Winter 2005/2006 |
|||||||
![]() |
|||||||
|
![]() |
![]() First Esri Asia-Pacific User Conference for Esri Users |
![]() |
The First Asia-Pacific Conference for Esri Users, hosted by Esri China (Hong Kong) Limited, was held January 1213, 2006, at Cyberport, Hong Kong, China, with great success and Plenary SessionThe plenary session was officially opened by Dr. Winnie Tang, CEO of Esri China (Hong Kong). Tang said that this first conference for GIS users in the Asia-Pacific region showed Esri's commitment to GIS users in that part of the world by bringing attendees the latest technological development and applications of GIS, as the theme of this conferenceGIS Sustaining the World's Fastest-Growing Regionsuggested. Following her welcome speech, the two officiating guests, John C. Tsang, JP, secretary for Commerce, Industry, and Technology, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Chung Kai Sin, JP, Hong Kong legislative councilor, IT Industry, delivered their welcome speeches. "Hong Kong has benefited from the increasing adoption of GIS and associated mapping applications in both the public and private sectors," said Tsang. "This conference is a good platform for government departments, GIS professionals, and users to share ideas, experiences, and best practices of GIS technology and its various applications in the Asia-Pacific region. We are also looking forward to learning from participants' insight on the wider use of geospatial data by the community in this conference."
Keynote SessionThe inspiring and well-received keynote speeches were delivered by five prominent speakers from industry and academia in both the international and regional domains:
Panel discussions took place after the keynote speeches, and the insights from keynote speakers and industry leaders framed the discussions of the participants in identifying ways to address the theme of the conference. Maguire was the moderator of this session, whose Welcome ReceptionMost of the participants stayed for the welcome reception to socialize and network with other speakers and attendees. The reception started with welcoming remarks by Maguire, followed by a welcome speech by Michael Phoon, director, Large Format Printing, Asia-Pacific and Japan, Hewlett-Packard (HP) Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., Imaging and Printing Groupthe Platinum Sponsor of the conference. User Presentations and Technical WorkshopsThe second day of the conference featured paper presentations and technical workshops. The presentations covered a wide range of topics, including environmental management and nature conservation, urban and regional planning, transportation and logistics issues, education, national and local government, disaster prevention, natural resources, sustainable development, facilities and infrastructure management, and utilities. The speakers came from many industries in public, commercial, and academic sectors. All the sessions received excellent feedback from the participants. The main highlight of the user presentation sessions was the Directors' Track. Four directors from departments of HKSAR presentedChiu Ying Lam, director of the Hong Kong Observatory; Patrick L. C. Lau, director of Lands; Hing-Wang Fung, commissioner for Census and Statistics; and Bosco C. K. Fung, director of Planning. Four technical workshops were led by Esri professional staff. Participants enjoyed these workshops and found them very useful in learning the latest technological development of Esri's GIS products. Exhibition and Map Gallery
Gala Dinner
For more information, contact Queenie Wang, Esri China (Hong Kong) (e-mail: qwang@esrichina-hk.com). |