Avenza User Conference Speakers

Ted Florence

President, Avenza Systems

Ted Florence is the President of Avenza Systems and directs the company in coming up with innovative solutions to the problems that plague the map-makers and map users of the 21st century. He is a professional engineer, who spent seven years as an international executive for a major pharmaceutical company followed by two years in the toy industry before joining Avenza in 1997 as an investor and vice president. Ted took over the ownership and presidency of Avenza in 2000 and has seen the company grow annually under his watch with a number of exciting and innovative products.

Opening remarks

Ivy Adamakopoulou

Chief Executive Officer, Anavasi

Ivy Adamakopoulou is Anavasi’s CEO, Greece’s leading cartographic company. She is a mountain person, a keen hiker and cartographer. Since 2022, she has started working with the Fire Service for outdoor map solutions and is training the Greek Forest Fire Fighters’ Fire Observants division since 2023 using Avenza. 

From Outdoor Recreation to Mapping Fire Scars

From heaven to hell, Anavasi is a team of cartographers who have been producing the most detailed, up-to-date hiking maps. Anavasi maps are available inside Avenza Map Store and can guide your steps when hiking to every beautiful Greek island or steep mountain. With the effects of climate change becoming ever more noticeable, Anavasi has begun mapping the growing scars across our landscape. Over the last 2 years, we have started working with the Fire Service for outdoor map solutions and are training the Greek Forest Fire Fighters, Fire Observants division, in using Avenza Maps since 2023. This presentation is our testimony of how mapping solutions intended for recreation can help coordinate efforts to monitor and defend this fragile natural heritage and landscape.

Göran Bengtsson

Owner, Historiska GIS-kartor

Göran Bengtsson is a trained archaeologist at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, with a special interest in our oldest remains from the late Paleolithic and older Stone Age periods, but also in cultural geography. He has also participated in several excavations of Stone Age settlements. In recent years, however, he has focused his research on much younger cultural remains, such as the inventory of older agricultural landscapes, water-powered mills, crofts and other interesting cultural remains. Göran has been very interested in cartography since his early youth and now with his retirement and free time he has spent thousands of hours correcting historical maps. He has also conducted courses where he has taught native researchers how to take advantage of historical maps and Avenza Maps.

How to Make, Use, and Take Advantage of Rectified Historical Maps

Archaeology also includes remains from recent centuries and one category of this has particularly caught my interest, namely water-powered mills. Its history in Scandinavia stretches all the way back to the early Middle Ages, i.e. the 12th century, but it can be assumed that a strong expansion only took place around the 16th century and its existence lasted until the beginning of the 20th century. I have spent the last 3 years rectifying historical maps of my home area in order to find forgotten and abandoned crofts. Inventorying and finding all these crofts and small huts that have existed is currently a hot topic in Sweden, and is eagerly supported by the cultural authority. 

In Sweden, we are fortunate in that we hold one of the world’s largest collected treasures of historical map sheets, a mapping that was done mainly during the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries where the purpose was, among other things, to tax the arable land.

In the “world of the maps”, I discover that the surveyor has also mapped the mills that existed at the time of mapping, because these also had their economic value. Here, with the mills, my special inventory started and this is where, with this introduction, I want to show how I go about retrieving and inventorying the stock of water-powered mills by rectifying and taking advantage of them in Avenza Maps. I am now halfway through my project, i.e. I have rectified all the historical maps, from the northern county of Halland and south to the middle part, which has resulted in approximately 2500 mills and approximately 1900 maps, maps that are now also available in the Avenza Store for use and enjoyment for other homestead researchers in the county.

Jack and Jude Binder

Secretary, Wildcare Friends of Macquarie Harbour and Waterways

Jack and Jude are very experienced wilderness explorers. They began by exploring Africa, north to south, in the late 1960s. And then became adept at navigating across oceans, sailing over a quarter million miles, using celestial navigation to find their way. They still sail and live aboard Banyandah, their floating home. 

Their time in the forest began in the 1990s when their skills were used by Parks to find disused mine shafts from olden days that are now in National Parks. Now, Jack and Jude are helping to look after the environment, and encouraging as many as they can to get connected to Earth in the hope humanity can still save the beautiful planet we call home.

Avenza Maps in Tasmania’s Wilderness

Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast is six times larger than Sydney Harbour. It’s also the gateway to one of the world’s largest remaining wilderness areas. Our Wildcare group works in partnership with the Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Tasmania, and land owners to help maintain the cultural and heritage tracks and infrastructure within Macquarie Harbour and its waterways.

Where we work is often thick, wet rainforest. Turn around twice and it looks all the same. Good navigating equipment is essential for efficiency and our safety. We use the Avenza mapping system to record positions with images and notes, using a standard iPad that’s so handy in the bush. 

Our presentation shows two outings with its use. Finding and cleaning a historical gravesite from 1900, lost to the bush after the area was declared a National Park. The other shows mapping of Fish Farm trash so others can return to the exact location for collection. We also present the results of a 4-year project finding the historical Goulds Post Track, cut in 1862, which linked the east coast of Tasmania to the mineral-rich west.

Tristan Lyttle

Senior Product Manager, Avenza Systems

Tristan Lyttle has been with Avenza since 2011 when he started as a Support Specialist. Since then, he has progressed through Avenza working with QA, the Map Store team, and now as a Senior Product Manager with Avenza Maps. Currently, his focus is on turning the feedback we receive from our users into real features and solutions in Avenza Maps.

Avenza Maps: Charting Progress

Since the last Avenza UC, the Avenza Maps team has been focused on delivering new and exciting features, continuing to improve the overall app experience, and charting the future of Avenza Maps. This presentation will share features that have been added to Avenza Maps, what you can expect in the future, and some exciting Avenza Maps news and updates!

Oliver Normanton

Desktop Product Manager, Avenza Systems

Oliver Normanton is the Desktop Product Manager responsible for the growth and development of Avenza Systems desktop-based products: MAPublisher and Geographic Imager. Oliver graduated with honours from the University of Hertfordshire with a BSc in Physical Geography. He then spent a year with the Glaciological Research Team before moving to Toronto to begin his career in cartographic software development at Avenza.

Charting the Course Ahead: The Future of Mapping in Adobe with MAPublisher and Geographic Imager

MAPublisher and Geographic Imager have had a productive year! This presentation will update you on all the exciting new features that have been delivered since the last Avenza UC and share updates on what’s coming next for the desktop products.

Deborah E. Padilla, LMSW, CTP

Therapist, Author, Podcast Host, PATHS WITH HEALING Inc.

Deborah E. Padilla is the founder of PATHS WITH HEALING, Inc., and the HIKING IS MY THERAPY blog and podcast. She specializes in nature therapy and adventure therapy, focusing on anxiety, depression, and trauma. Deborah is a Ph.D. Candidate in Social Work and has a Master’s in Social Work from Yeshiva University. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering for causes promoting the wellness of the environment and improving the quality of life for others. 

Exploring the Intersection of Technology, Nature, and Mental Health

The usage of maps allows us to navigate our current environment, and sometimes, we need to map out our mental health to figure out the best way to cope. This presentation introduces an innovative way to utilize Avenza Maps and its features to help manage our mental health while on the trail. We will review the importance of technology (Avenza Maps), mental health, nature’s benefits, and how highlighted features can help individuals deal with various mental health challenges with the outdoors.

Tom Patterson

Cartographer, U.S. National Park Service (Retired)

Tom Patterson worked as a cartographer at the U.S. National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center, until retiring in 2018. He has an M.A. in Geography from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Presenting terrain on maps is Tom’s passion. He publishes the ShadedRelief.com website and is the co-developer of the Natural Earth dataset and the Equal Earth projection. Tom has served as President and Executive Director of the NACIS. He is now Vice Chair of the International Cartographic Association, Commission on Mountain Cartography.

Creating the Blue Earth Bathymetry Dataset

Blue Earth Bathymetry is an edited version of GEBCO (General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans), a public domain dataset that combines ocean bottom and land elevation data of the entire world. Because GEBCO derives from a mix of data sources and contains noisy artifacts, I created Blue Earth as a cleaner alternative for making small-scale maps of the seafloor. Making it involved an unorthodox editing procedure to remove artifacts, which could only be done in Adobe Photoshop and Geographic Imager. Blue Earth Bathymetry is available for free as a GeoTIFF DEM at 60-arc second resolution (21,600 x 10,800 pixels).

Richard Rasch

Owner, Custom Course Maps

Richard Rasch lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota and has been mapping disc golf courses for almost 25 years. He got his start working with GIS data in 2001 after discovering MAPublisher Lite would allow the import of TIGER/Line Shapefiles into Adobe Illustrator. A former high school choir director and computer graphics teacher he earned a certificate in GIS and is always fascinated by the way art and science intersect. He formed Custom Course Maps to create and publish highly detailed maps and signage for outdoor recreational activities with an emphasis on mapping terrain and elevation.

Tailoring Elevation Data for Maps with Small Footprints

Lidar elevation data is revolutionizing many aspects of map making. Processing it for large scale/small footprint maps to take advantage of its high level of detail is important. I will show how I use it to create disc golf course maps and tee signs. These maps are not always oriented with north up so adding base layers like hillshade involves a few extra steps. My workflow involves QGIS and MAPublisher to create layers to achieve the right view for multiple small maps.

Sid Sharma

Product Marketing Specialist, Avenza Systems

Sid has an Hon BA from Cardiff Met. University in Business, and a postgraduate certificate from Fanshawe College in Management with a specialization in Marketing. With a passion for exploring international cultures, his education and experience span across various countries as well as industries. Sid helps us deliver an enhanced and consistent experience with our product and communications to our diverse user base.

Avenza Maps: Charting Progress

Since the last Avenza UC, the Avenza Maps team has been focused on delivering new and exciting features, continuing to improve the overall app experience, and charting the future of Avenza Maps. This presentation will share features that have been added to Avenza Maps, what you can expect in the future, and some exciting Avenza Maps news and updates!

Hans van der Maarel

Owner, Red Geographics

Hans van der Maarel is a long-time MAPublisher user and Avenza partner based in The Netherlands. With the team at Red Geographics, he enjoys helping customers get the most out of MAPublisher. Hans is also a former NACIS board member.

Red Academy: A New Learning Platform for Avenza

What’s a great way to get better at using MAPublisher? Get training of course! A MAPublisher training will allow you to make better maps in less time, who doesn’t want that? But the classical training methods may not suit your needs. We are introducing a new online training platform for Avenza’s products: the Red Academy, your pathway to better maps!

James Vooght

Owner/Photographer, James Vooght Photography

James Vooght is a Photographer based out of his home area in the Lower Hudson Valley of New York. A passionate artist specializing in landscape, nature and wildlife photography, James spends a significant amount of time sharing his love of regional parks and landmarks. He provides photographer education for newer and aspirational photographers through his work, YouTube videos, and writing all while working full time as a Wireless Network Engineer serving clients in the Hudson Valley Region.

Trails to Frames: A Photographic Journey with Avenza

Follow me on my photographic adventure to Death Valley and Lone Pine California that has been planned using Avenza Maps. See how my planning is influenced and documented using the features of Avenza Maps in order to maximize the opportunities I have as a photographer exploring the National Parks and other scenic locations in the United States. Join me in those plans and how they are turned into results with demonstrations of my workflow and the photography produced.

Marikka Williams

GIS Professor, Fleming College

Marikka is a GIS Professor for the GIS (Cartography and Applications Specialist) Post Diploma program,  the Environmental Technician program and Common First Semester at Sir Sandford Fleming College, a Mapping and Technologies Spatial Data Strategies Chair and Cartouche Co-Editor for the Canadian Cartographic Association (CCA). She is also a former Eastern Section Director for BeSpatial Ontario and a former GoGeomatics Peterborough Group Leader / Event Organizer. She is a graduate of the University of North Texas and has been GISP certified by GISCI since 2008. She has 20+ years of experience in the field of GIS. Her work experience includes providing GIS services to support Municipal Operations and the Engineering Consulting Industry, as well as educating College students about various aspects of GIS in her role as a Professor. She joined Fleming College as a GIS Professor in 2014 and teaches Spatial Analysis, Geovisualization (Cartographic design techniques), Municipal Mapping and GIS, Geomatics in Surveying (field survey techniques), Remote Sensing and Fundamentals of Geomatics. As Mapping Technologies and Spatial Data Chair for the CCA, she seeks to build awareness around spatial data analysis and mapping technologies to deliver spatial information that supports business practices in both public and private sectors.

SUP with Avenza Maps

Spending time in the great outdoors is a favourite pastime of people across the globe. There is nothing quite like breathing in the fresh air and surveying the natural beauty of the gorgeous lakes of Ontario. Avenza Geographic Imager, MAPublisher and Avenza Maps make a SUP adventure on the lakes of Algonquin, Bon Echo, or other Provincial Parks an easy process from a navigational perspective and provide a means to preserve the memories. In this presentation, I will share the workflow that I utilize to produce a map in preparation for exploring new lakes, collecting data in the field, and post-processing that data to create Memory Maps of my experience. If you want to know what is SUP with Avenza MAPS, then you will not want to miss this presentation!

Rebecca Bennett

Support Manager, Avenza Systems

Rebecca is the Support Manager at Avenza Systems Inc. and has worked with the company for over four years. She has a degree in Classics and Archaeology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Post Graduate Certificate in GIS with cartographic specialization from Fleming College. Rebecca enjoys assisting Avenza users and listening to their different use cases for Avenza Maps, MAPublisher and Geographic Imager. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling and collecting maps and postcards.

Paul Edwards

Account Manager, Avenza Systems

Paul has been a part of the Avenza Systems Inc. sales department for over three years.  He graduated with a degree in geography and a post-graduate certificate in GIS along with 15+ years of experience in the geospatial industry.  This knowledge and experience help him understand and connect users with the solutions they need to be successful.