MAPPS and the National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS) have opened up registration for the second annual National Surveying, Mapping, and Geospatial Conference, which will be held March 14-18 at the Hilton Hotel in Crystal City (Arlington), Va.

"The feedback from last year's conference was phenomenal," says NSPS Executive Director Curtis W. Sumner. "This year the conference will be even more integrated between MAPPS and NSPS, and we are implementing improvements based on our experience and feedback from last year.”

Building on the success of last year's conference, this year's joint conference will again bring together professionals in the surveying, mapping and geospatial field to discuss public policy, business, professional practice and new technology.

Providing a forum for discussions on best practices, technology, issues and policies, the conference gives participants an opportunity to share information, knowledge and tools. In addition, it opens doors to new markets and facilitates collaboration on data acquisition, processing, applications and the use of new and emerging technology.  

The conference will include the traditional MAPPS Federal Programs Conference (open to all attendees) March 15-16. Presentations by federal agencies, the Obama Administration, and members of Congress will include briefings on programs, budgets and requirements for the acquisition of geospatial services, data and products by contract from the private sector. MAPPS and NSPS members will visit some 200 Congressmen and Senators at the U.S. Capitol, advancing a common agenda of legislative issues that serve the public and engage the surveying and mapping community.  

NSPS will host the finals of its annual Student Competition on March 14. The conference will also include a Mock Trial; a workshop on the newly revised ALTA survey standards; plenary sessions presented by individuals as well as NGS; an exhibit hall; social networking activities; and meetings of NSPS committees, its board of directors and its annual general membership meeting.
"Bringing together all disciplines within the mapping, surveying and geospatial profession, and partnering with  federal agencies, as well as promoting the community in Congress, is what makes this conference unique and a must-attend event for MAPPS members, NSPS members, and other practitioners in the community," says MAPPS Executive Director John M. Palatiello.

Registration is now open and information can be found at www.surveyingandmapping.net.

About MAPPS

Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the U.S. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including member firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LiDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes associate member firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the U.S. and other firms from around the world. independent consultant members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession.

About NSPS

NSPS is a national professional society and federation of state societies of professional surveyors and persons trained, registered, or interested in the profession of surveying and mapping. NSPS advances the sciences and disciplines within the profession and strives to establish and further common interests, objectives, and political efforts to help bind the surveying profession into a unified body in the U.S.