URISA is now accepting abstract submissions for GIS-Pro 2011: URISA’s 49th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals.  The conference will take place November 1-4, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Proposals for presentations, panel discussions, luncheon talks and Ignite presentations are invited and should fit within one of the program tracks noted below. Abstract submissions are due on or before March 14, 2011.

Roadmaps for GIS Professionals- This track was formed to address a number of issues pertinent to the image and professional development path of the geospatial technologies professional in today’s working world. Professional development plays a large part in defining a profession and also encourages positive growth in your career track. Submit an abstract within this track to share your experiences and ideas about advancing as a GIS Professional.

The Business Benefits of GIS - How do you best illustrate the direct and indirect benefits of GIS utilization and educate your organization about how GIS can increase productivity and save money? Benchmarking, organizational education, GIS maturity models, business case models, ROI techniques, financial and budgeting considerations and success stories where GIS was the answer are some of the topics that are welcomed within this track.

Immersive GIS- What's next and how do we catch up with what's already here?  This track welcomes presentations that demonstrate new geospatial industry trends as well as how GIS is being developed to utilize new state of the art technologies.

GIS Speaks Out- This track looks at how GIS technologies, programs, and solutions are maturing across the Enterprise, and, as a result, providing much greater return on investment than if kept in isolated silos. Leadership, governance, creativity, change management, and collaboration, are but a few of the non-technical characteristics that lead to GIS maturity. Share your expertise in how to integrate GIS within other organizational units as well as how to use GIS leadership skills to achieve a pervasive level of maturity within your organization!

One Government - How should public sector representatives of multiple jurisdictions and overlapping levels of government (federal, state/provincial, regional, local) act collaboratively as One Government? What are some tried and true approaches to data sharing challenges and what is the role of government in setting standards?  Can we get government to support and fund spatial data as an infrastructure asset with appreciating value (as opposed to depreciating value) over time?  How can initiatives such as Open Data and Gov 2.0 contribute to a better return on the geospatial investment, while still maintaining necessary protection of privacy?  With any luck, this track will bring together a collective conscience that will provide some insight and creativity into building solutions that address many of these complex challenges!

Abstracts are due on or before March 14, 2011.  For further details, visit www.gis-pro.org or www.urisa.org