42 GIS COMMUNITY NEWS Busy Rest of the Year for URISA Following its presence at Esri’s International User Conference, the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is busy for the remainder of 2009. The long-standing Addressing Conference, which is cosponsored by the National Emergency Number Association, will take place August 4–6 in Providence, Rhode Island. Sessions will cover addressing basics, coordination, and standards; emergency response and 9-1-1; and case studies of GIS integration with public safety. URISA’s 47th Annual Conference & Exposition will be presented in Anaheim, California, September 29–October 2. Preconference workshops on topics ranging from Agile Project Management to Crime Mapping and Analysis will be popular with attendees. Your peers from around the world will present within these program tracks: • • • • • • GIS for Best-Managed Communities GIS for Growing Communities GIS for Safe Communities GIS for Educated Communities GIS for Healthy Communities Professional Development & GIS Leadership Web 2.0 Is Driving New Software Development Virtual Geographic Environments Virtual geographic environments are essential to using GIS in design. For example, before a design for a city or landscape can be produced, an environment must be created through GIS. This is then fashioned into a form where users have access to it, first to enhance their understanding through exploration, and then to enable them to change various components in the effort to solve problems that can realize better designs. Only now, through the development of virtual city models and through new ways of enabling users to interact with geographic information using new screen technologies, is the point being approached where design is possible. Virtual Geographic Environments, edited by Hui Lin and Michael Batty, collects key papers that define the current momentum in GIS and “virtual geographies.” In some sense, such environments are the natural consequence of linking GIS to other technologies that deal with information, design, and service provision, and this will undoubtedly grow as it becomes ever easier to integrate diverse software and data across the Web. The idea that geographic information can be both collected and made available through Webbased services, using Web 2.0 technologies that network many millions of people together, has formed a major research thrust in software development over the last decade. The numerous contributions by leading members of the geospatial community to Virtual Geographic Environments illustrate the cutting edge of GIScience, as well as new applications of GIS with the processing and delivery of geographic information through the Web and handheld devices, forming two major directions to these developments. But the notion that these Webbased systems can be used to collect information of a voluntary kind through methods of crowd sourcing is also an exciting and widely unanticipated development that is driving the field. As these services gain ground, new business models are being invented that merge proprietary and nonproprietary systems and novel ways of integrating diverse software through many different processes of software development from map hacks to open system architectures. Virtual Geographic Environments is published by Science Press, China (www. sciencep.com), 350 pages, hardcover. For more information, contact the responsible editors Peng Shengchao and Guan Yan, Science Press (e-mail: guanyan@ mail.sciencep.com). The conference merges important educational content with exhibits, networking events, and interactive discussions, along with recognition of the 2009 inductees into URISA’s GIS Hall of Fame. URISA and the University of South Florida’s National Center for Transit Research at the Center for Urban Transportation Research will present the 2009 GIS in Transit Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, November 16–18. Asset management, transit operations, service planning, and federal programs and priorities are just a few of the topics that will be discussed during this event. Last, but certainly not least, URISA’s Leadership Academy (ULA) will be presented in Seattle, Washington, December 7–11. ULA is five days of targeted GIS leadership training, taught by GIS leaders. There have been nearly 140 graduates of the program so far; plan to add your name to the list this December! More Information For more information about all URISA conferences, workshops, and webinars, visit www. urisa.org. Build a Geographic Analysis Skill Set with Esri Press Books The true power of a GIS lies in the ability to do analysis. It’s fun to see where things are located on a map; however, what can be more exciting is determining why things are located where they are or how specific information can lead to choosing a certain course of action. Esri Press books can be useful resources in developing the skills needed to perform these types of analyses using GIS analysis tools. GIS Tutorial II: Spatial Analysis Workbook is the latest addition to the GIS Tutorial book series. Developed for intermediate to advanced GIS users, this book offers hands-on experience learning to use the analysis tools in ArcGIS Desktop. Users are able to discover through spatial analysis how new information and new relationships within their data can become apparent. GIS Tutorial II: Spatial Analysis Workbook was written by David Allen, and it complements previous Esri Press publications, The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, volumes 1 and 2, by Andy Mitchell (see below). The book includes a 180-day evaluation of ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 on DVD. In addition, instructors can request a teacher resource disk with finished maps, a sample syllabus, and a teacher’s guide with answers to study questions. ISBN: 9781589482012, 418 pp., $79.95. Also Available The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1: Geographic Patterns and Relationships, ISBN: 9781879102064, 188 pp., $34.95 The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 2: Spatial Measurements and Statistics, ISBN: 9781589481169, 252 pp., $34.95 More Information To learn more about Esri Press books or to place an order, visit www.esri.com/esripress. o n e d evi c e Real-Time Submeter Real-Time Subfoot GIS-RTK<5cm Ple I ESR see ase t us a UCBooTH#1621 any accu racy It’s time. topconsolutions.com/GRS1 It’s time. 5/6/09 8:33:00 AM 0905_ArcNEWS_GRS1_quarter.indd 1