The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) has embarked on an ambitious conference schedule in 2004 to meet the educational needs of GIS professionals.

A small event, with a very loyal grassroots following of approximately 250 attendees, is URISA's Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) Conference. In its third year, the 2004 event will take place July 18-20 at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Public Participation GIS refers to a range of topics raised by the intersection of community interests and GIS technology.

URISA's "GIS in Addressing: Street Smart & Address Savvy" Conference will be held for the sixth straight year, August 29-September 1, in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference focuses on all aspects of addressing: integration into existing systems, user-friendly information systems, solutions to problems, and newly emerging challenges. Emergency 911 management and dispatch, GIS, and database professionals attend this conference.

The Caribbean community of GIS professionals is gathering this year for a URISA conference in Barbados, September 13-17. The conference program will cover numerous important topics including environment and natural resources; policy and management; disaster management, law enforcement, and public health; utilities, transportation, and business applications; and education.

URISA's 42nd Annual Conference will be the icing on the cake for 2004. This year's main event will be held in Reno, Nevada, November 7-10. Educational sessions and workshops, networking events, and an exhibit hall will solidify URISA's reputation as "The Place for Spatial Information Professionals."

For information about any of these events, visit www.urisa.org on the Web.