URISA - Press Releases

URISA Election Results Announced

wendy — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:40:24 -0500

July 21, 2008 (PARK RIDGE, IL) - URISA is pleased to announce the results of its 2008 Board of Directors Election. Kathrine Cargo, GISP (New Orleans Parish Communications District) will become President-Elect of the association and Clare Brown, GISP, Michael Lovett, GISP and Karen Stewart, GISP will begin their three-year terms as members of the Board of Directors, at the close of URISA's 46th Annual Conference in New Orleans this October.

“URISA means professional growth, as I feel that my participation in conferences, committees and chapter functions better prepared me to recognize challenges as opportunities for improvement. URISA has been and continues to be a great source of inspiration to me in my work as a GIS/Mapping Coordinator, mainly due to the GIS educational offerings and the industry information that streams from the association on a regular basis,” said Cargo.

Three new directors were elected by the URISA membership to serve a three-year term on the URISA Board, also beginning in October. The three new Board members are:

Impressive Speaker List at URISA's Caribbean GIS Conference

wendy — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:40:11 -0500

July 10, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) - URISA’s 4th Caribbean GIS Conference (August 25-29 on Grand Cayman) boasts speakers from across the region and the world. Caribbean projects, research and success stories will be well-represented with speakers from Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts, Trinidad, and the US Virgin Islands. Speakers will also be participating from Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This year’s exceptionally strong participation from the Caribbean community indicates how established and important GIS has become in the region. In addition to sessions on disaster management, web-based GIS, and privacy issues, presentation topics will include:

Call for Participation for URISA's Second GIS in Public Health Conference

wendy — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:40:44 -0500

June 25, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) – URISA is now accepting abstract submissions for its Second GIS in Public Health Conference. The conference, themed “Putting Health in Place with GIS,” will take place June 5-8, 2009 in Providence, Rhode Island. The vision for the conference is to provide an open and participatory forum for advancing the effective use of spatial information and geographic information system technologies across the domains of public health, healthcare and community health preparedness.

The Program Committee will organize an educational program based upon the abstracts submitted through the Call for Participation. All abstract submissions, received by October 31, 2008, will be reviewed and considered for this conference. The Program Committee encourages abstract submissions in one or more of the following general categories (examples of topics within each category are included). The committee invites examples of GIS and spatial analysis in these various areas, including case studies, empirical analysis, etc.

Abstracts Sought for the 13th Annual GIS/CAMA Technologies Conference

wendy — Fri, 30 May 2008 16:15:44 -0500

May 30, 2008 (PARK RIDGE, IL) - URISA and the IAAO are accepting abstract submissions for the 13th Annual GIS/CAMA Technologies Conference. The conference -- for Professionals in Property Assessment, Tax Administration, Mapping and Information Technology -- will take place in Charleston, South Carolina, February 8-11, 2009. The theme for the event is “Technology to Revolutionize Your Valuations”.

The Committee has specified three general program tracks for the conference and has provided topic ideas for each (please note that all abstracts will be considered for the program - whether or not they fit directly into one of these tracks):

Registration Opens for URISA's 4th Caribbean GIS Conference

wendy — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:51:46 -0500

May 20, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) – Registration has opened for URISA’s 4th Caribbean GIS Conference. The conference will take place August 25-29, 2008 at the Ritz Carlton Resort on Grand Cayman and will feature workshops, keynote presentations, dozens of educational sessions, an exhibition, poster session and networking opportunities.

Preconference events begin on Monday, August 25 with an ESRI user group meeting and an ArcGIS training course, and URISA Certified Workshops will be presented on Tuesday, August 26 on these topics:

URISA’s GISCorps Working on Myanmar (Burma) Cyclone Recovery Efforts

wendy — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:42:13 -0500

May 14, 2008 (PARK RIDGE, IL) – On May 9, 2008, URISA’s GISCorps began the process of recruiting and identifying volunteers to assist with the compilation of infrastructure damage data in the Cyclone Nargis affected areas in Myanmar (Burma).

By May 12, twenty volunteers were recruited and began working remotely, under the direction of Tom Ponte, a GISCorps volunteer. They are tasked with performing change detection analysis for various features such as roads, buildings, bridges, monasteries, etc. from Google Earth environment.

The supporting agency that contacted GISCorps for volunteer GIS expertise was UNOSAT, which is the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme.

2008 Student Paper Competition Opens

wendy — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:21:07 -0600

February 5, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) - The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is sponsoring its second annual student paper competition. The objective of the competition is to challenge undergraduate and postgraduate students to demonstrate development and effective use of information systems in both their field of study and the community. The competition is open to all eligible students but particularly those interested in careers using geographic information systems, information technology, geospatial technology, planning and/or community development.

The deadline for submissions is June 9, 2008.

URISA will award students cash prizes for best student authored papers. Winners will be recognized at the URISA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, October 7-10, 2008.

Prizes
First Place: $500 cash. Free conference registration and recognition at the URISA Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, October 7-10, 2008. Paper may be published in the URISA Journal.

Second Place: $300 cash. Free conference registration. Paper may be published in the URISA Journal.

Third Place: $150 cash. Free conference registration. Paper may be published in the URISA Journal.

The following types of papers are encouraged:
1.    Comprehensive literature review on a spatial technology and its application.
2.    Application of spatial statistics.
3.    Application of an implemented spatial technology and its demonstrable impact on a public or private sector organization.
4.    Treatment and development of spatial technologies and theory.

Application areas of particular interest to URISA members include, but are not limited to, the following:
•    Remote sensing
•    Economic development
•    Safety or homeland security
•    Environmental planning and resource management
•    Geographic information systems
•    Infrastructure management
•    Urban land use planning and management

The URISA Student Paper Committee reviews all papers. Winners will be notified in August 2008. Winners will be recognized during the awards ceremony at URISA 2008 in New Orleans, LA.

Only papers meeting the evaluation criteria will be considered. Further information regarding eligibility, submission criteria, prizes, and policies are available on the URISA website at http://www.urisa.org/student_paper_competition .

URISA promotes the effective and ethical use of spatial information and information technologies for the understanding and management of urban and regional systems.

Press Information:
Scott Grams
URISA Education Director
847-824-6300
F: 847-824-6363
sgrams@urisa.org
www.urisa.org

URISA/NENA Addressing Conference Registration Opens

wendy — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 09:21:59 -0600

January 15, 2008 (Park Ridge, Illinois) - The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) are pleased to announce that registration has opened for the URISA/NENA Addressing Conference (formerly known as the Geospatial Integration for Public Safety Conference), taking place April 7-10, 2008 in Portland, Oregon.

The only conference where GIS professionals, addressing coordinators, 9-1-1 and emergency response specialists come together for education and networking.

Call for Presentations Announced for URISA’s 46th Annual Conference Program

wendy — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:22:37 -0600

November 29, 2007 (Park Ridge, IL) – URISA is now accepting online abstract submissions for it’s 46th Annual Conference taking place October 7-10, 2008 in New Orleans. The conference theme is “Spatially Enabling the Enterprise”, and all abstract submissions received by January 21, 2008 will be reviewed and considered for the comprehensive educational program. For more information or to submit your abstract online go to: www.urisa.org

The Program Committee is inviting abstract submissions in one or more of the following categories (examples of topics within each category are included online):

•    Geospatially Enabled Enterprise
•    Data Acquisitions & Conversion
•    Open Source and Open Standards/Google Earth
•    Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration
•    Natural Resources & Environment
•    Transportation & Infrastructure
•    Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) or GIS for Communities
•    Emergency Management & Homeland Security
•    3D GIS
•    K-12 Education
•    Management & Professional Development
•    Student Presentations

Abstracts will be accepted until January 21, 2008. Submission guidelines and presentation category details are included online. Please visit www.urisa.org for details and the online abstract submission form.

About URISA — Founded in 1963, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is a nonprofit association for professionals involved in improving urban and regional environments through the use of information technology. For more information, visit www.urisa.org

Registration Opens for GIS/CAMA Technologies Conference

wendy — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:32:05 -0600

November 14, 2007 (Park Ridge, Illinois) - The International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) are pleased to announce the 12th Annual GIS/CAMA (Computer-Assisted Mass Appraisal) Technologies Conference, to be held February 25-28, 2008 in New Orleans. This conference is designed to foster collaboration and integration of data, technology, and functionality.

The 2007 conference, in Las Vegas, broke the previous attendance record (coincidentally in New Orleans in 1999) and there are great expectations for another record-breaking event in 2008. Discounted registration fees for exhibitors and attendees are in effect until the end of this year.