Posted by: Editor on Aug 22, 2006 – 11:31 AM
newsandinfo Hundreds of experts from the region and around the world will gather in New Providence between October and November for a major geographic information technology conference.
The third Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) Caribbean Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference will commence Monday, October 30, with a number of specialized workshops. It will focus on the effective application of GIS and other information technologies in the Caribbean.
Prime Minister Perry Christie will deliver the keynote address during the official opening ceremonies on Tuesday, October 31. Conference participants will also hear from top executives of URISA, and there will be 32 comprehensive educational sessions and 100 presentations.
Conference committee chairperson Carolann Albury said there are six major objectives of the Conference. They are:
To inform a cross section of Caribbean GIS users about GIS technology and applications;
To share experiences regarding GIS implementation and management issues;
To establish new relationships with the vendor/consultant community;
To provide workshops and sessions that are application-driven and relevant to the Caribbean community of GIS users;
To assess the state of readiness of national and regional Spatial Data Infrastructures;
To foster a Caribbean GIS network
Topics to be discussed during the conference sessions include the use of GIS in disaster management, law enforcement, public health, safety, urban planning, land resources and land use, coastal resource management, education, utilities, business and organization GIS all critical to the way forward for the Bahamas and other countries, according to government.
Ms. Albury said that GIS use is the “wave of the future” and that its use will have a far-reaching impact on future development, planning and policy issues in the Bahamas. She said that the government, through the office of the prime minister and the Bahamas National Geographic Information Systems (BNGIS) Centre, will focus on “making this a very exciting conference in collaboration with the persons from URISA.”
“GIS use impacts our everyday lives, be it in business, disaster management, mitigation and planning, land use policy planning, coastal zone management, tourism, education, healthcare, infrastructural development as it relates to utilities and new housing developments and so much more,” said Ms. Albury. “What the conference will allow us to do is really bring it home on what GIS can do; the various applications involved with GIS and growing the GIS community, not only in the region but globally,” she added.
Valrie Grant-Harry, a GIS consultant and conference committee member, said the conference should serve as a great educational opportunity for newcomers to GIS while simultaneously presenting new perspectives and solidifying some concepts for those already involved in the process.
She said that for 40 years URISA has been the centre for information exchange among global professionals dealing with urban and regional issues. Mrs. Grant-Harry said many of these issues will be addressed during the pre-conference workshops which will focus on several key topics including: – Spatial data infrastructure, planning, policy strategy, and implementation. – GIS programme management.
“The GIS committee understands that GIS is relatively new, especially for this region, and hence we will have various presentations, visual aids and other take-away materials for participants to really find out more about GIS,” she said.
Mrs. Grant-Harry said GIS use is “intertwined in our everyday activities” and that it impacts a country’s day-to-day activities in ways persons would never imagine. “It touches us in terms of the banking sector; it touches us in terms of determining where new roads should go, or where to re-route existing roads to avoid traffic congestion.”
Ms. Albury and Mrs. Grant-Harry said focus will also be placed on the many “hot” career opportunities involved in GIS as there is a “very big demand” for GIS professionals in the Caribbean. Both said, however, that the demand for GIS professionals is not being met due to a shortage of GIS professionals in the region. “So that in itself should speak volumes of the importance of getting the word out there and ensuring that folks get on board and realize that GIS is an option when it comes to choosing their careers,” Mrs. Grant-Harry said.
Source: The Nassau Guardian