Des Plaines, IL (June 26, 2012) – GIS-Pro 2012: URISA's 50th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals will take place September 30 - October 4, 2012 in Portland, Oregon. As this milestone conference approaches, URISA is pleased that both attendance and reservation numbers are tracking significantly ahead of recent years. URISA emanated from conferences held from 1963 through 1966. These events were known as the Annual Conference on Urban Planning Information Systems and Programs. URISA formed in 1966 and the first URISA conference was held in 1967.

URISA is honored to announce our distinguished keynote speakers for GIS-Pro 2012:

· Professor Michael Goodchild, University of California, Santa Barbara

· John Sanderson, Microsoft's Cloud Evangelist

· Jack Dangermond, President of Esri

This year's conference is co-hosted by the Northwest GIS Users' Group. NWGIS is presenting optional classes to kick off GIS-Pro 2012 including:

· Understanding and Using Python & ArcPy in ArcGIS 10

· Working with Geodatabases & Linear Referencing

· ArcPad 10 Bootcamp™

· ArcGIS Desktop 10 Associate Exam Prep

(Note that attendance at these classes is extremely limited and they are expected to sell out quickly.)

URISA Certified Workshops are also being featured with two new half-day offerings:

· GIS Return on Investment - (new half-day workshop)

· Emergency Preparedness for GIS - (new half-day workshop)

· Asset Management: Planning, Strategy and Implementation

· An Overview of Open Source GIS Software

· Public Data, Public Access, Privacy and Security: US Law and Policy

· An Introduction to Public Participation GIS: Using GIS to Support Community Decision Making

· GIS Program Management

Concurrent educational sessions will cover timely topics ranging from GIS Return on Investment (ROI), open source solutions and server technology/cloud computing to business process reengineering and effective map communication. Sponsors and exhibitors are an important focus of the conference with many developing targeted vendor sessions to demonstrate solutions beyond the exhibit floor. Ignite talks, luncheon presentations, thought leaders’ panel discussions, networking events, and an Awards Breakfast featuring GIS Hall of Fame agency inductees and Exemplary Systems in Government award winners add to the celebratory and substantial GIS-Pro 2012 experience.

URISA’s GISCorps, Vanguard Cabinet of Young Professionals and our esteemed Past Presidents, along with the dedicated conference committee, are all working tirelessly to present GIS-Pro 2012 and look forward to meeting you in the beautiful and affordable Pacific Northwest.

For complete conference details, including a justification toolkit to help you gain supervisor approval, visit www.urisa.org or www.gis-pro.org

Mark Your Calendar:

URISA/NENA Addressing Conference - August 6-9, 2012 - Memphis, Tennessee

GIS-Pro 2012: URISA's 50th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals - September 30-October 4, 2012 - Portland, Oregon

URISA's 2012 Caribbean GIS Conference - November 12-16, 2012 - Montego Bay, Jamaica