New Initiatives Enhance GITA Conference

A number of new initiatives are in the works at the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), the nonprofit educational association that serves geospatial information technology professionals. For those unfamiliar with the association, GITA promotes the use and benefits of GIS and related geospatial information technologies through its educational conferences, local chapter events, satellite and Web-cast seminars, and publication services. Its annual conference serves as one of the primary means by which the association achieves its mission to provide excellence in education and information exchange on the use and benefits of geospatial information and technology.

Coming off the heels of its most successful conference to date, the 24-year-old association plans to keep its momentum going, recently adding several elements to its upcoming annual conference XXIV, scheduled for March 4-7, 2001, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The new initiatives include two new educational track topics: a separate executive program running concurrently with the conference and the Mobile Pavilion—a new feature on the exhibition floor.

This year's conference will feature 22 full- and half-day seminars, 93 technical sessions in 13 separate tracks, panel discussions featuring recognized industry leaders, a host of networking opportunities, and the ever-popular products and services exhibition. The conference, themed 2001: A Geospatial Odyssey, will focus on exploring innovative applications of geospatial information and technology that deliver tangible Business benefits across the enterprise. In addition, because of the phenomenal increase in attendance from Latin American and Caribbean countries, GITA will for the first time offer Spanish-speaking delegates at the annual conference professional education in their native language.

GITA's ExecuNet Forum

In order to provide quality education to executives and senior managers while enhancing their understanding of geospatial information technology's remarkable capabilities, GITA will hold its ExecuNet Forum concurrently with this year's annual conference. GITA's ExecuNet Forum is an educational and networking event designed for senior-level utility executives and managers who want to maximize their IT investments, foster more effective communications, and get their organizational teams headed in the right direction. The program is intended to arm participants with the skills they need to facilitate positive change within their organizations.

One of the goals of ExecuNet is to open up the channels of communication between the technology user and the executive. "Where there is open dialog, increased levels of understanding and efficiency are sure to follow," says ExecuNet Forum Chair Pete Gomez, Xcel Energy.

Mobile Pavilion

On the exhibition side of the annual conference, GITA will introduce a Mobile Pavilion to its show floor this year. The pavilion will house hardware, software, and service providers with solutions that address the needs of the growing number of field personnel whose work is directly tied to a GIS. The purpose of the Mobile Pavilion is to build on the education provided in the technical sessions by providing a practical dimension that will enhance the attendees' mobile experience. Mobile Pavilion vendors will share a large, common booth space, which will give visiting exhibition attendees the convenience of one-stop shopping for mobile and field computing devices and related services.

These initiatives and much more await participants of GITA's upcoming Annual Conference XXIV. For more information, contact GITA (tel.: 303-337-0513, e-mail: staff@gita.org, Web: www.gita.org).

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