UCGIS 2012 Symposium 5/30/2012 - 6/1/2012, Washington DC

What: UCGIS 2012 Symposium

When: May 30th to June 1st, 2012

Where: DoubleTree Hotel
1515 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Website: http://www.ucgis.org/symposium2012/


On behalf of the UCGIS leadership and the UCGIS Symposium Organizing Committee, you are cordially invited to attend the 2012 UCGIS Symposium in Washington DC, May 30th to June 1st, 2012. In the past, you may have attended a UCGIS summer assembly focused on research and education themes or a winter meeting organized around identifying strategic future-oriented opportunities for our membership. In 2012, the UCGIS has made a significant change by merging the two seasonal events, creating a symposium that incorporates the best aspects of the summer and winter meetings. The program we’ve designed promises an integrative and rich meeting experience for participants.

The UCGIS 2012 Symposium offers a rich program including:
- Full paper presentations
- Lightning talks leading to the formation of working groups
- Student poster sessions
- Panels on funding opportunities and challenges 
- Ample opportunity to meet and mingle with colleagues including our most senior and established scholars in the field

GIScience 2.0, the theme of this year’s symposium is coming at a watershed moment. Our field has changed dramatically since the first UCGIS summer assembly was convened in Boulder in 1994.  The academic environment is much more diverse; many more universities and colleges are offering GIS courses. Geospatial credentials are a growth industry. Funding landscapes have changed dramatically and there is a continued healthy competition for resources. Technological innovations and advances like CyberGIS, open source software and applications, and the popularity of volunteered geographic information simultaneously offer new opportunities for research advancement while raising new ethical and privacy concerns. 

Presently, geo-spatial policies are shaped by many actors, including government agencies, elected officials, and private organizations. In these times, it is crucial that the voices of academics, educators, and scholars to be heard. The symposium is an opportunity for delegates to mingle with some of those policy makers and agenda setters. UCGIS seeks your presence and active participation at the upcoming symposium to help chart the course of GIScience going forward.

Mike Goodchild, retiring this year from his position at UC Santa Barbara, will open this event with a keynote talk. It will be our honor and opportunity to celebrate Mike’s long list of achievements and the integral role he has played in shaping our geo-spatial enterprise. John Wilson, Professor of Spatial Sciences at the University of Southern California will follow this with an articulation of the new opportunities and challenges for our field. In addition, an illustrious group of colleagues will be inducted into the UCGIS College of Fellows and awards for distinction in Research and Education will be presented to outstanding members of our community.

Visit the UCGIS Symposium website at  http://www.ucgis.org/symposium2012/  for the details and to register. 

We look forward to seeing you at this event! If you have any questions, please contact Dan Goldberg - dwgoldbe@usc.edu