As the recently elected President of the Florida Chapter of URISA, I am interested in continuing the work of my predecessor, and achieving the following GOALS over the course of my two year term:
Promote the GIS Code of Ethics as approved by the URISA Board of Directors
Encourage members to become a certified GIS Professional (GISP)
Promote and support the URISA’s Leadership Academy
Promote and fund the development, implementation and deployment of four hour workshops in conjunction with local one day user group meetings
Create and promote the implementation of the corporate sponsorship program
Promote collaborative efforts with URISA and other professional organizations to meet the educational, professional development and financial goals of FLURISA (i.e. the Joint Geospatial Conference)
Promote the inclusion of other information technology disciplines
Promote the building of a statewide GIS consortium.
The FLURISA Board is always looking for ways to increase the benefits of membership for GIS professionals in Florida. One of several initiatives includes improvement of our website. We would like to develop the following functionality we believe will make it more relevant and useful:
Allow members to track their educational and professional participation related to FLURISA sponsored events
Assist in renewal of GISP certification.
Provide open job / resume posting
Educational presentations / content sharing
Develop web-based training opportunities.
We are also working to increase the number of training workshops offered, and bring more educational training opportunities to more geographic areas in the state. Feel free to share any suggestions you may have for ways we can improve our web page, educational offerings, and workshop opportunities to make FLURISA more useful for you. As stated in the title of this letter, FLURISA is what we make it. Participate in hosting training workshops, putting together local user groups, and providing outreach to the educational institutions near you. Take a few minutes each week and reach out to GIS professionals nearby, share issues, and provide support. It takes active members to build an active organization, and develop the collaborative relationships that benefit all in this profession. To close, we are currently looking for volunteers for several vacancies on the board. If interested, see the web page on the FLURISA.org site for open positions. If have any questions about how you can participate, or input you want to share with the Florida GIS community, please contact me at (813) 281-8372 or send an email to wewalter@pbsj.com .Thank you for your interest.
William E. Walter, GISP
2010 URISA Student Competition
February 25, 2010 (Des Plaines, IL) - URISA seeks to encourage students in a variety of academic settings and disciplines to write and publish papers and projects for the URISA membership and others in the spatial technologies industry. To promote this objective URISA has established a student competition.
The 2010 Student Competition will consist of a three-tier approach that includes Papers, Presentations and Posters. Submissions are due on or before May 1, 2010. For complete details: http://www.urisa.org/student_paper_competition
PAPERS - Students, particularly graduate students, are invited to submit a paper for a special section of the URISA Journal. The papers will undergo a review process under the direction of the Publications Committee, augmented by the Editor of the URISA Journal. Lead authors of the top three papers would receive an award of a one-year membership in URISA or free registration at the annual URISA conference.
PRESENTATIONS - Undergraduate students are invited to submit presentations (Powerpoint with narrative). The presentations would be undergo a review process under the direction of the Publications Committee. The top two presentations will receive a free registration for presentation at the annual URISA conference and/or at their regional URISA conference.
POSTERS - Community college and GIS Certificate students are invited to submit posters. The posters would undergo a review process under the direction of the Publications Committee, augmented by community college instructors. (This category is co-sponsored by the National GeoTech Center.) The top ten posters will receive an award of a one-year membership in URISA and will be recommended for free registration at a regional URISA conference.
The URISA Student Competition Committee will review all submissions and the winners will be notified in early August. Winners will be recognized during the awards ceremony at GIS-Pro 2010: URISA's 48th Annual Conference in Orlando (the Awards Breakfast will take place on Thursday, September 30, 2010).
For details and submission information, visit http://www.urisa.org/student_paper_competition
Wendy Nelson Executive Director - URISA ** Please note our new address: 701 Lee Street, Suite 680, Des Plaines, IL 60016 wnelson@urisa.org www.urisa.org 847-824-6300
URISA Leadership Academy (ULA) - Dates Announced
February 2, 2010 (Des Plaines, IL)
– URISA is pleased to announce the only 2010 dates for the URISA Leadership
Academy (ULA), where GIS Leaders Teach GIS Leadership. The ULA will be
presented in Baltimore, Maryland, June 14-18, 2010.
Attend the URISALeadershipAcademy
for specific and important training on GIS leadership. The entire faculty of
the ULA is comprised of Certified GIS Professionals (GISPs) with proven
experience leading both public and private sector organizations of all types
and sizes. Learn from their experiences and from those of your fellow attendees
in the ULA's interactive classroom setting.
• "I've been working in the GIS field for 15 years and this was, by far,
the most valuable and comprehensive training I have received. No matter how
much you think you know about GIS management, you will learn more than you ever
thought possible." - Scott A Weisman, GISP, GIS Technical Services
Manager, TallahasseeLeonCounty
(FL) GIS - ULA Graduate, December 2009
• "I felt that the ULA truly authenticated the change in mentality from
being a general worker to a true geospatial professional, or leader. It really
boosted a change in attitude for me." - Craig Barraclough, GISP, GIS
Director, Park County (CO) GIS - ULA Graduate, June 2008
Make plans to attend the ULA today. Participation is limited due to the
classroom format of the event. For details on the ULA program, registration and
travel, visit www.urisa.org/ula
