Sam Acheson is the Vice President of Operations at SolSpec, a geospatial data processing and analytics company. Throughout his 25-year career in geospatial technologies, Sam has championed the advancement of GIS as a central decision-making tool across the energy industry. 

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Sam thrives on developing collaborative teams that are driven to solve real-world problems through elegant software solutions. As an experienced leader and technologist, he has assembled winning teams and developed purpose-built solutions for the electric distribution and oil and gas transmission sectors. Sam couples his passion for geospatial data and energy sustainability to inform decision-making, drive actionable results, and ensure safety and reliability. 

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Today, Sam and the SolSpec team are revolutionizing geospatial data processing, real-time analytics, and aerial imagery to transform data into solutions that create a safer and more sustainable planet.

Indra has a background in Business Mathematics and Informatics. Before co-founding Overstory, Indra worked as a Data Scientist and he is the author of ‘Python Deep Learning Cookbook’. Indra is on a mission to enable better decision making about our planet by leveraging advancements in AI and satellite technology.

Justin Brooks is an Applied Geospatial Expert at Trimble working to expand the utilization of Mobile Mapping systems across North America. Coming from a background in Mechanical Engineering and starting his career with a leading LiDAR manufacturer, he's had the opportunity to master the application of this technology on various platforms. Now, Justin is educating Trimble's network of dealers to optimize Mobile Mapping systems across a variety of vertical market segments.

Michael Cook has 10+ years of experience in the LiDAR industry, long enough to be one of the originating team members for TopoDOT. Our primary product is TopoDOT®, a point cloud software solution to manage data, assess its quality and to extract high quality deliverables: topographies, assets,  3D models and analyses. Michael is a LiDAR & CAD Specialist by day and an Engineer by night. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Ron Chapple has over 30 years flying in helicopters creating images, video, and LiDAR. As founder of GEO1 and Aerial Filmworks, Ron continually invests in new  technology, and explores the optimal methodology for processing and analyzing remote sensing data. Clients include television networks such as Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, and National Geographic to survey projects for USGS, FEMA, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, Hong Kong International Airport Authority, and the Army Corp of Engineers. Ron has won an Emmy Award for his aerial work on a PBS series, contributed artwork to the permanent collection of the Los Angeles County Museum, and shared a Pulitzer Prize for a multi-disciplinary video and LiDAR project with USA Today. 

Hayden is Vice President of CompassData, Inc. He has accumulated a vast amount of field survey experience, in-office processing experience and has a keen knowledge of the different geodetic requirements put forth by customers around the world. Hayden has collected data in multiple countries from the Outback of Australia to the Arctic Circle of Alaska. He has managed the collection, post-processing and final deliverables of large projects both domestically and internationally. He has worked with multiple satellite, aerial imagery, LiDAR and RADAR providers, and understands the requirements for terrestrial data collection to tie a remotely sensed product to the ground. Hayden is head of business development and sales for the CompassData team. He is well known and well respected in the industry for his knowledge of the technology and his ability to bring innovation and success to the corporation.

Joseph V.R. Paiva, PhD, PS, PE is CEO of GeoLearn, an online education company providing online continuing education to the geospatial community. Joe’s career includes surveying and engineering practice, including management and ownership, various roles including vice president at Sokkia and Trimble, several years as a consultant in various areas of surveying which included expert witness research and testimony. While his work at Sokkia and Trimble culminated with management responsibilities, his core work was in the areas of product development, application expertise and management of development teams. As an independent consultant he has also worked in the international arena to help startups and established companies in the geospatial industry with product development, distribution and merger and acquisition. He is an unmanned airborne systems pioneer since 2010, having worked with Gatewing in development, marketing, manufacturing, general management and M&A. Joe's  been a seminar and conference organizer and presenter since the 1970s. He also has an academic side, having taught for 11 years at the university level, and continues to this day at several institutions as an adjunct, using the technology at GeoLearn to develop better educational resources for students.

As a Solution Specialist for Cyclomedia Technologies, Jill has worked on a number of small to large scale projects for utility and telecommunications organizations. Cyclomedia captures high resolution street-level imagery and LiDAR data and utilizes a propriety AI-powered data analytics platform to extract asset information from the LiDAR point cloud. Prior to her role as a Solution Specialist, Jill built and managed the Quality Assurance department for Cyclomedia's data analytics operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography and Environmental Science and has a background in GIS.

As co-founder and COO of Overstory, Anniek Schouten drives partnerships and customer success. Overstory uses machine learning to interpret satellite imagery and climate data in order to monitor the risk and impact of vegetation interacting with power lines. As a result, Overstory facilitates improved predictive planning, maintenance, and verification processes that ultimately help to reduce the risk of fires, hazards, fines, claims, and outages for transmission & distribution planners and

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Brandon Sisco currently works in Tempe, Arizona where he manages a team of geospatial professionals for BPG Designs, LLC - a design-build telecommunications and utilities company.  Brandon earned his Bachelor’s degree from the United States Naval Academy in Control Systems Engineering.  He has also earned Master’s degrees in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as well as in Geographical Information Systems from Arizona State University.  Brandon has more than 1000 flight hours in various military aircraft and Unmanned Aircraft Systems and over 15 years of experience with remote sensing.