Press Releases
2009 GIS/CAMA Conference - Sharing Knowledge: The Affordable Solution to Today’s Challenges
November 24, 2008 (Park Ridge, Illinois) - The International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) are pleased to announce the 13th Annual GIS/CAMA Technologies Conference , taking place February 8-11, 2009 in Charleston, SC. This year’s conference theme is “Sharing Knowledge: The Affordable Solution to Today’s Challenges.”
"This year's conference promises to bring together GIS and valuation professionals from around the world. Come share your ideas and hear from others how to tackle the challenges and solve the problems unique to the valuation community in these trying times. As you read through the presentations, take note of the emphasis given to the current economic conditions. You can't afford to miss it." - Bill Nelson, Government of the District of Columbia
The conference will open with an important keynote presentation. Former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer, a member of the National Research Council/Mapping Sciences Committee, will offer his top-executive perspective of what we can do as Property Information professionals to help our local leaders navigate in this rapidly changing economic and political environment. His awareness of the impact of technology and his daily contact with top state and federal officials gives him a unique feel for what can make a difference. Boulder County, CO Commissioner Cindy Domenico will add her experienced perspective to the discussion, followed by a federal banking official who will assess the impact of the current economic crisis and how the assessment and GIS community can contribute to recovery.
The conference committee felt, given the current global economic climate, that a follow-up general session should take place following the keynote presentation. David Hieber and Rob Scripture from Oakland County (MI) and Nancy von Meyer, GISP, from Fairview Industries will deliver an eye-opening presentation:
Forecasting and Accountability: Parcel and Assessment Information in the Post-Bailout Era
Parcel and assessment information together form the basis for an early warning system for the economy. On a national scale, the economic fallout in the Fall of 2008 was predicted in parcel databases across the country 18 to 24 months before the realization hit Wall Street. Learn how these indicators can be recognized and evaluated.
The conference will feature sessions within from three program tracks (Professional Development & Management Strategies, Property Valuation & Modeling Techniques and Technology & Techniques). Sessions have been developed on a variety of important topics like these:
• Current Housing Recession & Value
• Fraud Leads to Foreclosures
• Seeking a Return on Your GIS Investment
• Assessor’s Office of the Future
• How to Deal with Body-Pierced, Tattooed Millennials in Flip Flops
Attendees are also encouraged to take advantage of full-day preconference workshops on February 8:
• Introduction to GIS & Assessment
• Introduction to Valuation & Spatial Analysis
• Field Automation Options for Local Government
As always, the Exhibit Hall is an important feature of the conference, where attendees will try to find ways of doing more with less. IAAO and URISA greatly appreciate the support of the organizations who have participated as exhibitors at the GIS/CAMA Conference throughout the conference’s history.
Continuing Education Credit: IAAO professional designees will earn 7 hours of recertification credit for attendance at a Preconference Workshop and 10 hours for attendance at all sessions of the regular conference program. GISCI Certification points earned for attending one workshop and this conference = .4 GISCI education points.
Complete Details: The detailed conference program, exhibit, registration and travel/hotel information is available online .
URISA Leadership Academy and URISA Journal Editor Recognized
October 24, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) – Jochen Albrecht and the URISA Leadership Academy Committee received the 2008 Barbara Hirsch Special Service Award during URISA's 46th Annual Conference in New Orleans this month.
This award was created to honor URISA’s former Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Hirsch. The award is given to individuals or committees who have shown a similar consummate level of service to URISA through an ongoing commitment to our success as an organization.
The 2008 Barbara Hirsch Special Service Award was presented to Jochen Albrecht, Editor of the URISA Journal and also to the Committee and Instructors of the URISA Leadership Academy. 
URISA Recognizes Two Members with a 2008 Service Award
October 24, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) During URISA's 46th Annual Conference in New Orleans this month, the association recognized two members with Service Awards. The URISA Service Award is presented to members who have demonstrated faithful service to URISA and have participated in its programs over a period of several years. The award is for service in a number of programs or committees, and a willingness to take on challenges without regard to the potential for recognition.
C. David Hawker and Bruce Joffe, GISP are both recipients of a 2008 URISA Service Award.
URISA Honors Two Leadership Award Recipients
October 24, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) - During URISA's 46th Annual Conference in New Orleans this month, the association recognized two recipients of its Leadership Award. The URISA Leadership Award is presented to members who have demonstrated exemplary leadership to URISA, creativity, innovation, and dedicated support of URISA programs. This year’s Leadership Award recipients were Kenneth Dueker and Cindy Domenico.
Kenneth J. Dueker, emeritus professor of urban studies and planning, is an experienced educator and researcher in transportation, land use, and geographic information systems. He directed the Center for Urban Studies from 1979 to 1998 and the Transportation Studies Center from 1997 to 2002 at Portland State University. His areas of interest include: transportation and land use interactions, travel and parking behavior, and Geographic Information Systems - Transportation.
Peirce Eichelberger Receives URISA's Horwood Distinguished Service Award
October 24, 2008 (PARK RIDGE, IL) – Peirce Eichelberger, with a long and distinguished record of leadership and contributions to URISA and the GIS community, was the recent recipient of URISA’s prestigious Horwood Distinguished Service Award during the association’s 46th Annual Conference in New Orleans. This award is URISA’s ultimate award for service and leadership to URISA and the geospatial industry.
Susan Johnson presents Peirce Eichelberger with the Horwood Distinguished Service Award.
URISA Conference Addresses the Important Topics
September 16, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) – Next month, GIS Professionals will convene at URISA’s 46th Annual Conference & Exposition in New Orleans, to address the important topics of the day including inter-governmental collaboration for cost savings and efficiencies; infrastructure sustainability and asset management; enterprise solutions; disaster response and readiness; and results-oriented public participation GIS.
URISA President, Susan Johnson, notes, “With the troubled economy and natural disasters impacting the global community, it’s more important than ever for GIS professionals to discuss ways to make our limited technology dollars stretch further and more effectively. I’m looking forward to a number of sessions during the URISA conference that will demonstrate ways of doing more with less.”
URISA 2008 Annual Conference...Moving Forward
September 4, 2008 (Park Ridge, IL) - Hurricane Gustav, thankfully, passed over the Gulf Coast region without as much damage as had been forecasted. There were a few power outages and very little damage to downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter (where the URISA Annual Conference will be held, October 7-10, 2008). The Sheraton New Orleans confirmed that the hotel is just fine and ready to take reservations for the URISA Conference.
Take advantage of the expertise of more than 150 GIS professionals from across the globe who are presenting in sessions like these:
URISA Election Results Announced
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
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
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.
