RomoGIS 2024 Community Impact
- Frank Romo
- Jun 2
- 19 min read
Creating the GIS For Good Movement Communities
Frank Romo
Introduction
In 2024, RomoGIS advanced our work leveraging technology at large, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in particular, to empower communities, address social issues, and inspire the next generation of leaders. From California to New York, Detroit, Tennessee, and all across the country - our team engaged with thousands of students, educators, and community leaders to demonstrate the transformative power of technology for community impact. Through our community development and educational programming, RomoGIS aims to inspire the next generation of leaders to address critical social challenges in their communities by providing greater access to the skills, tools, and strategies needed to create local change.
At RomoGIS , we develop dynamic leaders, employ impactful community strategies, and create technical tools that help leaders address community issues. We accomplish this by building individual and collective power with community leaders, educators and students seeking to make lasting impact in their communities and lives. At our core, we train people in the use of community organizing strategies and encourage them to leverage data, technology and people power to create lasting impact.
In 2024, we amplified the voices of student leaders, educators and community activists by teaching them how to utilize technology as a mechanism for social change. Through our various community mapping workshops, GIS for Good Curriculum and leadership development trainings we have impacted hundreds of students across the United States. Through these programs, we have cultivated a new wave of leaders equipped to address the challenges facing their neighborhoods.
We are empowering communities through GIS education, community organizing, and cutting-edge technology to address pressing issues like gun violence, environmental challenges, and educational inequities. These initiatives underscored the power of education, leadership, and community engagement in creating systemic change.
This 2024 storymap showcases our commitment to equipping communities with innovative strategies and intentional opportunities for personal and professional development. Here’s a look back at our impactful year!
Leadership Award
24 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2024 - January 2024
2024 began with a momentous honor: RomoGIS founder & CEO Frank Romo was named one of the "24 Young Geospatial Professionals to Watch in 2024" by xyHt. This recognition affirmed the value of our innovative approaches to education, equity, and community organizing, as well as our unwavering commitment to creating pathways for underrepresented communities to thrive in STEM fields. As a community leader, Frank Romo has made a significant impact by training community leaders in our GIS4Good model and producing maps, apps and visualizations that address community identified issues. This award also highlighted Romo’s expertise in creating opportunities for communities to grow together.
Once again, thank all those who have and continue to believe in us, give us opportunities and who have supported us since the beginning. Thank you also to all who have supported our students, initiatives and projects.
Check out the magazine article here: https://www.xyht.com/core-articles/frank-romo/
K-12 Education
Salinas California High Schools - January 2024
We kicked off our 2024 educational initiatives on the West Coast, visiting Everett Alvarez and Rancho San Juan High Schools in Salinas, California. Through interactive workshops, students explored RomoGIS mental mapping exercises, documented their neighborhoods with Google My Maps using photos they took on a series of walking tours, and discussed how technology could address local issues like flooding, transportation access, and public health challenges including student safety. These sessions provided students with the tools to turn their community knowledge into actionable change. Our RomoGIS curriculum focused on building power and strengthening students’ storytelling skills to advocate for community resources and create local change.
RomoGIS is proud to collaborate with some of our previous Gun Violence Reduction Network trainees to support students in The Puente Project program at Everett Alvarez High School and Rancho San Juan High School. We are so thankful for community leaders like Julia Muruato , Vivian Avila and all the leaders from Monterey County Public Health Department STRYVE Program who help us build stronger communities by using technology, education and entrepreneurship as avenues for success and upward mobility.
FDA Career Fair - February 2024
Students practiced their networking and other professional skills during tabling sessions at the career fair hosted by one of RomoGIS’ great young leaders, DeAnthony Neal. We had many of our GIS Pathways community partners in attendance to share insights and offer opportunities to our young men. This event allowed younger students to gain access to companies like RomoGIS , OHM Advisors , Turner Construction Company , and NAF as they strive to become community leaders, technicians and educators in the GIS and technology field.
Congratulations to DeAnthony Neal for this great work and a big thanks to all of his fellow colleagues who supported him in this event Ashton Colson , Xylon Holmes , Steve J. , Keith Morales .
FDA Visit from NAF & The Chief Deputy Superintendent for the Michigan Department of Education
We are grateful to Sue C. Carnell, Ph.D. , the Chief Deputy Superintendent for the Michigan Department of Education and NAF leadership who visited our school to witness our young leaders in action.
RomoGIS' current and former interns Keith Morales , DeAnthony Neal , and Xylon Holmes presented about their leadership experience gained through the GIS Pathways program. It was exciting to hear how they have shared their knowledge through mentoring other students and how they have leveraged their GIS and drone skills to become innovative entrepreneurs. James Coleman presented his drone technology work with OHM Advisors . Ashton Colson was also presented with his FDA Jacket by Chad Segrist in celebration of his leadership and accomplishments in the #GIS and #Drone field. These young men are setting a strong example for their communities.
Thank you to all of our regional, state and national partners who have made this possible and give our students so much opportunity to succeed.
FDA Drone Competition
Congratulations to our great leaders at the Frederick Douglass Academy GIS Pathways Program for their accomplishments at our drone competition! We are proud of our students for creating opportunities for the community to gather and showcase their skills. Another congratulations to all the students who participated and earned trophies to recognize their impressive drone skills including Zemarion Davenport , Deandre Jones , Marquise McNeil , Joel Johnson, Aiden Little, Terry Shoate and so many other fantastic young men!
Fox 2 Interview
Check out the news interview from WJBK-TV FOX 2 Detroit with our GIS Pathway Lead Chad Segrist !
Mr. Segrist shared about the growth and impact of our program in Detroit and celebrated our students’ success in making Frederick Douglass the first school in the State of #Michigan to become a Distinguished NAF Academy.
Being a Distinguished #NAF school means that our program has done an exceptional job of preparing students to become college and career ready. Through our comprehensive student-centered approach focused on leadership development, educational attainment, and entrepreneurship - we have created an impactful program that helps students achieve success both in and outside of the classroom. We are proud of the continued commitment of our students to leverage opportunities to expand their skills.
GIS Summer Camp
Students joined the 4th annual three-day summer camp where they mastered tools like Esri’s ArcGIS Online, tackled geocaching challenges, participated in epic bipod races, and honed their drone-flying skills. Frank Romo and the team at RomoGIS worked with students to perform mental mapping exercises and how to leverage #GIS mapping for social impact in their communities. Students shared a variety of maps, enhanced their critical thinking skills, and practiced their public speaking skills some more. Our GIS ambassadors also showed the new students how to properly perform safety checks and fly drones. Other opportunities at the camp helped students to showcase their skills, learn from industry professionals and develop new professional relationships with local city officials and community partners at the City of Detroit .
On the last day, students flew drones outside to showcase their skills to their family and community members. This activity was a great way to showcase the students’ new skills and prompt more discussions about the benefits of attending Frederick Douglass Academy throughout the year, including the opportunity to earn college credits. We were also told that a few new students would be committing to our program for the upcoming year because of the fun they had at the camp. The camp closed with student presentations to demonstrate their newly acquired GIS skills and their improvement in public speaking. Students knocked their presentations out of the park! The students’ maps showed a wide variety of urban analysis ranging from maps displaying public transportation routes, access to healthcare, and access to food.
The camp inspired creativity, leadership, and innovation demonstrated among our students. From building STEM skills to building personal confidence, our program was a great success for all the students involved. The camp is another example of how committed community partners play an integral role in the success for our young men in the GIS Pathways Program.
Check out the 2024 GIS Summer Camp StoryMap: https://lnkd.in/gzycHRdH
FDA GIS Pathways Program Field Trip
We are so proud of our students at the FDA GIS Pathways Program for a successful field trip to the City of Detroit Public Safety Headquarters. Students attended a variety of meetings where they learned about the use of #GIS for city services and public safety. It was a great opportunity for our students to explore GIS career opportunities and see firsthand how GIS affects the everyday lives of residents in the City of #Detroit .
FDA GIS Pathways Program Square One Education Network
Our students from the FDA GIS Pathways Program were invited by Square One Education Network to participate in another great field trip down to the Michigan Central Station. While at the station, students were acknowledged by the Ford team for their contributions in STEM and were able to attend a private event at the newly opened Michigan Central Train Depot.
Two of our student leaders David Lockhart and Aidan Little were even able to meet City of Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and speak to him about our program and their role as GIS Ambassadors! This event provided impactful networking opportunities and further recognized the influence our young leaders are having in Detroit.
FDA GIS Day
During GIS Day events in Detroit, our student leaders gave amazing presentations at the Frederick Douglass Academy about their leadership and hard work in the program earning college credits and participating in the GIS & Drone Summer Camp. We cannot say enough how proud we are of Marquise McNeil , Aarion L. , Damon King , Devin Smith , Aidan Little and David Lockhart for their phenomenal preparation and presentation.
Each one of them answered questions and delivered their presentation and personal stories with such vibrancy and confidence. They demonstrated their advanced public speaking abilities and left the audience feeling inspired about the young talent we have here in Detroit.
A big thank you to all the people who helped the students prepare for this event including the team from RomoGIS , Frank Romo , OHM Advisors , R. Michael Cousins, GISP , Vincenzio Glenn , Ray Lillibridge , Chad Segrist , Jason Sawle .
Central Magnet School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee
We are thrilled to launch GIS4Good mapping engagements with Central Magnet School, Lead Instructor Clay Burns and his 11th and 12th graders in Murfreesboro, #Tennessee . This cohort is part of our larger efforts of expanding #GIS access, workforce development, and community leadership across the state of Tennessee. The goal of this engagement is to train students in our RomoGIS model of community organizing and GIS4Good curriculum for local change. We aim to teach these students how to use critical thinking, community planning and GIS as a mechanism for systemic change in their communities.
Students were advised on how to define a proper research question and identity data sources to use in their #GIS4Good maps. The RomoGIS team spoke about the power of data and students’ role as map makers and changemakers in their communities. Students also discussed their research questions, data sources and struggles they had encountered during the mapping process. Additionally, students wrestled with how to create their own data and use various softwares like Google My Maps and ArcGIS Online to create coherent datasets, impactful narratives and powerful visualizations around important #GIS4Good topics. The sessions provided intentional opportunities for students to practice presenting and giving each other thoughtful feedback on how to improve the maps and storytelling features.
Over the 5 weeks, students worked diligently through our GIS for Good Curriculum to learn more about how to use GIS for Social Impact. Students became more aware of the possibilities of using GIS for Social Impact and built confidence in their skills. It has been remarkable to see the students’ passion, interests and expertise grow into powerful maps and stories about #GIS4Good . They all proudly presented their storymaps as part of #GISDay celebrations! We are excited to continue advancing these students' leadership and GIS skills as they prepare to present at the upcoming TNGIC - Tennessee Geographic Information Council Conference in April and showcase their great story maps highlighting their creativity and determination to drive social impact through technology.
We are so proud of these students for their leadership, presentations and interest in using #GIS for social impact. Congratulations to all of these remarkable students and a big thank you to Clay Burns for continuing to inspire these students to explore opportunities for innovative community solutions with GIS4Good.
Check out the Storymap of our Murfreesboro, Tennessee here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dcfbb67707164aeeb4a2058206cf955e
Community Partnerships
The Latino Leadership Convening on Gun Violence - February 2024
RomoGIS is very proud to have participated in the first ever National Latino Convening on Gun Violence. The event brought together 100 community leaders working to prevent and interrupt gun violence, as well as address the much needed healing in our communities across the country. A big thanks to Hope and Heal Fund and all the organizers of this very important event. Our presence at events like the National Latino Convening on Gun Violence reinforced our commitment to fostering safer, more informed neighborhoods.
Frederick Douglass Academy Cleanup
Our team RomoGIS is proud to support the Frederick Douglass Acadmey on all fronts. We talk about entrepreneurship, we talk about tech, but most importantly we talk about giving back and supporting our community. Our work extended beyond the classroom on Earth Day as students at FDA contributed their skills to beautify their campus through a cleanup day, strengthening their sense of ownership and community pride. From picking up trash, planting new flowers and flying drones, we all had a great time. Our young men and partners were all very happy to get our hands dirty to improve our community!
Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit in The Bronx at La Central YMCA
RomoGIS was fortunate enough to be invited to the #Bronx Borough of #NYC to present on our recent work on gun violence reduction with the Angellyh Yambo Foundation .
We spoke at the Youth Gun Violence Prevention Summit and presented on our recent work mapping gun violence in the Bronx using CARTO . This summit was a great kickoff event to a much larger collaboration with RomoGIS and the Angellyh Yambo Foundation performing community mapping for local change.
Inaugural Latinx GIS Users Convening
Our team at RomoGIS is thankful for the support and collaboration of Esri team members and community partners like Hope and Heal Fund , and Jesus Garcia to create the first Latinx GIS Technology Users Group at the 2024 ESRI UC . This was the best community event at the conference that allowed the time and space for community building and encouragement. Thank you to Cuco Rodríguez for inviting all attendees to introduce themselves and discuss how we can continue to improve and impact the field of GIS for all.
Esri Education Podcast with FDA
We are so proud of our young men at the Frederick Douglass Academy for their feature on the popular Esri Education podcast with Melissa Mayo, GISP .
This was the first podcast these students have been on and what an exciting resume building activity! Podcast events, speaking engagements and our local professional opportunities are just some of the ways we support the advancement of these young men in the City of #Detroit and beyond.
Listen to the episode here: https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-enterprise/mapping/frederick-douglass-academy-detroit/
Angellyh Yambo Foundation and La Central YMCA
The RomoGIS team continued our work in the #Bronx with the Angellyh Yambo Foundation , Family Life Academy Charter Schools , and La Central YMCA to train over 100 5-12 grade students in the use of mapping technologies for community change. These efforts were part of a broader commitment to address gun violence nationwide. We are encouraged that another week at RomoGIS concluded with students learning more about their communities and sharing their voice about community strengths and how their communities can be improved.
Check out the storymap of this partnership here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/040d525cc24340e295f2c87d5c45084e
Check out The Bronx Times news article here: https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-students-map-their-communities-to-address-challenges-and-envision-change/
FDA and NAF, New York
Our alumnus DeAnthony Neal , Program Lead Chad Segrist , Advisory Board President Frank Romo and Principal Dr. Willie White presented in New York City to highlight the great work of our GIS Pathways Program in Detroit. The FDA GIS Pathways leadership team presented our program’s strengths, strategies and influences to the NAF Board.
A huge congratulations to DeAnthony Neal for his great leadership and continued commitment to our program and the development of our current students.
RomoGIS & GIS Pathways Professional Development
Partners from RomoGIS and OHM Advisors provided students with one-on-one coaching to improve their professional skills. Students learned interview skills, practiced in person interviews and listened to a series of workshops from Chad Segrist , Ray Lillibridge , Vincenzio Glenn and Frank Romo .
We heard so many great stories from the students and learned so much about their vision, hopes and dreams during this event. Thankfully our GIS Pathways team at FDA is committed to providing students with a wide variety of opportunities to develop their voice and leadership skills and help students achieve whatever pathway they choose to pursue.
Speaking Engagements
Latino Leadership Convening on Gun Violence
At the Latino Leadership Convening on Gun Violence, we presented groundbreaking geospatial applications developed in partnership with the Hope and Heal Fund and sponsored by W.K. Kellogg Foundation . These tools analyzed firearm fatalities and suicides across California, providing communities with actionable data to advocate for systemic change. Thanks to our research, training curriculum and applications there are many communities across the state of California who now have greater access and understanding of this data and can use it for local change.
Our work in mapping solutions for gun violence reduction and addressing community priorities continues to set a national example for community-focused GIS applications. Our RomoGIS model of community organizing combined with technical research is leading the way when it comes to local advocacy and action. We are proud to continue our research and inspire other organizations to do the same to protect, empower and support our communities. We are excited to continue working with partners like Hope and Heal Fund who share our commitment to holistic and systemic change.
Interview with Aisha Jenkins
This was a fun podcast interview with Aisha Jenkins at the NorthStar of GIS: Black in Geography, GIS, and the Geosciences Homecoming Event in 2023.
“In this episode I speak about my inspiration from my background in activism, inherited from my family, to the influence of people like Tupac Shakur and the Black Panther Party on my journey as an activist, organizer, educator, and entrepreneur.” -Frank Romo
Check out the podcast here https://lnkd.in/ggUYqp37 to learn more about our RomoGIS Model and how we have deployed it across the country to make a sustainable and lasting community impact in cities.
Howard University NorthStar Presentation
One of our RomoGIS leaders, and former students, DeAnthony Neal also presented with Frank Romo at the 2024 NorthStar of GIS: Black in Geography, GIS, and the Geosciences GIS Homecoming event where he spoke about his trajectory from working as an intern with RomoGIS while being a student at Frederick Douglass to his official employment with RomoGIS .
Esri Education Conference
RomoGIS presented our work of developing educational leaders in the #GIS industry all across the country at the Esri Education Conference. During this presentation, we shared the development of the GIS Pathways Program at Frederick Douglass Academy in Detroit, as well as our work in California and New York supporting youth development in GIS.
Esri 2024 User Conference Presentations
At the #EsriUC2024, RomoGIS had a number of speaking opportunities to discuss the wide array of services and projects we engage in using #GIS4Good.
Frank Romo participated on the Nonprofit Special Interest Group panel where he shared how RomoGIS helps nonprofit organizations onboard onto Esri products, builds their internal capacity through curated training and impactful applications for social change.
He was also invited to present about the work we do at RomoGIS during the Esri UC2024 Equity and Social Justice Special Interest Group session. While on the panel he spoke about our multiple programs across the country impacting communities through our K-12 education programs, our workforce development programs with community organizations, as well as our geospatial impact work with municipal agencies across the country including City of Detroit , City of Dallas , City of Atlanta , City of Saint Paul to help improve quality of life for students, residents and local agencies.
Additionally, our team presented our collaborative gun violence prevention work in the Map Gallery. We are happy to share our mission of using GIS for Good for Social Impact. We are so thankful to connect with so many great leaders and innovators in the GIS space.
GIS chat Podcast with Jazzmen
Check out Frank Romo on the GIS Chat Podcast with host Jazzmen W. In this episode, we explored how RomoGIS is using GIS to drive meaningful social change all across the country. We discussed the power of data-driven solutions in addressing issues like urban development and community safety, including our ongoing efforts to use GIS for gun violence prevention efforts with community organizations across the country.
Listen to the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gDP8sQFE
American Geographical Society
“This great article catalogues my journey as a leader and activist from my work on food justice and labor campaigns in #LA , to my community organizing and emergency response work in #NewOrleans after Hurricane Katrina and #NYC after Hurricane Sandy.” -Frank Romo
The article also highlights RomoGIS’ recent work in #California and #NewYork where we train community organizations and leaders how to leverage #GIS for social change and community safety. Importantly, the article recognizes RomoGIS as an industry leader training youth across the country how to leverage GIS for community change. A big thank you to Anna Xie , Ivana Mowry-Mora, M.Sc. and all of the team at American Geographical Society for this great spotlight on the RomoGIS .
Check out the article here: https://ubiqueags.org/company-spotlight-romogis/
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
“It's always so much fun speaking with undergraduate students and sharing with them my journey of building RomoGIS and creating community impact.” -Frank Romo
Frank Romo was invited back to be a guest lecturer for students in the Geography Program at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. While at the university, he spoke to the Community and GIS class led by Mayra A. Roman-Rivera . We really appreciate professors like Mayra A. Roman-Rivera and Michael Camponovo who provide professional engagement opportunities to students looking to expand their GIS skills into their local communities. It’s professors like these who really inspire and make a lasting impact on the future GIS and community leaders.
GEO261 Podcast
RomoGIS was invited to St. Louis by the GEO261 team to introduce us to local leaders and develop plans for collaboration and local impact. While in St. Louis, we attended leadership meetings, met with #GIS professionals and discussed how RomoGIS could help amplify the great work being done in the city. In particular, we are working with GEO261 and other local constituents to continue building up youth involvement in the #GIS industry and provide opportunities for upward mobility through skills building and professional leadership development.
“One of my favorite highlights while in St. Louis was being on the Insight City Podcast where we were able to discuss how our RomoGIS model of organizing and community change might fit into the local context in St. Louis.” -Frank Romo
Check out the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/gDvN3cFk
The Geospatial Index Podcast with Wilfred Waters, GISP
Frank Romo had a blast talking on The Geospatial Index podcast about RomoGIS’ work and speaking with Wilfred Waters, GISP . They shared stories about their community organizing and community empowerment efforts.
“Although this is a geospatial podcast, I really appreciated the deep dive discussion into the role we play as community organizers, urban planners, educators focused on community development and #socialimpact .”-Frank Romo
Listen to the episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/community-organising-with-frank-romo-express-broadcast/id1674368928?i=1000675796990
National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms
Our team at RomoGIS presented our collaborative research in Seattle, Washington at the National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms hosted by the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention . By training community leaders how to request data through Freedom of Information Act Requests and other legal mechanisms, we provide access to much needed data to solve these issues. In addition, by building applications and advancing this community driven research, we are able to build a greater understanding in communities about the value of data to drive social change.
This conference was a great opportunity to reconnect with familiar changemakers from the Inaugural Latino Convening and community partners like Hope and Heal Fund and to meet more leaders working to address the issue of firearm related violence. It was exciting to hear from so many attendees that they are familiar with our work. We are especially glad to have Laura Vargas continue to share our collaborative work with Stop US Arms to Mexico. Check out the collaborative map here: https://stopusarmstomexico.org/map-guns-trafficked-to-mexico-and-central-america/
“In my own community, and in the communities I work in across the country, firearm related injuries and deaths are major issues that contribute to and exacerbate existing problems in the community. That is why I have taken the approach of using my community organizing techniques, community engagement strategies and GIS expertise to empower residents, community leaders and even young students with the skills to advocate for local change and create safer communities.”-Frank Romo
To learn more about our work check out our GIS For Good Program on Gun Violence Reduction : https://lnkd.in/gpRHiqDg
Conclusion
Traveling across the country and watching these students, community leaders and educators grow in their knowledge of GIS and amplify their impact in their communities has truly been a blessing and rewarding endeavor. These efforts demonstrate the power we can all build within our own communities. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making 2024 such a great success!
As the year closed, we reflected on the impact of our GIS For Good efforts: hundreds of students trained across the country, groundbreaking applications developed, and countless partnerships forged. Speaking engagements at conferences and platforms like the Esri Education Podcast and the Insight City Podcast highlighted our expertise in the intersection of technology, data, and community organizing.
2024 was a year of growth and impact at RomoGIS. We remain steadfast in our mission to empower communities through education and technology. RomoGIS’s mission to equip communities with the tools, skills, and confidence to use GIS as a catalyst for positive change and justice has only just begun. With the continued support of our partners, we’re eager to expand our reach, develop innovative solutions, and foster more leaders ready to use GIS for good.
With additional collaborators and communities, we look forward to an even brighter 2025, building stronger neighborhoods and empowering changemakers—one map at a time. If you are interested in collaborating with RomoGIS on in-person workshops or events to build community power please contact us on LinkedIn here: https://au.linkedin.com/company/romogis
Comments