GIS-Pro 2020 Registration and Invitation to Participate

Des Plaines, IL (September 3, 2020) URISA is pleased to share the details about GIS-Pro 2020, the association's 58th Annual Conference, presented virtually September 29-October 2 (with pre- and post conference instructor-led online workshops).

With the serious COVID-19 health and physical distancing concerns, hosting an in-person conference this year and putting members, presenters, and staff at risk was a non-starter. We will miss the face-to-face interaction, ’a-ha’ moments, and camaraderie and will do our best to recreate as much as possible virtually until it is safe to meet in-person again.

Though we cannot assist with home schooling your children or checking in on your senior parents, we can stay true to our mission to provide professional education and training and a vibrant and connected community – albeit virtually. Our dedicated volunteer leaders have collaborated to provide you with content that we hope will be valuable to you and your organizations. We've taken the opportunity to re-envision the program to focus on some of the most important topics of the day: Public Health, Community Resilience, Equity & Social Justice, GIS Leadership, and Ethics.

Our keynote speakers should not be missed and we have introduced a free registration option to watch these speakers deliver their talks 'live':

Tuesday, September 29: Martin O'Malley, Former Governor of Maryland
Wednesday, September 30: Chris Vaughan, Geographic Information Officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Friday, October 2: Juliana Blackwell, Director of the National Geodetic Survey

Featured panel discussions focused on Racial Equity & GIS, Contact Tracing, GIS Ethics, and Redistricting, along with dozens of concurrent sessions are on the agenda with live Q&A. Sessions will be available on demand for GIS-Pro 2020 registrants after the conference, so there will be no fear of missing a presenter or topic of interest. Review the full program here.

We’ve significantly reduced the cost to participate – for attendees and our partners – in order to make it easier for more of the GIS Community to attend, without the added cost of travel and lodging. We've intentionally scheduled full and half-day instructor-led online workshops the week before and the week after the main conference to work better with busy schedules. Attendance at a workshop is included with full event registration and, as with in-person workshops, capacity is limited in order to facilitate interaction and engagement.

The workshop line-up is as follows:

Wednesday, September 23

Best Practices for GIS Project Planning and Management
NG911 & the GIS Workflow
GIS in Emergency Management
Microsoft Project™ Software Tutorial

Thursday, September 24

Experimental Learning Techniques to be More Effective
Introduction to GIS for Equity and Social Justice
Navigating a Virtual Landscape for your GIS Career

Tuesday, October 6

Building Community Using Geospatial Tools
Unpacking the NENA NG911 GIS Data Model
Changes Afoot After 2022: State Plane and the Death of the U.S. Survey Foot

Wednesday, October 7

Preparing for GISP Certification
Coordinate Systems and Projections

Sponsorship opportunities are plentiful and our corporate, business, and educational partners are poised to connect.

Though we can't go geocaching and explore the host city together this year, virtual networking opportunities will support the development of professional networks. Our community has always been resilient and eager to help each other through a crisis. Join us virtually at GIS-Pro 2020 and engage, ask questions, explore solutions, and make the most of this opportunity.

Start making your plans for GIS-Pro 2020.

Wendy Nelson
URISA Executive Director
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