Preparing For the 2006 (26th) International ESRI User Conference
Written by Glenn Letham (GISuser editor)
27 July 2006
The International ESRI User conference is rapidly approaching... woohoo! Lots of great stuff is planned once again in an effort to fill what will be a very busy week. Yours Truly has been there every year since 1999 and I'm only too happy to offer up some tips, pointers, and a brief look at what you can expect at ESRI UC 26... enjoy and be sure to drop us a line to tell me what you have planned for the week.
Never been to San Diego before? Here are some helpful things for you to remember:
Getting Around
The airport is about 5 minutes from the Gaslamp district and convention facilities. Cab fare will be under $10 or you can always take an airport shuttle (Blue Cloud shuttle) for about $6.
Getting around is easy and the trolley can quickly get you to Qualcomm Stadium, Pacific Beach, or other popular destinations. If you want to catch the Padres the stadium is right accorss from the convention center! Bicycle cabs are also very useful if you need to get off your feet.
Pack light. If you’re a shorts and sandals person that will be fine at the conference and you’ll blend in nicely with thousands of other fellow geographers! The weather is always 72 degrees and sunny in San Diego so you may not even need a coat or sweater... And don’t even think about bringing an umbrella, it never rains in SD! Business casual is fine while at the conference sessions or, go in shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals and blend in with the GIS techies! Any GIS swag usually works and maybe pack a nice dress shirt for a night out in the clubs along the Gaslamp.
When in San Diego I always try to catch a Padres game... every seat is a good one! Unfortunately this year the Padres are away for most of the week ... crap!!!! However, there's a chance and that's Saturday night or Sunday August 7 when the Washington Nationals (aka Expos) are in town Hang around next week and you can catch Bonds and the Giants in town- See http://www.padres.com/
Need a wireless web connection? The convention center always has Wi-Fi access and the Marriott (and most other major hotels) provide pretty reliable service to all rooms. There’s also a Kinkos with excellent hours about 6 blocks from the Marriott (next to Horton Plaza). Otherwise, simply drag your laptop and piggy-back on a Wi-Fi connection anywhere in town or at a major hotel!
If you need a fast lunch or want a fun gathering place for a couple of cold ones after a long day, check out Dick's last resort... the abuse is worth it! The Rockin Baja lobster is also pretty decent for a cheap, fast lunch. There's never a shortage of places to eat but walk fast at lunch time to make sure you get back in time for the sessions. On Monday skip lunch and simply hang at the convention center (my advice). For late night "dining" after you leave the club there's a fantastic Pizza by the slice outlet directly accross from Dicks where a slice is only about $2 and you can get a great cigar and a coffee right next door. Chances are that you'll see me there at about 12 PM on any given night!Dinner TIP -- For the best steak or ahi tuna dinner around make a point of going to the STRIP Club (right next to Dick's) it's amazing!!!
Things you must see and do at the User Conference:
A few of the top items to bookmark!
- if you get there early take in the EDUC or Survey Summit
- make sure you plan to attend the entire Day 1 welcome session. If anything you have to catch everything this day! Listen to Jack Dangermond discuss the past year and the road ahead. Then listen to product leads discuss the latest offerings - this is not to be missed and my favorite part of the week!
- MAp Gallery - always fun and truly the largest map display in the World. Wander the hall with beer in hand and appies galore. Browse the work of hundreds of ESRI users from around the globe as they show off their stuff in an effort to score a page in the covetted ESRI Map Book!
- go to a SIG party or something specific like Canada night for a more intimate and personal experience and some great networking
- never been to an ESRI UC? Try to take an orientation tour - these take place on Sunday
- Got a fridge in your room? Check out the Old World Marketplace (about 3 blocks away) grab some water, beer, wine, snacks etc.. and kepp them handy in your room. If you're staying at the Marriott Marina keep some "cold ones" handy to lug down to the pool area (I do this even if I'm not staying at the Marina ;0)
- sleep lots before you go because a truly great ESRI UC is had only if you get up at 7 and stay up intil 2 AM every night!
NEW at UESRI UC 26
New this year, the theme is communicating our World... looking at the role GIS plays in communicating vistually anything in today's World
You can order the ESRI UC technical sessions on DVD-ROM in MPEG-4 video format
The Department of the Interior (DOI) exhibits its works as a special Map Display, reflecting the fact that DOI was among the very earliest ESRI users and also one of the most experienced.
The Katrina—GIS in Action special exhibit will be located in the Map Gallery in the Sail Area of the San Diego Convention Center. This special exhibit will illustrate the uses of GIS, including areas of response, rescue, relief, recovery, and rebuilding, and highlight the efforts of our users in the field by showcasing maps, images, screenshots, and the lessons learned from this tragedy.
The NASA/JPL Special Display provides some examples of GIS-related work on going at the lab as well as highlighting space-based datasets currently freely available to the public and of interest to the GIS community.
NG Maps will unveil an all new MapMachine, with enhanced interactivity, enabling the user to visualize the world in new ways and creating a user experience that is exciting, educational, and dynamic.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Palanterra Map Gallery exhibit at the 2006 ESRI International User Conference showcases an interactive island providing UC attendees with the opportunity to engage hands-on with a Web-enabled geographic information system (GIS).
ESRI and the U.S. National Park Service are co-sponsoring an International National Parks track, “Managing Parks for Future Generations”, at the ESRI International User Conference. GIS users from around the world share their National Parks experiences and GIS knowledge.
The Rand McNally Map Gallery Exhibit is featuring an online patent pending Custom Wall Map system, using ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE and other software that allows customers to create their own customized wall map with Rand McNally quality cartography.
Can't get to Victoria, BC??? Come view a solid terrain model of British Columbia, 10 x 20 feet, 400k scale, with the curvature of the Earth and full color satellite imagery. It is a quarter scale replica of a 40 x 80 foot model installed in the Crystal Gardens in Victoria BC as the centerpiece of the BC Experience museum - a geographic discovery center.
Thursday evening party in Embarcadero Park -- The Thursday night celebration will be filled with music, song, and dance as we journey through an evening in Ireland. Attendees and their families* will be delighted with the sights and sounds of Celtic. Chances are you’ll also see Jack and Laura on the dance floor and some special guests will likely grab the mike as well! Bring the whole family!
This list is by no means comprehensive, however, it gives you a small taste of what to expect. Finally, to plan your week I suggest you browse the long list of papers and sessions and be sure to try and plan your schedule before you get there. With more than 1,000 papers being presented, no doubt you’ll likely want to be in 3 places at one time so developing an agenda is important – See the agenda buildeer at http://events.esri.com/uc/2006/infoweb/ - note the handy industry/topic categories including a couple of new ones: Emergency response, and homeland security.
Getting to town early?
ESRI Survey and GIS Summit is taking place in conjunction with the event. Be there August 5–8, 2006 · San Diego, CA. Get the latest on surveying, mapping, and GIS.
The 6th annual ESRI Education User Conference takes place August 5–8, 2006 · San Diego, CA. This is for GIS educators and anyone involved in k-12 GIS and GIS for higher education.
No LBS summit this year... hmmmm.. what's up with that?
Catch "Jack's" opening session if nothing else!
Keep an eye peeled for Glenn & Rich at the event!
About the Conference & Some Tips From Clint
The crew at ESRI is always eager to help you out. The following are some Suggestions From Clint Brown, Director of Software Products for ESRI
Outside of Monday evening, my key highlight each year is the opportunity to interact with the many attendees from all over the world. The collection of GIS users and other professionals who gather each year for this event is very impressive. This provides a great opportunity to learn, to be inspired, to see new ways to think about your problems, to view illustrations about how others do it, and to “elevate your game.” I really take advantage of this opportunity to key in on the experience and talent. You can learn so much simply by reaching out and getting to know other users at the conference. This community and knowledge base is the greatest GIS resource you will find anywhere.
The Map Gallery and GIS Exhibition on Monday Evening
Probably the most impressive and inspiring collection of GIS ever assembled is presented each year on Monday evening. Thousands of map displays and exhibits show how GIS is being applied in a myriad of applications and situations. GIS and good California Red Wine go together quite nicely.
User Presentations
Always, my favorite is to attend more than a few user presentations and to learn how to “just do it”. Real users are the best teachers.
Vendor Area
Lost of free stuff and just plain old cool demos and exhibits. This is an eye-opener and awareness building exercise for anyone who might say that GIS is focused or specialized or not fundamental to our world. You’ll be blown away by what you see and learn.
San Diego Nightlife
If I can manage, I find my way up the GasLamp District and squeeze by way into Patrick’s II on F Street between 4th and 5th. It’s just a little, itty bitty bar with the hottest live blues in town. There’s absolutely no way to even move in the place, but it’s the real deal.
Thursday Night Party
Always a big highlight. GridLock, ESRI’s all employee party band, gets the crowd up and dancing and is always a huge hit.
We'd love to hook-up with you at the show. If you'd like to meet with a rep from GISuser.com, LBSzone.com, MAPuser.com or The American Surveyor Magazine, be sure to drop us an email or look for us (Glenn, Rich, Allen) on the floor.
Images:
View of San Diego convention center and surrounding area (Source: Google Earth)
Finally, do is your company announcing news, planning a special session, presenting a paper, hosting a party or ??? Please be sure to send me some details so we can share information with the GISuser Comnmunity. See our ESRI UC 26 News Section
HxGN Live - The Hexagon Global Network - Learn about surveying, mapping, laser scanning and geospatial solutions from Leica Geosystems. June 3-6, 2013, Las Vegas, Nevada
Join us at GIS for Government 2013 taking place June 24-26, 2013 in the Washington, DC Metro Area to find out everything you need to know about GIS. Click here for more information
To register for the first GCS Geospatial Big Data webinar, visit the new GCS website at www.YourDataSmarter.com. The one-hour free webinar will be broadcast live at 3 pm EDT Wed, June 12, 2013
The International ESRI User conference is rapidly approaching... woohoo! Lots of great stuff is planned once again in an effort to fill what will be a very busy week. Yours Truly has been there every year since 1999 and I'm only too happy to offer up some tips, pointers, and a brief look at what you can expect at ESRI UC 26... enjoy and be sure to drop us a line to tell me what you have planned for the week.
If you need a fast lunch or want a fun gathering place for a couple of cold ones after a long day, check out Dick's last resort... the abuse is worth it! The Rockin Baja lobster is also pretty decent for a cheap, fast lunch. There's never a shortage of places to eat but walk fast at lunch time to make sure you get back in time for the sessions. On Monday skip lunch and simply hang at the convention center (my advice). For late night "dining" after you leave the club there's a fantastic Pizza by the slice outlet directly accross from Dicks where a slice is only about $2 and you can get a great cigar and a coffee right next door. Chances are that you'll see me there at about 12 PM on any given night! Dinner TIP -- For the best steak or ahi tuna dinner around make a point of going to the STRIP Club (right next to Dick's) it's amazing!!! 
