By Mike MacLean

Land Information Services Manager

City of Peterborough

President, GITA Ontario Chapter

 

 

GITA Ontario Chapter is vigorous and growing, and so is the geospatial community we serve.  Our goal is to bring together this diverse community of interest and help us all work together with greater mutual understanding.

 

Fortunately our chapter has an energetic Executive Committee whose volunteer members contribute a lot of time to delivering value to our membership.  The committee's latest initiative is an educational event May 20 focused on the application of geospatial technologies to asset management, as you can read about below in this newsletter.  We anticipate strong attendance because asset management is a high-priority issue today.

 

But of course there is more to being part of an association than just attending events.  The strength of the association depends as much on enthusiastic participation by members as it does on effective leadership.

 

We are a community that thrives on information sharing, and the more people who get involved, the better.  We encourage all of our members to contribute articles to this newsletter, to participate in the blog organized by Executive Committee member Kris Philpott at http://gitaontario.org/default.aspx, and to help us reach out further to establish stronger connections with the educational institutions that are training tomorrow's geospatial leaders. Articles for newsletter submission can be forwarded to me at:  mmaclean@peterborough.ca

 

Our association offers many opportunities for camaraderie and personal growth.  If you are not already a member, join us!  And invite others to join.  We are helping to develop the knowledge and capabilities of Ontario's geospatial professionals and working to deliver ever-increasing benefits to our members.

 

As a final reminder, save the date of November 4 to attend our annual conference, the November Fall Forum, at the Oakville Conference Centre.  It's the bellwether event every year that shows where Ontario's geospatial community is going.

 

 

 

Geospatial professionals who understand how to apply their expertise to solve asset-management problems can provide great benefits to their organizations — and potentially boost their professional careers.

 

The Ontario Chapter of GITA, along with host PowerStream Inc., invites you to attend an educational session May 20 offering a unique look at how various organizations are applying geospatial technologies to provide asset-management solutions.

 

The half-day session is entitled "Taking the Geospatial Mystery Out of Asset Management."  Attendance is free to members of GITA.

 

Speakers from several organizations will explain how they overcame asset-management challenges in their organizations by applying geospatial technologies.  Confirmed speakers to date are:

• John Murray, City of Hamilton

• Glenn Vlass, CartoPac Solutions 

• John Doe, Iroquois Pipeline with XEOS imaging

 

The impact of geospatial technologies on asset management has elevated the status of geospatial professionals in recent years.  They have helped provide solutions to increasingly serious problems.  

 

Legislative, regulatory and business pressures are forcing all types of organizations to have a more complete, accurate and reliable account of their assets.  The additional knowledge gained from this also leads to more informed and faster decision-making within organizations, and prepares them to respond to emergencies and to calculate carbon footprints.

 

The GITA Ontario event will take place at PowerStream headquarters at 161 Cityview Boulevard, at Highway 400 and Major Mackenzie in Vaughan.  For non-members of the chapter, the cost will be $45.  For members of MISA or URISA, the cost is reduced to $25.  

 

Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the event will run from 10:00 to 2:00 p.m.  A light lunch and beverages will be provided.

 

To register please visit GITA Ontario Chapter's Web site (link to www.gita.org/gitamember/Chapters/OntarioChapterSpring2010Registration.aspx).