17th Annual Esri European User Conference

The 17th Annual Esri European User Conference, hosted by Esri BeLux, will focus on this year's central theme: "GIS: A Common Language Integrating Europe." The conference will be held near Bruges--one of the cultural capitals of Europe--October 14-16, 2002. The actual conference center is located on the dunes bordering the North Sea.

Bruges, Belgium, is one of the best preserved European cities from the 16th and 17th centuries. Belgium is also the seat of the European Commission, the European Council, and the headquarters of many European and international organizations such as NATO.

With the implementation of GIS, the world has the opportunity to expand its resources to help with the improvement of the human condition. Esri's GIS technology is used widely throughout Europe and the rest of the world, and the Esri European User Conference will allow users to explore the concepts of GIS and the products used to implement it. This will be done via presentations, posters, on-site demonstrations, and interaction among the attendees. There will be several vertical tracks including utilities, transport, defense, and education. Plenary sessions and many technical workshops will be hosted in English, French, and Dutch.

The abstract submission deadline to Esri BeLux is July 1, 2002. The 17th Annual Esri European User Conference is an excellent opportunity to disseminate information about your GIS work and share experiences with other Esri and ERDAS users from all parts of Europe. Although some sessions will be held in English, French, and Dutch, all papers and presentations must be submitted in English.

The Map Gallery is an excellent forum for sharing the broad range of GIS experience. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Best Overall Design, Best Cartographic Design, Most Innovative Field of Application, and Best School Contribution (K-12). To contribute posters to the Map Gallery, please submit an abstract to Esri BeLux by July 1, 2002.