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
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
URISA is seeking nominations for it's GIS Hall of Fame
February 1, 2010 (Des Plaines,
IL) - URISA is seeking nominations for it's GIS Hall of Fame which recognizes
and honors the best in GIS. Introduced in 2005, the URISA GIS Hall of Fame
documents the contributions made by key individuals. URISA welcomes
nominations from any profession and is not restricted to those having a past or
current relationship with URISA. This award is not given every year, and
in some years there may be multiple recipients.
The selection criteria for this honor are:
. At least 25 years of sustained professional involvement in
the GIS field.
. Original and creative contributions to the field.
. Well known and respected by a wide range of peers.
. Consistent demonstration of sound professional and personal
ethics.
Previous inductees include:
. 2005 Inductees: Edgar Horwood, Ian McHarg, Roger Tomlinson, Jack Dangermond,
Nancy Tosta, and the Harvard Lab
. 2006 Inductee: Dr. Gary Hunter
. 2007 Inductees: Don Cooke and Michael Goodchild
. 2009 Inductees: Will Craig and Carl Reed
Nominations must be submitted to URISA by May 1. For details and to learn
more about current members of URISA's GIS Hall of Fame: http://www.urisa.org/hall_of_fame
Contact:
Wendy Nelson
Executive Director - URISA wnelson@urisa.org
www.urisa.org 847-824-6300
