News Release, Kansas Geological Survey, April 10, 2006
LAWRENCE--Using computers to map everything from homeland security issues to environmental contamination will be on the agenda at a Kansas City conference of geographic information system specialists in late April.
More than 750 geographic information system (GIS) specialists are expected to attend the meeting, being organized, in part, by staff members at the Kansas Geological Survey, based at the University of Kansas.
The 10th biennial MidAmerica GIS Symposium will be at the Westin Crown Center on April 23-27. The meeting will include presentations on homeland security and GIS, web-based mapping technologies, utility mapping, health and human services, GIS in law enforcement, and streamlined sales tax. In addition to mapping specialists, the meeting will attract engineers, city and county planners, surveyors, and utility company employees.
Keynote speakers include Fred Limp, contributing editor for GeoWorld Magazine and professor at the University of Arkansas, and Zsolt Nagy, Manager of the Coordination Program at the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information & Analysis. The program also features 34 short courses related to the use of GIS technology in areas such as emergency management, programming and application development, addressing standards, web services, and public works/facilities management.
The meeting is sponsored by the MidAmerica GIS Consortium (MAGIC), a non-profit group of GIS professionals from the midwest, and is being held in conjunction with the 2006 United States Geological Survey (USGS) Central Regional State Mapping Workshop.
Other featured speakers include William Burgess, owner of BurGIS LLC and Washington Liaison for the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), and Tony Spicci, GIS Coordinator for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), MAGIC Chairperson, and NSGIC President.
"This symposium will bring together representatives from federal, state, and local government, along with people from academia, non-profits, and the private sector," said Rod Odom, 2006 MAGIC Symposium Chairperson. "This meeting helps strengthen the GIS professional community and lets people share insights and experiences."
Registration for the meeting is $250. Charges for short courses are extra. More information, including the full program, is available at the meeting website (http://magicweb.kgs.ku.edu/). For additional information, contact Rod Odom (rodom@watershedconcepts.com.