
In this talk, we will focus on alternative approaches that we prefer (maps and otherwise!) and where we feel like they have been the most successful.