User ence" confer "Un Brings Managers Together By Monica pratt, ArcUser Editor They work for businesses, such as energy companies and consulting firms, as well as an assortment of agencies in local, state, and federal governments and the military. They come from South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Canada, and across the United States. Their business cards display a variety of titles beginning with GIS: administrator, director, supervisor, chief, specialist, coordinator, and analyst. Some have titles that don't include the word GIS: information systems manager, geospatial intelligence specialist, or information architect. Despite the wide range of appellations and origins, the more than 270 participants registered for the inaugural GIS Managers' Open Summit had one thing in common: they were all GIS managers. They are the people who make GIS happen in organizations. And their concerns, challenges, and interests— discussed during the event held on July 13 in conjunction with the 2010 Esri International www.esri.com Concerns drive agenda at inaugural User Conference in San Diego, California— were remarkably similar. Rather than a traditional conference, the summit was an "unconference." Unconferences have a theme, but event content is determined by those attending. Participants in the GIS Managers' Open Summit volunteered to lead breakout sessions, jotting down topics for each time slot on a white board at the entrance to the ballroom. Many discussions focused on the challenges of interacting with the larger organization. Selling GIS Services in Your Department was a session led by Russell Vrhovac of the consulting firm Clark Nexsen. "It is hard to convey the value of GIS," said Khaled Hussein, also from Clark Nexsen. Vrhovac said he found regular project presentations were a good way to keep GIS visible in an organization and convey the value it added. Fires in Monterey County, California, in 2007 gave Darryl Tyler's GIS department an opportunity to shine. His department produced event information the county "didn't even know it had" and supplied active decision support as well as postevent assessment. Tyler, who began his GIS career working in the field, moved up to a GIS analyst position but never intended to become a manager. However, he has carried out the responsibilities of a GIS manager for Monterey County since 2004. Managers in this session agreed that one of the biggest challenges related to demonstrating value was building trust relationships in an environment where personal and interdepartmental feuds may have been going on for years. Sometimes these feuds have outlasted the people who started them. "They don't want to work together, but what do they have in common? Geography," observed Vrhovac. However, without trust, departments will not share their data. Tyler, who led another session entitled Building Trust Relationships, has found a way to deal with this situation. Continued on page 62 ArcUser Fall 2010 61