Workshop and Presentation Proposals Invited for URISA 2019 Caribbean GIS Conference

March 6, 2019 (Des Plaines, IL USA)  URISA is pleased to announce the 2019 Caribbean GIS Conference, taking place November 18-21 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. 

Known for outstanding educational content and active exhibitor presence and support, the conference has evolved into a not-to-miss event. A committee of generous GIS leaders from government, academia and the business sector, discusses and debates presentation and workshop proposals and collaboratively develops the educational program.

The Conference Committee is now inviting both workshop and presentation proposals, due on or before May 8, 2019.

Call for Workshop Proposals

Do you enjoy teaching/presenting?  Want to help transfer knowledge to the community?  The 2019 Conference Planning Committee is soliciting educational content and instructors for full-day and half-day conference workshops. Conference workshops will be scheduled on Monday, November 18 and attendance at one workshop is included with full conference registration.

Suggested topics are provided for general reference only.  We welcome workshop topics of interest at all levels of expertise, from beginner to expert.  Learning objectives and takeaways will be vitally important components of your proposal, along with a course outline, any pre-requisites or knowledge required, classroom setup needs, and instructors’ biographies. If selected, instructors for each workshop may elect to receive an honorarium or free registration to the conference.

Suggested Workshop Topics:

• Disaster Management
• Application Scripting and Development
• GIS Program Management
• Strategic Planning
• Enterprise GIS
• Public Participation GIS (PPGIS), CrowdSourcing, Citizen Engagement
• UAS Usage, Strategies, Legalities
• Open Source GIS
• Policy Creation and Agreements
• Standards Development
• Addressing Issues
• Professional Development & Certification
• ArcGIS Applications & Topics
• Other topics of interest to the community that would best be presented in a half or full-day course setting

Workshop proposals are due on or before May 8, 2019. Additional information and a workshop proposal submission form are available online.

Call for Presentation Proposals

The 2019 Conference Planning Committee welcomes the submission of individual papers, complete sessions, panels, and lightning talks. All abstracts will be reviewed and considered for the educational program. The following list is not meant to be restrictive, but as a guide to stimulate ideas. Be bold, think outside the box! All proposals received will be reviewed and considered for the program.

Presentation Themes and Topics to Consider:

Environmental Applications using Geospatial Technologies

• Natural Resources Management
• Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy
• Climate Change
• Earth Observations
• GIS in Agriculture and Sustainable Resources
• Modelling the Marine Environment with GIS
• Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN)
• Other related topics

Managing How Humans Impact the Community

• Flood Risk Modelling & Mitigation (e.g. Coasts, Rivers, Watersheds, etc.)
• Disaster and Emergency Response Planning using GIS
• Geomatics
• Land Management and Administration
• Land Use Planning
• Transportation and Public Works
• Crime, Safety and National Security
• Citizen Engagement
• GIS for Public Health Care
• GIS for Human Geography (e.g. Census, Elections, etc.)
• GIS for Non-profit & Humanitarian Applications (e.g. Refugees, homeless, aging, disabled, etc.)
• Other related topics

Technological Advances in GIS

• Big Data Analytics
• Geospatial Cloud Computing
• Application Development
• Automation, Artificial Intelligence, R & Machine Learning
• 5G & The Internet of Things
• Open Source GIS
• Mobile & Web GIS
• BIM for GIS
• Indoor Mapping
• Remote Sensing, Photogrammetry & LiDAR
• Drones & UAVs
• Other related topics

Governance, Education and the Future of GIS

• GIS Leadership & Management
• Spatial Data Infrastructure
• Data Management
• Realization of ROI Benefits for GIS
• The Value of Standards in GIS
• Legal & Ethical Issues Impacting GIS
• GIS Policy Making & Governance
• GIS in Education & Academia: Certification vs Certificate vs. Diploma vs. Degree
• Mapping your way into a GIS Career
• Women in GIS
• Introducing GIS to the Next Generation (From Primary School and Beyond)
• Mentorship
• Evolution of GIS over the Decades
• Volunteering in GIS (eg: Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, GISCorps, MapAction, involvement with professional associations)
• Other related topics

Business Intelligence

• Addressing in the Caribbean
• GeoMarketing & Sales Campaign Management
• Crowdsourcing / PPGIS Applications
• Event Planning using GIS (e.g. Olympics, World Cups, etc.)
• Facilities Management
• Application Development
• Supply Chain & Logistics
• Integrating Geolocation to Business Workflows
• Critical Infrastructure Protection
• Smart Cities
• Utilities & Telecom (e.g. Water, Sewage, Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, etc.)
• Other related topics

Presentation proposals are due on or before May 8, 2019. Additional information and a presentation proposal submission form are available online.