URISA's 4th Caribbean GIS Conference - Preconference Workshops

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Pre-conference Workshops - 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Networking Reception & Poster Competition - 5:00 - 6:30 PM

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!

Preconference Workshop #1:
GIS Program Management
Instructors: Peter Croswell, GISP, Croswell-Schulte Information Technology Consultants, Frankfort, Kentucky USA (URISA Past President)
Valrie Grant-Harry, GISP, GIS Consultant, Jamaica (URISA Caribbean Chapter President)

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:
• Program development
• Project management techniques
• Budgeting
• Staffing
• Sustaining program support
• Managing consultants and vendors

Intended Audience: 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.

Preconference Workshop #2:
GIS Enterprise Architecture & System Integration
Instructor: Tom Pattison, Senior Enterprise GIS Consultant, ESRI, Redlands, California USA

The objective of this workshop is to examine both GIS enterprise architecture and the integration between various systems (GIS included) in an organization. Workshop instructors will examine the past, current, and future of GIS within an enterprise context, and apply the experience, discipline, and future direction of the Information Systems (IS) profession to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This workshop will provide GIS professionals with an understanding of some of the complex technical and specific technical management issues that must be addressed when developing a corporate GIS.

Specific topics include:
• Definitions of Enterprise GIS
• Definitions of System Integration
• Architecture design and development
• Management and phasing of enterprise environments
• Staffing and maintenance of enterprise environments
• Network, data and web architectures and roles in the enterprise
• Open systems and standards
• Future issues and trends

Intended Audience: This workshop is intended for public and private sector managers, elected officials, policy professionals, database developers and administrators, and GIS professionals.

Preconference Workshop #3:
An Overview of Open Source GIS Software
Instructor: Sara Yurman, GISP, Spatial Focus, Inc. Decatur, Georgia USA

Free and open source software (FOSS) has been offering choices to computer users for a number of years. Over the past few years the open source choices in GIS have been broader and more capable than ever before. This workshop will focus on GIS open source software. It will give an overview of current developments from technical and management perspectives. Selected packages and their applications in various projects will be demonstrated and discussed.

Specific topics include:
• Open Source GIS background and development
• Overview of Open Source GIS spatial functionalities
• Live demonstration
• Interoperability: The Open Source GIS spectrum
• Planning and implementation issues

Intended Audience: Anyone interested in free and open source geographic information system software. The workshop will suit both managerial and technical needs and it does not require any prerequisites.

Networking Reception & Poster Competition
5:00 – 6:30 PM

Connect with fellow attendees during the Networking Reception taking place in the Exposition. Check out the technology products and services being offered by the exhibiting organizations and enjoy some refreshments in an informal atmosphere.

Take this opportunity to compare and contrast the technology and services that are currently available to make your work more efficient and effective. Challenge the representatives to offer solutions and go home with the answers to your technology needs.

Also, spend some time reviewing the poster submissions for this year's conference.

Then head out to explore Grand Cayman!

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