The conference will also host the 2008 Local Government, NLPG and NSG Exemplar Awards.  The event is free of charge for all local authorities, police and fire that are signed up to the Mapping Services Agreement.

The conference focuses on the identification of ‘place’, which is vital to the function of government; everything happens somewhere and all services are delivered based upon knowledge about locations. The National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG) and the National Street Gazetteer (NSG) are two key data initiatives that facilitate the joining up of service delivery systems and organisations. This event will demonstrate the importance of definitive data in enabling Transformational Government.

Public sector organisations are joining up their services to make a real difference to people's lives locally. Responding to emergency requests, keeping streets clean, collecting waste, removal of abandoned vehicles and graffiti, urban planning and street lighting all need integrated geographic information.  However data cannot be integrated without the basic building blocks in place. This isn't a small administrative issue, but a critical task that cuts right to the heart of what public sector organisations are about… providing the right services to real people in real places, including the Police and Fire authorities, who are dependent upon the maintenance and utilization of the NLPG and NSG.

The conference opens on 16th October. The morning session has a strategic focus with presentations from senior Local Government Transformation experts. The 2008 NLPG and NSG Exemplar Awards will be presented before lunch.

After lunch, the conference will split into two streams.  Presentations will include papers on innovation and successful projects in areas such as transformation; partnership working; integration of the gazetteers with other corporate datasets and systems; the role of the NLPG in CORE; use of the gazetteers to ensure timely response by the emergency services; implications for the utilities; and readiness for Traffic Management Act (TMA) and Streetworks Registers.

Running alongside the conference is an exhibition with suppliers whose key target markets include local government and the emergency services.