URISA Caribbean GIS Conference Workshops
Monday, October 30, 2006
8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Pre-Conference Workshops
For over forty years, URISA has been the center for information exchange among professionals dealing with urban and regional issues. URISA Certified Workshops have been and are considered some of the best real-world and practical learning experiences for attendees. There is an additional fee to attend a workshop. Workshops are full-day courses designed to be classroom experiences and are limited to 40 attendees each. Registrations will be allocated on a first-come, first served basis, so register early!
Spatial Data Infrastructure:
Planning, Policy, Strategy and Implementation - The Caribbean Reality
Instructors: Valrie Grant-Harry, Kingston, Jamaica
Garfield Knight, Geonet Technology Services Ltd, Kingston, Jamaica
Governments worldwide are being challenged to develop Spatial Data Infrastructures and provide access to geospatial information for decision support. The Caribbean is no different but is possibly faced with a more daunting task of benefit/cost justification considering economies of scale, skills availability and data availability. Against the background of recent innovations and continued rapid changes in geo spatial technology which provides opportunities for reducing cost, improving ease of and reducing time for implementation. The workshop will examine policy and legal guidelines, privacy and security concerns, case reviews of SDI initiatives in the region and recommend SDI models for the Caribbean.
Specific topics include the following:
- The status of SDI development in the Region
- SDI business models for the Caribbean
- Analysis of Legal Issues, including access to information laws and copyright
- Policy considerations
- The Implementation Model, Approach and Technology Options
Who should attend: This workshop is intended for public and private sector business managers, elected officials, policy professionals, GIS managers and stakeholders with an interest in Spatial Data Infrastructures.
Preconference Workshop #2
Asset Management: Planning, Strategy and Implementation
Instructors: Jason Amadori and Allen Ibaugh, Data Transfer Solutions, Orlando, Florida, USA
Public and private agencies face continuous challenges to accomplish more with less as increases in demand, regulatory requirements, infrastructure deterioration, and political and economic forces have significantly outpaced increases in capital and operating budgets. Many of these agencies are turning to Asset Management to cope with these challenges and improve business performance and effectiveness. This workshop will focus on several aspects of developing an asset management system that could help improve performance, reduce long-term costs, and maximize return on investment in infrastructure assets.
Specific topics include:
- Strategy and Planning
- Data Collection Methods
- Software Solutions
- Information Management and Decision Support Tools
- Evaluation and Performance Measures
- GASB34 Reporting
- Life Cycle Costs
Who should attend: This workshop is intended for utility, transportation, engineering, planning, and environmental managers and analysts of the public and private sectors.
Preconference Workshop #3
GIS Program Management
Instructor: Susan Johnson, CIO, City of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA (URISA President-Elect) Today, most government organizations have some type of GIS programs in place. They vary from being in their early stages, to rebuilding or tuning up phase, to completely being changed as new technologies and applications emerge. This workshop is designed to provide guidelines for managing your GIS program. It will look at the various organizational and technical issues program managers must address in order to develop a successful GIS program. The discussions will include managing all aspects of a GIS program from staffing and budgeting to procuring technology and working with vendors. A variety of real world examples will be presented showing a range of GIS programs and their implementations. This workshop presents an overview of successful and unsuccessful techniques for implementing GIS. Specific topics include: Who should attend: GIS Program Management is a must for anyone embarking upon a GIS program, involved with a less-than-successful GIS, or who is seeking ways to improve a successful implementation.