MAPPS, the national association of private sector geospatial firms, announced a program providing first-class business, technical education and market opportunities for its annual Winter Conference, to be held Jan. 27-31, 2013 at the Trump International Resort in Sunny Isles (Miami) Beach, Fla.

Sessions will focus on education programs, networking to build business-to-business relationships and ways to better manage a surveying, mapping or geospatial company.

Topics on the conference program will include: mergers and acquisitions; human resources: performance evaluations and 360 reviews; health care reform: implementation in your firm and family; wealth management; National Geospatial Advisory Council (NGAC) update; indoor mapping; sensor fusion; automated feature extraction; thermal mapping; asset management; Florida market for geospatial services; Federal agency updates; location/mobile mapping; ethics; privacy issues and geospatial firms; legislative issues roundtable; geospatial excellence awards; CFO issues panel; and an important session on "big data" with Amazon, Esri and Google all presenting.

"These timely and important sessions focus on the business aspects of the geospatial profession, providing the leaders of private geospatial firms an opportunity to learn about market opportunities, changes in technology and issues that impact their business such as the implementation of health care reform and privacy legislation," said Mike Tully, (Aerial Services, Cedar Falls, Iowa) chairman of the MAPPS program committee.

In addition to the education sessions, the program includes networking events to build teaming relationships and partnerships, a cornerstone to MAPPS conferences.

"For 30 years, MAPPS meetings have been known for the opportunity to network with the leaders of the geospatial community-- the key decision makers, the principals, owners, partners and senior professional executives of the top firms in the market," said John Palatiello, MAPPS executive director. "This conference program is one of our best. We are particularly excited that technology leaders such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Esri are all presenting at the conference."

For program, registration and other information, visit the MAPPS conference web page.

MAPPS is offering a special membership promotion for firms that are not current members. The association invites principals of firms to attend the Winter Conference at the non-member rate, but if the firm joins MAPPS prior to the end of the conference on Jan. 31, 2013, the firm will be credited with the difference between the member and non-member rate. That is a 56 percent savings. The reimbursement will be credited toward the firm's 2013 membership dues in MAPPS.