#  Looking Back on CGA’s 20th Anniversary Conference 

 





November 05, 2026

 

 

     ![Peter Bol addresses the conference audience](/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Peter%20Bol%20speaking_J%20Blossom%20photog.png?itok=JzD9TbsZ) 

 



 

*by Jeff Blossom*

[*Originally posted on the CGA website*](https://gis.harvard.edu/event/gis-day-2026)

The Center for Geographic Analysis celebrated its 20th anniversary this year with a special annual conference, “[Celebrating Geographic Analysis: Past, Present, and Future](https://gis.harvard.edu/2026-cga-conference-celebrating-geographic-analysis-past-present-and-future).” The conference, which attracted 180 participants, was held October 2 and 3 at the David Rubenstein Treehouse on Harvard University’s campus. The conference opened with a brief retrospective looking back at 20 years of spatial analysis at the CGA, from Peter Bol, CGA’s founding director, as well as Subu Subramanian, the outgoing chair of CGA’s Faculty Advisory Group.

   ![Peter Bol addresses the conference audience](/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Peter%20Bol%20speaking_J%20Blossom%20photog.png?itok=X5mA4G2C) 

 

CGA Founding Director Peter Bol speaking at the conference opening.The next day and a half featured keynote talks from Dawn Wright, [Esri’s chief scientist](https://www.esri.com/), Francesca Dominici, director of [Harvard’s Data Science Initiative (HDSI)](https://datascience.harvard.edu/), and Matt Zook from the [University of Kentucky](https://www.uky.edu/). The [full conference program](https://harvard-cga.github.io/cga-conference-2026/) also included plenary panels on geospatial skills and industry and humanitarian crisis mapping, as well as over 80 presentations and lightning talks and four panel sessions.

This year’s conference attracted a diverse audience of 180 participants from over 53 universities, 16 non-university research institutes, and 8 companies. Additionally, five pre-conference workshops were offered, covering the topics machine learning and satellite imagery, working with web data, spatial AI, and more. Workshops were attended by 80 students. Exhibitions at the conference included vendor tables, and large TVs featuring a [slideshow by the Harvard Map Collection](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vRJjv_monpMjj1iR6c0H6RcB28mQSQqgZbOX93wBaInYAy1P0AgvqNjR3sQ7Rikxg/pub?start=true&loop=true&delayms=15000) of 400 historic maps, and a [retrospective video of CGA maps and projects](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-DL4MljdF2B2KfZFnsnUXH-58bZ0fa5B/view?usp=sharing) developed over the years. The conference concluded with the presentation of the 2026 Fisher Prize for Excellence in GIS to one Harvard undergraduate student and one graduate student.

   ![CGA affiliates stand with Fisher Prize winners who hold up their price certificates](/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Fisher%20prize_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg?itok=kHOp2vz-) 

 

Pictured from left to right at the conference closing: Zifu Wang (CGA), Matthew Scott Tan (Fisher Prize winner, undergraduate category), Rachel Franklin (CGA), Jeff Blossom (CGA), Kyungmin Kim (Fisher Prize winner, graduate category), Devika Jain (CGA), and Jaiany Rocha Trindade (CGA). Photo: Matthew Wilson



 

 

 

 [   ![Francesca Dominici at podium](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Francesca%20Dominici_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg?itok=S4AFL4j-) 

  <div class="hwp-media-gallery--caption-content"><p class="hwp-media-gallery--item\_\_title">Keynote speaker Francesca Dominici</p><div class="hwp-text-block"><p>Photo: Rachel Franklin</p></div></div>   

 ](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Francesca%20Dominici_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg) Keynote speaker Francesca Dominici

 



 [   ![Dawn Wright at podium](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Dawn%20Wright_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg?itok=_K-J4KuC) 

  <div class="hwp-media-gallery--caption-content"><p class="hwp-media-gallery--item\_\_title">Keynote speaker Dawn Wright</p><div class="hwp-text-block"><p>Photo: Rachel Franklin</p></div></div>   

 ](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Dawn%20Wright_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg) Keynote speaker Dawn Wright

 



 [   ![Matthew Zook at podium](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Matthew%20Zook_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg?itok=DfcxlRU7) 

  <div class="hwp-media-gallery--caption-content"><p class="hwp-media-gallery--item\_\_title">Keynote speaker Matthew Zook</p><div class="hwp-text-block"><p>Photo: Rachel Franklin</p></div></div>   

 ](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20Matthew%20Zook_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg) Keynote speaker Matthew Zook

 



 [   ![Conference audience](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20crowd_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg?itok=dmhiw3DB) 

  <div class="hwp-media-gallery--caption-content"><p class="hwp-media-gallery--item\_\_title">Conference attendees</p><div class="hwp-text-block"><p>Photo: Rachel Franklin</p></div></div>   

 ](https://www.iq.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum8171/files/2026-11/CGA%20conference%202026%20crowd_R%20Franklin%20photog.jpg) Conference attendees

 



 

 



 



 

 

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