URISA 2006 Caribbean GIS Conference
URISA 2006 Caribbean GIS Conference
Shattering Barriers...Building Bridges
October 30 - November 2, 2006
Atlantis Resort - Bahamas
The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is pleased to invite you to its third conference focusing on the effective application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other information technologies in the Caribbean. We are pleased to be hosting this event in the Bahamas this year!
Conference Highlights
The conference begins on Monday, October 30 with preconference workshops, 8-hour comprehensive courses on these topics:
- Spatial Data Infrastructure: Planning, Policy, Strategy and Implementation - The Caribbean Reality
- Asset Management: Planning, Strategy and Implementation
- GIS Program Management
During Tuesday morning’s Opening Ceremony, we will hear from URISA’s leadership and Conference Chair—Carolann Albury. This will be followed by a keynote address from the Honourable Perry Gladstone Christie, Bahamas Prime Minister. On Wednesday morning we will gather for an entertaining plenary session, “From Crypt to Courtroom”, about the mysterious death of King Tut. Jim Geringer, Director of Policy and Public Sector Strategy for ESRI, will provide the luncheon keynote address on Thursday.
Thirty-two comprehensive educational sessions fill the program with nearly 100 presentations.
Of course, there will be a variety of social events during the conference to provide you with every opportunity to network with your peers and colleagues from around the globe.
An exhibition will give you the opportunity to compare and contrast products and services available to help you do your job more efficiently and effectively. Be sure to bring your "technology wish list" to the Bahamas!
Objectives of the Conference
- To inform broad cross-section of Caribbean users about GIS technology and applications
- To share experiences regarding GIS implementation and management issues
- To establish new relationships with the vendor/consultant community
- To provide workshops and sessions that are application driven, and are relevant to the Caribbean community of GIS users
- To foster a Caribbean GIS network
- To assess the state of readiness of national and regional Spatial Data Infrastructures
The conference was organized via an abstract submission process. More than 100 submissions were received for the committee’s review. The abstracts were submitted into the following topical categories:
- Disaster Management, Law Enforcement, Public Health and Safety
- Standards, Policy and Management
- Land, Environment, Planning and Natural Resources
- Utilities, Business and Organizational GIS
- Education
- Hot Topics
Conference Schedule
Click on each day to view program details
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Pre-conference Workshops
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Opening Session, Keynote Address
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Educational Sessions
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Exhibits
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Networking Reception in Exhibit Hall
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Plenary Session
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Educational Sessions
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Exhibits
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Social Event
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Educational Sessions
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Exhibits
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Luncheon Keynote Address
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Closing Ceremony
Solutions Exhibition
During URISA’s Caribbean GIS Conference, you can check out the very latest technology being offered by the top GIS and IT vendors — all in one place. Take this opportunity to compare and contrast the technology and services that are currently available to make your agency work more efficiently and effectively. Challenge the representatives to offer solutions and go home with the answers to your technology needs. The Exhibition will be open the following hours:
Tuesday, October 31 (1:00 – 6:00 PM); Wednesday, November 1 (10:00 AM – 3:30 PM); and Thursday, November 2 (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM).
If you are interested in exhibiting at this conference, click here for more information.
URISA 2006 Caribbean GIS Conference Committee
Conference Chair: Ms. Carolann Albury, Director, BNGIS Centre, Bahamas
Co-Chair: Ms. Shantelle Lopez, GISP, Professional Alliance for GIS and Geosciences, Bahamas
Bahamas:
- Mrs. Carmen Gomez, Under Secretary, Office of The Prime Minister
- Mr. Carl Smith, Coordinator, National Emergency Management Agency
- Mr. Vanbert Pratt, Office of The Prime Minister
- Mr. Michael Major, Director, Department of Physical Planning
- Mr. Ralph Brennan, Ag. Director, Department of Lands & Surveys
- Mr. Brent Marshall, Bahamas Telecommunications Company
- Mr. Deon Stewart, The Bahamas Environment Science & Technology Commission
- Dr. Joan Vanderpool, Director, Research and Planning Unit, College of The Bahamas
Barbados:
- Mr. Ian King, Environmental Consultant/President
Geographic Information Services and Technologies (GIST) - Mr. Philip Corbin
Barbados Light & Power Co Ltd - Mr. Nigel Ricky Marshall, Managing Director
Marshall, Marshall & Associates Inc.
Guyana:
- Mr. Vijay Datadin, GIS Consultant
Redspider.com
Jamaica:
- Ms. Cecille Blake, National GIS Coordinator
Ministry of Land and Environment - Ms. Valrie Grant-Harry, GIS Consultant
Kingston, Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago:
- Mr. Desmond Dougall, Managing Director
GISCAD Limited
United States:
- Ms. Leah Vaughan, Public Health Researcher
San Francisco, California - Mr. Edsel B. Daniel, PhD
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee - Mr. Steven R. Schill, PhD
The Nature Conservancy
Richmond, Utah - Mr. Peter Rabley
International Land Systems, Inc.
Silver Spring, Maryland
General Information
- Registration Fee: $345 US
- Discounted Speaker Registration Fee: $225 US
- One-Day Registration Fee: $150 US
- Student Registration Fee: $50 US (early), $75 US after September 15
- Preconference Workshop Registration Fee: $125 US
Conference Site: Atlantis Resort Paradise Island
Nassau, Bahamas
Hotel room rate: $135 single/double occupancy Additional taxes: Resort Levy (12% per room, per day); Maid, Pool, Beach Gratuity, and Utility Surcharge: $ 11.50 per person, per day ; Bellman Gratuity: $ 5.70 per person, one time charge. There is no charge for children eleven (11) years of age and under sharing a room with parents and/or guardians using the existing bedding in the room. There will be an additional charge of $45 per night (plus applicable Taxes, Gratuities & Charges) for any person twelve (12) years of age or older sharing a room.
Travel: The Nassau International Airport (NAS) is 30 minutes from Atlantis. Taxis are readily available at the airport and run $27 each way to the resort for up to three passengers.
About the Bahamas
The Islands Of The Bahamas is a 100,000-sq-mile archipelago that extends over 500 miles of the clearest water in the world. Our 700 islands, including uninhabited cays and large rocks, total an estimated land area of 5,382 sq miles, and register a highest land elevation of 206 ft.
Geography played a crucial role in Bahamian history. In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World on the island of San Salvador in the eastern Bahamas. After observing the shallow sea around the islands, he said "baja mar" (shallow water or sea), and effectively named the area The Bahamas, or The Islands of the Shallow Sea.
In The Bahamas, the legal tender is the Bahamian dollar (B$1), which is equivalent in value to the U.S. dollar. Even though The Bahamas mint and circulate their own legal tender, both U.S. and Bahamian dollars are accepted interchangeably throughout the islands.
English is the official language of The Islands Of The Bahamas.
Visit www.bahamas.com for more facts and interesting news about the Bahamas, to make the most of your visit. Also check this site to find out about entry requirements into the Bahamas.
About GIS in The Bahamas
Among the Centre's growing strategic partners utilizing GIS are the Departments of Lands & Surveys, Statistics, Town Planning, Real Property Tax, The Royal Bahamas Police Force, The Water & Sewerage Corporation, Bahamas Electricity Corporation, Bahamas Telecommunications Company, The Professional Alliance for GIS & Geosciences and many others who are exploring ways to use this technology in support of the decision making process.
The Centre is excited about participating in the URISA 2006 Conference and looks forward to an informative and fruitful exchange of ideas and experiences regarding GIS."
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GISCI points earned for presenting a paper at this conference = 1 Contribution Point For more information about GIS Professional Certification, visit www.gisci.org. |
The URISA Conference welcomes participants of any sex, age, race, color, nationality, and ethnic origin. It does not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, color, nationality, or ethnic origin in the administration of its policies. The conference complies with the American with Disabilities Act. Educational programs planned and presented by URISA provide attendees with relevant and rewarding continuing education experience. However, neither the content (whether written or oral) of any course, seminar or other presentation, nor the use of a specific product in conjunction therewith, nor the exhibition of any materials by any party coincident with the educational event, should be construed as indicating endorsement or approval of the views presented, the products used, or the materials exhibited by URISA, or by its committees, Special Interest Groups, Chapters or other commissions.