About Us

"I can't honestly say there was one specific moment that endeared me to URISA. But there were a number of situations where it became apparent to me that this association was focused on things that were important to me in the development of my career and my efforts to improve processes within my work environment. I don't know of any other association where I have been able to learn so much from those experienced in the integration of technologies and spatially enabling the enterprise. And the network of associates that I have developed over my years of involvement with URISA have been most supportive and rewarding. Its just the best place to be and to be involved!" Dianne Haley, BSc, MScGIS, GISP - Calgary, Alberta - URISA member since 1994

Overview

The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization established as a corporation in 1966.

URISA members and participants typically use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other information technologies to solve challenges in state/provincial, regional and local government agencies and departments. URISA is considered to be the premier organization for the use and integration of spatial information technology to improve the quality of life in urban and regional environments. URISA promotes the effective and ethical use of spatial information and information technologies for the understanding and management of urban and regional systems.

We are glad you're here and hope that you find our website both informative and useful.  We also invite you to join URISA and get involved, as our strength is in our ability to share information with each other. 

From webinars and workshops to multi-day conferences, URISA presents an abundance of important educational programs. The peer-reviewed URISA Journal, The GIS Professional newsletter, and the thousands of conference proceedings papers included in the URISA Body of Knowledge offer a wealth of resources. Opportunities to contribute your expertise and time are plentiful. Consider the abundance of speaking and publishing opportunities and volunteer roles ranging from course reviewer and standards contributor to GISCorps volunteer and member of the Board of Directors.  Give back to your profession!

It has become more important than ever to be a part of a "community" and URISA, with members like you around the world, embodies the GIS Community.

Brief History

URISA emanated from a conference held on August 28, 1963 on the campus of the University of Southern California, organized by Edgar Horwood and attended by 48 people to trade information on developments in regional information systems. This was billed as the ‘First Annual Conference on Urban Planning Information Systems and Programs.’ Additional annual conferences were held from 1964 through 1966 in Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Berkeley.  At the 1966 Berkeley Conference, attendees approved a constitution establishing the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).

The conference held in 1967 in Garden City, New York was the first called the URISA Annual Conference. However, URISA considers that its first conference was the one held in 1963 on the USC Campus in Los Angeles.

Edgar Horwood founded URISA and was its first president.  Horwood provided intellectual leadership toward building an interdisciplinary association and served as a constructive critic in the development of ethical practices in the emerging area of applying information systems technology to urban and regional applications.   He patterned URISA after the Regional Science Association, an inclusive interest association, not an exclusive professional society overly concerned with credentials.

• In preparation for URISA's 50th Annual Conference in 2012, a number of industry luminairies collaborated on a retrospective publication celebrating the influence of URISA over the years.  The 300-page book, Foundations of Urban and Regional Information Systems and Geographic Information Systems and Science, discusses the significant research, education, training, and applications foundations that URISA and its members have contributed to urban and regional information systems and geographic information systems and science. Read More

Highlights

URISA is the founding member of the GIS Certification Institute, the organization that administers professional certification for the field and is dedicated to advancing the industry.

GISCorps, which provides volunteer GIS support for underdeveloped countries and to support disaster recovery efforts, was organized as a URISA program in 2003.

URISA is also a founding member of the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO). COGO was developed to provide a forum for organizations concerned with U.S. national geospatial issues that will 1) improve communications among the member organizations (and others), 2) provide educational information on relevant issues for their respective memberships, 3) align and strengthen their respective policy agendas, and 4) facilitate development of strategies to address national issues.