Track Descriptions

Deadline to submit an abstract: November 21, 2008

Technology

Application Development
ArcGIS supports development of full-featured GIS web applications using the WebADF, as well as lightweight, yet powerful, mash-ups using the JavaScript API and the ArcGIS API for Flex. Applications can be developed for the field using the ArcGIS Mobile environment for ArcGIS Server or ArcGIS Engine.

Geodatabase Design and Management
The geodatabase provides the data storage and data management framework for ArcGIS, supports the many data types that can be used with ArcGIS, and models behavior and advanced spatial capabilities. The geodatabase information model enables powerful spatial data modeling, multi-user editing, enforceable topological relationships, data distribution through replication, and data archiving.

Imagery in GIS
ArcGIS can substantially improve the the efficiency and effectiveness of imagery acquisition, management and use, an increasingly important resource in Federal policy development and problem solving. ArcGIS can support a variety of imagery-rich solutions in desktop, server, and third party applications, and readily integrates with third-party imagery processing and exploitation tools.

Modeling and Spatial Analysis
Modeling and spatial analysis enable the development of repeatable, documentable processes that represent real-world phenomena. The modeling environment in ArcGIS contains hundreds of spatial processing tools that can be linked together to develop these processes, and this capability is enabled in desktop environments as well as on the server. The processes can range from routine GIS data manipulation tasks to sophisticated spatial analyses that help to address important scientific, societal, and security problems.

Data Publication
Data publication comprises the creation, maintenance, and sharing of data, including quality control procedures and cartographic design. Data can be shared internally and externally through digital and hard copy maps, geospatial PDFs, map services (cached and dynamic), and data services.

Mission

Energy Management
The Federal Government oversees—and uses—substantial and diverse energy resources, and works to ensure that exploitation, production, import, and consumption of energy are effective, efficient, and balanced against other public policy objectives, such as environmental stewardship. This track will focus on how GIS can enable government organizations to research, develop, understand, manage, and maximize energy efficiency and effectiveness in multiple mission and service areas.

Enterprise Facilities Management
The Federal Government manages a large portfolio of real property, including billions of square feet of facilities and related assets. Managing a real property and facilities portfolio requires a wide range of GIS applications, practices, and solutions. This track will explore how GIS is used across the Facility/Asset Management Lifecycle, including installation/campus management and building interior space utilization.

Exercises, Training, and Simulation
Training in diverse and changing Federal mission areas is often supported with simulations of mission or situation scenarios, helping students to understand how a system will perform in actual use. GIS is increasingly used to create representations of reality, to model behaviors, and display the outcomes of simulations. This track will focus on how geospatial tools can be used in the Federal Government, and especially the DOD, for mission preparation and execution, thereby increasing prospects for success.

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
Operational analysts in a variety of mission areas are equipped with many tools and resources to provide situational awareness, but it is difficult to take independent sources and analyses and develop an integrated view. Geospatial applications have been designed to provide this integrated foundation, combining Command and Control (C2) decision support tools, analytical tools, and data feeds. This track will feature examples of these new applications, and will provide a forum for discussing future plans and application requirements.

Land and Natural Resources
The Federal Government is caretaker for many millions of acres of land, and monitors and manages atmospheric, water, forest, rangeland, desert, and wildlife resources. In the face of climate change, resource shortages, and human impacts, this session will explore how geospatial technology is being utilized to foster collaboration among the many stakeholders, assess impacts, develop management strategies, and support better decisions.

International Development
Geographic Information Systems (GISs) are a critical information and communications technology (ICT) for managing development and diplomatic interventions globally. The integrative nature of a GIS allows for data fusion, spatial analysis, and visualization, which results in new methods of addressing tremendous global challenges such as poverty and human conflict. This track focuses on presenting examples of international work by the US Federal Government and their partners in all aspects of diplomacy and sustainable development.

Homeland Security/Law Enforcement/Public Safety
GIS has become mission critical for many professionals working in homeland security, law enforcement, and public safety fields. This track will explore a variety of topics relative to these communities of interest including: enabling mission-specific data for geospatial visualization and analysis; managing and sharing geographic data warehouses/data marts; providing mission-specific applications to mission partners; situational awareness, visualization and dissemination of near real-time mission-specific or incident specific information from many sources; Data Fusion—geo-analytic capabilities for structured, unstructured and streaming data; DHS data standards, and enterprise data management.

Emergency Management and Response
Federal, State & Local Agencies are increasingly recognizing GIS as an important component in surveillance and emergency response systems, and are extending collaboration across the nation and with international partners. This track will focus on Enterprise GIS as a platform for surveillance and emergency response systems, covering all aspects of preparedness, response and recovery, and comprising desktop, web-based, and increasingly utilized Mobile GIS analysis applications.

Census & Demography
Demographic data is essential to many governmental functions, such as developing a justification and strategy for program implementation or providing services to citizens in a particular segment of the population. This track will focus on how the US Census Bureau uses GIS to plan, conduct, analyze, and disseminate census data collection, and how the US Government is providing technical assistance to other nations as they conduct their census activities as part of the 2010 Round of the Census.

Environmental Management and Climate Change
As agencies focus increasingly on the challenges of climate change and related environmental issues, they are recognizing the need to integrate disparate analysis and information to better understand environmental effects. Among other measures, this requires improved inter-agency collaboration. This track will explore approaches to achieve better integration, including technologies (e.g., geo-web services and portals) and information systems to foster inter-agency collaboration and Federal agency partnerships with state, local and citizen groups.

Health Information and Analysis Integration
Federal Health Agencies have recognized the need to effectively collaborate across different levels of Government and in some cases, with non-Government entities (from Federal to State/Local, as well as Private Healthcare businesses). Some of the challenges include the ability to fuse health data, create predictive models and manage a wide variety of data formats. A GIS-enabled, distributed, services oriented architecture (SOA) can be a platform for discovery of data and services across the Public Health community. This track will explore how geospatial technology is being utilized to improve the quality of healthcare in this country through more and better information and analysis integration.

National Geospatial Information Management
The Federal Government has the responsibility for national mapping programs, both within the United States and abroad. Over the years mapping techniques have evolved from hardcopy methods to softcopy to map services supported by geodatabases. This session explores the employment of GIS as a modern enabling technology for geospatial information management and exploitation.

System Architecture

Enterprise Security
GIS provides the technology for acquiring, managing, and sharing important information. This information needs to be secured from those with malicious intent. The track looks at ways to secure an enterprise implementation including technical, operational, and governance aspects.

Governance and Compliance
Governance is the use of procedures, policies, and organization to assure that an organization’s investments are properly directed toward its mission objectives. In enterprise IT, governance addresses organizational mission needs and objectives, compliance with appropriate standards for interoperability, and management of the enterprise portfolio to assure adequate levels of service.

Virtualization
Check back for track description.