2026 Annual TNGIC Conference
Welcome! The TN Geographic Information Council's Annual Conference is a great opportunity for networking, GIS data workflows, learning, and sharing the work that you do. Explore below, and join the TN GIS community!
For first timers, we have training on the first day and the following two days include keynotes and member presentations. We have fantastic business partners who are there to provide solutions and help you solve problems. The community is welcoming and there are opportunities to find members to assist, share data with you, connect about a job opportunity or just chat about GIS. Additionally, we have great social events and a golf outing if you are interested.
Important Deadline Dates to Remember (subject to change)
Student Volunteer Assistantships - 2/20/2026
TNView Fellowships - 2/20/2026
TNView Presentation & Contest - 2/20/2026
Hotel Reservations - 3/13/2026
Presentations - 3/13/2026 (Including Special Topic or Interest Group)
Business Partners - 3/13/2026
Board Member Nominees - 3/13/2026
Registration - 4/3/2026
Social Guest Attendee - 4/3/2026
Registrants Refund & Substitution Policy - 4/3/2026
Map Gallery - 4/3/2026
Training - 4/3/2026
Golf - 4/10/2026
Contents
Where
Embassy Suites by Hilton Franklin Cool Springs - 820 Crescent Centre Drive, Franklin TN 37067
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Overview
April 14th, 2026 - Pre-Conference Training, Golf Tournament
April 15th, 2026 - Keynote, Presentations, Networking, TNGIC Social!
April 16th, 2026 - Keynote, Presentations, TNGIC Business Meeting, Networking
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Registration
Rates
- Regular – $335
- Student – $100
- Single Day – $200
- Retired – $225 (w/ discount code - Please email [email protected] before registering)
TNGIC has tried to coincide membership with the Conference as much as possible. If you are a new member, your membership has expired or is nearing the renewal date, the registration form will ask to include membership fees of $50.00. Your expiration date is shown in the "My Profile" section of your TNGIC Member Home Page. If you are part of an organization your Key Contact may need to first renew your membership. Deadline to register is April 3, 2026.
Conference Refund & Substitution Policies
Participant Refund Policy
- Last Date to Request Refund: Friday, April 3, 2026 by 5pm CT
- Refund Amount: You will receive a full conference registration refund minus $15 in processing fees if you submit your request for cancellation by the deadline. The $50 TNGIC membership fee will not be refunded.
- Refund Request Procedure: No refunds will be issued on requests received after the date above. Contact the TNGIC treasurer Stacy Curry-Johnson directly at [email protected] to request a refund. Refunds will be issued by check 4 to 6 weeks after the conference to the mailing address on record.
- In the case of an emergency/extenuating circumstances, special requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the TNGIC leadership team following the conference.
Participant Substitution Policy
- Last Date to Request Substitution: Friday, April 3, 2025 by 5pm CT
- Substitution Request Procedure: Notification must be received in writing. Please send the name of the original registrant and the name of the person substituting to TNGIC no later than 1 week before the start of the conference. You may email such a request to [email protected]. Please include “TNGIC Conference Substitution” in the subject line. Substitutions are not possible less than 1 week prior to the start of the conference. The annual TNGIC membership will NOT be transferred to the substitution.
- In the case of an emergency/extenuating circumstances, special requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the TNGIC leadership team following the conference.
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Business Partner Registration
If your organization is interested in being a business partner please register below. Partners will receive coupon codes for conference registration. Deadline to register is March 13, 2026.
Fees (there are ad-ons available when you register)
- Platinum – $2500
- Gold – $2000
- Exhibitor – $1500
- Non-Profit – $1000
- Basic – $500
Business Partner Refund Policies
- Business Partner registration may be canceled with full refund (less a $75 processing fee) provided written notification is received any time up until six (6) weeks prior to the conference start date. A 50% refund (less a $75 processing fee) is available for Business Partner registration provided written notification is received between six (6) weeks and four (4) weeks prior to the conference start date.
- No refunds will be granted within four (4) weeks of the conference start date.
- In the case of an emergency/extenuating circumstances, special requests may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the TNGIC leadership team following the conference.
- Business partners should send their request via email to the Business Partner Coordinator, Chris Pape, [email protected]
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Wednesday Night Social & Guest Registration
TNGIC is hosting a social on Wednesday April 15 beginning at 6pm and is providing dinner and games. Be sure to sign up to attend the social when you register. CLICK HERE to add a +1 guest (cost covers food) and indicate if there are any dietary restrictions. Deadline to register your guest is April 3, 2026.
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Lodging Information
Where: Embassy Suites by Hilton Franklin Cool Springs
Location: 820 Crescent Centre Drive, Franklin TN 37067
Booking: Hotel reservations can be made online (see below) or you can call directly 800-371-8318 and mention the codes Conference Rate (907) or Per Diem (91P).
Deadline: March 13, 2026
CONFERENCE RATE: Click HERE for the discounted rate of $179.00 per night plus taxes and fees. We have a limited number of rooms available for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. If you are tax exempt you will need to bring your exemption form with you at check-in.
PER DIEM (GOVERNMENT): Click HERE for the discounted rate of $130.00 per night plus taxes and fees. We have a limited number of rooms available for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. If you are tax exempt you will need to bring your exemption form with you at check-in.
Check in/Check Out: Check in is 4:00 pm and checkout is 11:00 am
Overnight Parking: Complimentary
Arriving Early (Conference Rate Only): We have a limited number of rooms available at the conference rate for Monday night (4/13/2026).
Staying Late: We do NOT have any rooms reserved at the conference rate for Thursday night. If you are planning on staying an additional night you will need to make a reservation at the hotel.
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Call for Presentations
We would love to hear about what you do and the projects that you and your organization are undertaking. Share a workflow, share successes and learning opportunities! You MUST register for the conference if you are presenting. Presentation submissions close on March 13, 2026.
Request Special Topic or Interest Group Sessions
Are you interested in hosting a special session focused around a particular topic like open source software, cartography, UAVs, etc?
- The special session would be a total of 90 minutes
- As the host, you can organize the special session as you want (3 30-minute presentations, presentations and demonstrations, hands-on workshops, lightning rounds, some combination, etc)
- You would be responsible for coordinating with other session organizers and making sure they submitted their presentation abstracts so they would be in the full agenda
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Agenda
- Agenda At-A-Glance (PDF)
- Full Agenda (PDF)
- Facility Map for Tuesday-Thursday (PDF)
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Keynotes
Coming Soon!
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Student Assistantships
TNGIC has a limited number (10) of student assistantships available for the conference. In exchange for volunteering at the conference, TNGIC waives the conference registration fee. Students are still responsible for their own transportation and lodging costs. Any Tennessee undergraduate or graduate student, full or part-time, is eligible to apply. This includes both two-year and four-year college students.
- Priority applications are due by Friday, February 20, 2026
- Students must have a reference letter submitted by Friday, February 20, 2026
- Students will be notified the following week of their assistantship status
STUDENT ASSISTANTSHIP APPLICATION
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TNView Student Fellowship Application
(PENDING FEDERAL FUNDING)
TNView has a limited number of student fellowships available for the conference. You MUST be participating in the TNView contest (see below) to be eligible for a fellowship.
- Applications are due by Friday, February 20, 2026
- Students will be notified the following week of their assistantship status
- Students will coordinate with TNView and the UT Knoxville Department of Geography and Sustainability to receive their awards. Please note that it may take some time to get you processed through the UTK system to receive your award.
TNVIEW STUDENT FELLOWSHIP APPLICATION
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TNView Student Remote Sensing Presentations & Contest
(PENDING FEDERAL FUNDING)
Students interested in remote sensing are encouraged to submit a presentation for the TNView Remote Sensing Contest. The TNView remote sensing competition awards at the TNGIC Annual Conference are comprised of one first-place award valued at $300, two second-place awards valued at $200 each, and three third-place awards valued at $100 each. See the TNView website for full details. The deadline to submit is Friday, February 20, 2026.
To submit a presentation for the contest, use the regular presentation submission form and select "YES" when asked if you are submitting for the contest.
SUBMIT A STUDENT REMOTE SENSING PRESENTATION
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Map Gallery
TNGIC hosts an annual Map Gallery Competition for the GIS Community to share their work. It is just another great way to see what TNGIC Members are working on. Share your work below! You must submit your maps by April 3, 2026 to be eligible for the awards below (except viewer's choice). Paper maps can be submitted the day of the conference but will only be eligible for the Viewer's Choice award.
What to Expect: Physical maps are to be checked in at the conference registration table. Authors may be available in the map gallery at a time designated in the conference agenda to answer questions about their map (attendance during judging is optional). Award recipients will be announced during lunch of the second day of the conference and will be posted on the TNGIC website.
We have five categories we will be judging for Map Gallery Awards:
Best Cartographic Design: Awarded to the map that artistically employs the elements of cartography without compromising use and functionality.
Best Analysis: Awarded to the map that is best designed to display the results of spatial data analysis and presents the information in an unbiased way, allowing the viewer to extract their own conclusions, utilizing the map as a tool.
Best Student Map: Awarded to the best overall student map or research poster. Submitted maps may be cartographic or analytically focused.
Best Online Map or App: Awarded to the best Online Map or App (such as a dashboard or story map). Map entries will be judged before the conference. All web maps or apps must be made public (not password protected). Maps will be accessible for conference goers via hyperlinks in the conference app, as well as in the map gallery.
Viewer’s Choice: Award chosen by the attendees for the best overall physical map in the map gallery. Maps entered the day of the conference are eligible for viewer’s choice. The map MUST be on display by noon of Wednesday April 15 to be eligible.
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Training
The following IN-PERSON training options are available. Full details, times, room numbers (TBD), and registration are available HERE.
- Training 1
- Training 2
- Training 3
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Additional Activities
TNGIC 19th Annual Golf Scramble
When: April 14, 2026
Location: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Format: 4‐person scramble. Sign up and we will assign 4 person teams the day of the tourney or if you have a team already formed, please email Sam Moffat ([email protected]) with your team member names. Please note – all team members must be registered for the golf tourney even if you are paying the day of the event.
Price: $XX, includes green fees, range balls, cart, lunch, and a chance of some good prizes and closest to pin and long drive competitions.
Corporate Sponsor: Sign up for a corporate sponsor for $380 - includes 4 people, logo, and recognition.
Note: If paying by check, please make it out to TNGIC and send to: Sam Moffat, 701 East Scott Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917. Deadline is April 10, 2026 (after this date please contact Sam Moffat - [email protected]).
REGISTER HERE
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Board of Director's Election & Business Meeting
Join us for lots of great information, awards, and the changing of the Board of Director's leadership. Voting will occur to fill 3 open Board of Director positions at the Annual Conference. Deadline to offer nominees is March 13, 2026.
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