In San Diego, California, cool breezes will offer GIS users a break from the summer heat again this year at the 26th Annual Esri International User Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place August 7–11 at the San Diego Convention Center. More than 14,000 GIS users are expected to attend the most important GIS meeting of the year where participants gather to share ideas, innovative approaches, and successful applications of the technology.

San Diego's modern convention center, accommodating hotels, superb weather, and varied tourist attractions make it a great place for the conference—so great, in fact, that 2006 will be the 10th consecutive year Esri has held its annual international meeting there. Over the past decade, conference attendance has more than doubled. The new venue opened up new possibilities, since exhibitors are no longer limited to smaller booths; the exhibit hall and Map Gallery areas are separate and spacious; larger and numerous session rooms accommodate more attendees; and, finally, the plenary space is big enough for everyone to sit in one room.

Occurring almost simultaneously with the User Conference will be the Survey and GIS Summit and the Education User Conference, a conference for those interested in GIS in education. In addition, this year the United States National Park Service will celebrate its use of GIS with special presentations and displays. Park staff and invited representatives from international parks will participate in session presentations. A special display area will show how the park agency uses GIS to manage its resources, from protecting fragile lands to guiding development. The Map Gallery will include an area devoted to national park maps. This special focus coincides with the National Park Service's 90th anniversary operating as a separate bureau of the Department of the Interior.

Share Experiences and Expand Your GIS Skills

The Esri International User Conference provides food for thought and inspiration for new and experienced GIS users alike. It unites users and organizations from around the world during a week of workshops, technology briefings, presentation forums, and professional interaction. The knowledge-sharing experience can introduce or reacquaint attendees with cutting-edge technologies and galvanize new and lasting professional contacts.

Preconference Seminars

More than 30 preconference seminars will be offered the weekend prior to conference week, Saturday and Sunday, August 5 and 6, 2006. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend half-day and full-day seminars on specific technical topics and areas of interest. Subject experts will lead users through application development, modeling, analysis, system administration, and much more. Registration is separate from User Conference registration, and the registration deadline is June 23, 2006. Sign up for one or more seminars by visiting www.esri.com/uc.

User Paper Presentations and Technical Workshops

Users from all parts of the globe will present more than 1,000 papers covering topics from project design and modeling to implementation and lessons learned. With more than 30 industries represented, GIS users will discuss their real-world experiences in the presentation sessions.

Knowledgeable Esri staff will lead a variety of technical workshops, providing an excellent opportunity to learn new techniques for using a wide range of Esri software and tips on features offered in new software versions. Extra sessions will be provided Friday morning before the closing session to give attendees a chance to catch a workshop missed during the week.

Esri Showcase and Exhibit Pavilion

Esri staff will demonstrate the latest software, including ArcGIS 9.2, at the Esri Showcase. Expert personnel will be on hand to answer questions about technical support, application development, and educational services. Users will be able to visit the Doctor's Office in the Esri Showcase to ask technical questions.

Esri Business Partners, including hardware vendors, application developers, software dealers, service providers, and data publishers, and other GIS-related companies will display technology solutions at the Exhibit Pavilion.

Map Gallery and Reception

An evening reception will kick off an incredible array of Esri user map products, posters, and Internet projects on display in the Map Gallery during conference week. The U.S. National Park Service will exhibit a special collection of national park maps in the Map Gallery, just one of several National Park Service contributions to this year's conference. All attendees are invited to submit posters (deadline is June 16, 2006), as well as attend the Esri Map Gallery and reception.

And More

In addition, there will be many social events, attraction tours, GIS activity sessions for kids, and sports activities. This conference is for all levels of GIS users from around the world. To view the guidelines for attending, go to www.esri.com/uc and click the Register link.

For further information, contact the Esri User Conference registration staff (tel.: 909-793-2853, ext. 1-1363; fax: 909-307-3128; e-mail: uc@esri.com).