|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
URISA Unveils New InitiativesThe year 2000 is moving at breakneck speed for the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA). The URISA Board, its respective committees, and input from an active membership have designated that the following areas receive special attention by URISA: Addressing Issues—URISA has taken the lead in this increasingly important issue. Representatives from the United States Postal Service, the United States Census Bureau, the National Emergency Number Association, and a number of states and municipalities, as well as a number of other individuals, have volunteered their time to serve on the URISA Addressing Issues Committee. Data Privacy—URISA, along with the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), has established that data privacy issues are of expressed interest to both organizations. This interest has led to the development of a joint initiative to develop data privacy guidelines. The first phase of the project is for URISA to assemble a panel of knowledgeable recognized experts in the field. Metadata—The purpose of the project will be to learn how National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) builders and users around the nation discover and share their knowledge of metadata development, maintenance, and utilization and how this process may be facilitated and improved. URISA, again in a partnership with the FGDC, will collaborate on assessing the applicability of Internet and telecommunications technologies to support knowledge management tools. Certification—URISA has taken the lead in assembling an expert panel of certification and GIS experts from all facets of the IT/GIS professional community. It will be our task to develop a certification program for professionals in this industry. To this end, URISA has developed a partnership with the University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), and we are now working together to achieve our mutual goals. 2001 Public Works and Technology Conference in Chicago—"Technology—Making Public Works Work Better" will be the slogan for this exciting conference scheduled for May 6 through 8, 2001. The conference is the result of a joint effort between URISA and Public Works Journal Corporation, publishers of Public Works magazine. For more information, visit URISA at www.urisa.org for more details. |
