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Education & Outreach Committee Activities

Activities are updated after IGIC board meetings, roughly once per quarter. If you'd like more information about a specific project or initiative in the interim, feel free to contact one of the committee co-chairs or the IGIC Offices.

June 19, 2008

The Education Committee currently has two major initiatives underway. We are continuing to work on the logistics associated with the 2008 Local Government Coordinators Meeting. This full day meeting is scheduled to occur on September 26 at the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis. We are encouraging IGIC members to personally invite local government GIS coordinators in their community to this important event. The morning agenda will include an update on the activities of the State Geographic Information Office as well as IGIC. The afternoon session will be focused on a 'hot topic' of interest to local government in Indiana. This portion of the meeting will be highly interactive in nature. We anticipate that these discussions will lead to the development of state and local collaborations and new initiatives in Indiana.

The Committee is also working on a new series of Road Shows to be held across the State beginning in the Fall of 2008. We anticipate holding up to 12 road shows during the 2008-09 period. The committee is defining a theme for the road shows which will likely focus on benefits of the IndianaMap. IGIC Board members that are willing to host a Road Show in their community are encouraged to contact a member of the Education Committee as soon as possible.

April 17, 2008

The Education Committee has been working on a number of initiatives since the last Board meeting. The Committee is actively engaged in planning IGIC's second Local Government GIS Coordinators Forum. This meeting will build on the success of the October 2007 event, and will be held at the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis from 10 am to 3 pm on September 26th. The Committee is also continuing to offer both traditional seminars and webinars on a near monthly basis. Participation in these events continues to grow. Plans include expanding the educational offerings by initiating a series of road shows over the next few months at locations around the State.

The Committee has also the following seminars scheduled.

Mashable Maps: An Introduction to Web-Based Mapping with Google and Microsoft - July 14th, 1:30-2:30pm - WEBINAR
Indiana's Historical Aerial Photography - April 17th, 1:30-2:30pm - WEBINAR
Water, Water, Everywhere: Finding and Using Hydrology Data - May 16th, 1:00-3:30pm - Indiana State Library

February 18, 2008

The focus of our next meeting will be planning the 2008 Local Government GIS Coordinators Meeting scheduled for September 26th. We will also talk briefly about user group websites and developing some promotional materials.

The Committee has also the following seminars scheduled.

Approaches to Using Oblique Aerial Imagery - March 28th, 1:00-3:30pm - Indiana State Library
Indiana's Historical Aerial Photography - April 17th, 1:30-2:30pm - WEBINAR
Water, Water, Everywhere: Finding and Using Hydrology Data - May 16th, 1:00-3:30pm - Indiana State Library

January 17, 2008

The success of the first Local Government GIS Coordinator Forum in November prompted the committee to make it an annual event. A second Forum has been schedule for September 26, 2008. Bill Holder, who attended the Forum, is working with the participants from northeast Indiana to facilitate a meeting in late January/February to start a regional user group.

Jim Sparks, Indiana Geographic Information Officer, will be putting on a dinner-theatre-style activity during the plenary of the annual GIS conference in which the idea of selling geospatial data will be put "on trial." This event will then be taken on the road to the Association of Indiana Counties, and the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns.

There are four seminars currently scheduled in 2008 with more to follow.

November 15, 2007

We have planned a 'Local Government GIS Coordinators' meeting on Nov 7th at the Indiana History Reference Room of the Indiana State Library. This all day event that will provide opportunities for new and existing GIS coordinators from around the state to come together for the purpose of learning about what is happening in Indiana. Topics to be addressed include the impact of the IndianaMap legislation on local government GIS activities, exploration of IGIC resources, opportunities for IGIC committee participation, and strategies for developing regional GIS user groups. At present, there are over 50 people registered for this event.

We are currently planning a series of 1/2-day GIS seminars for Spring 2008.

September 20, 2007

Currently there are three seminars scheduled. These are listed on the IGIC website. Discussions on how to promote these are being discussed with the Publicity Committee.

The Great Lakes Social Studies Conference is scheduled to occur in Indianapolis on February 28 and 29, 2008. The organization requested that IGIC have a presence at this event in the form of a workshop, booth, or presentations.

The Local Government GIS Coordinators meeting was rescheduled to occur on November 7th from 10:30 to 3:00. The meeting was moved from the October 11th date selected at the last meeting in order to allow for adequate preparation time. The meeting will still be held at the IGIC facility in Indianapolis which has a capacity of 150 persons.

July 19, 2007

The committee has just completed work on a series of presenter kits for a grant from IndianaView. Members created PowerPoint presentations focusing on education, economic development, health & safety, and government. The presentations have been posted to the IGIC website at www.in.gov/igic/class/kits.html

Seminars and webinars have been scheduled out for the remainder of the year. The committee looks forward to working with the new publicity committee to develop contact lists to help boost attendance at events.

It was decided that IGIC will facilitate a meeting of local government GIS coordinators for the purpose of informing them about GIS resources in the state and encouraging their active participating in the Indiana GIS community. The meeting is scheduled to occur on October 11 from 10:30 to 3:00 EST. Lunch will be provided. The Education Committee will take the lead on promoting and handling logistics for this meeting. The meeting will be held at the IGIC facility in Indianapolis which has a capacity of 150 persons.

March 12, 2007

The committee has scheduled seminars for most of 2007. Most will be free, but non-members will be charged $25 beginning in the fall. Beginning in March, we will also look at scheduling Road Shows, as many as 4 half-day events around the state. Topics will be based on feedback from the conference survey responses. The responses will also determine whether the committee continues to explore the possibility of providing webcasts of seminars to members.

IGIC is planning to submit a grant to support the development of a series of "presenter kits." They will address specific issues and topics, and will be available for download from the IGIC website.

January 18, 2007

The committee continues working on the 2007 seminar series, and has finalized monthly events through May, including seminars on transportation, hydrology and K-12 education. The committee is also looking to develop additional education materials to be posted online.

November 16, 2006

The committee has identified monthly seminars for 2007 through July, and are working to finalize speakers and locations for each. Several new members have joined, bringing representation from new sectors. Upcoming activities will include developing a series of presentation materials to be posted online, and designed to assist with communicating GIS concepts and benefits to targeted audiences.

September 21, 2006

Kevin Jordan, Subcommittee Chair, indicated that he has received feedback from several individuals on content and development strategies related to a proposed exhibit booth. Content will be based on IGIC's focus areas, and geared toward specific audiences ( e.g. electric, utility, public safety, etc.). The Education Committee defined logistic issues:

It was suggested that the committee might be able to make the booth, and members are researching other companies who may have approaches that we can adopt for our needs. It was suggested that the booth should accommodate a panel that allows projection of a laptop demonstration onto the exhibit where electricity is available.

The committee will also need to define issues related to the accessibility of the booth - who has access to the booth and under what conditions. It is anticipated that it will receive considerable demand once it is available and known to exist by the user community.

Upcoming Seminars

GIC has 16 economic development presentations occurring throughout the state over a six week period of time starting in September. The presentations are being conducted by economic development officials who will go through a train-the-trainer workshop and then deliver the materials to local constituencies.

July 20, 2006

The IGIC Education Committee is planning a number of exciting initiatives over the coming months. At our July meeting we created a subcommittee to plan for the acquisition of a booth that can be used to promote IGIC objectives at conferences and other forums around the state. This portable display will complement the semi-permanent display that IGIC is also acquiring.

Committee members are also actively pursuing ways to support the growth of GIS education in the K-12 arena. Initiatives currently underway including pursuit of relationships with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H organizations in the state. These efforts are anticipated to complement other K-12 initiatives that are underway by organizations such as the Geographic Educators Network of Indiana that support GIS education within K-12 schools.

The Committee is also continuing to support GIS Education thru a variety of education seminars. The 2006 seminar series is underway and showing great success based on attendance and participant feedback. The 2007 seminar dates and topics will be announced in the near future.

May 18, 2006

A survey was completed by the participants of the annual conference in February. Major items learned from that survey include the following:

A majority of respondents had multiple years of experience, suggesting that our user community is maturing
A majority of respondents indicated interest in seminars that address advanced topics such as
geometric networks, geodatabases, GPS, and so forth
Most respondents were willing to travel 30 to 60 miles to a seminar and preferred half- and full-day events over shorter events
Time of year was not a significant factor in determining whether most respondents would attend a seminar

Committee Activity Promotion: The committee will be compiling a list of press contacts to whom announcements about education events will be sent as they are available.

K-12 Outreach: It was decided that the committee will make a significant effort to conduct outreach to the K-12 community over the next year. Potential activities include contacting the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, and 4-H organizations that service the state to determine how GIS experts can support these groups by helping support merit badge programs and other activities.

Committee Mission: It was decided that one of the key components of the Education Committee mission is to promote all GIS education related activities in the state. This includes those that are sponsored by IGIC as well as other activities. In accordance with this mission, the following steps will be taken:

Committee members will post any education related activities that they deem relevant to the IGIC calendar
The Committee will coordinate with CUSIS to ensure that GIS education activities such as seminars, special presentations, etc. that are offered by the higher education community are posted to the IGIC website.

Community Service Award: It was suggested that a Community Service Award be given at the IGIC Conference. This award could be granted to a person or organization that supports community activities - such as supporting a youth group - through a GIS related activity.

March 6, 2006

Jenny Dubeansky announced that IGIC has identified funds that will enable her to handle the logistics (arranging speakers, coordinating with local facilitators, etc.) for the seminars and road shows that the Education Committee sponsors. This is an important development since it will enable us to focus on more strategic objectives and tasks rather than getting bogged down in the logistical details of seminars as we have been for the past few months. Members have been invited to submit ideas to the education committee listserv for initiatives that we can/should pursue over the next year. We are considering where GIS-related education and outreach are lacking in Indiana at this time and how the committee, working with other groups or independently, can address these needs. We have the opportunity to reach out to new user communities as well as to enhance our support of existing communities.

November 17, 2005

Seminar series and Road Show events have been planned well into next year. We have decided to feature IndianaMap framework data in a number of them, including the upcoming November 29th survey. 2006 seminars will highlight using the color IR, vector takeoff and elevation data. A January seminar on IGIC resources has also been scheduled. Road Shows have been scheduled for April in NW Indiana and June in Kokomo, topics to be determined.

The committee opted to support the GIS Day effort of others, rather than schedule a competing event on November 16th. A link to the ESRI GIS Day activities page was added to the IGIC website.

September 22, 2005

The Education committee is continuing to offer a series of GIS seminars around the state of Indiana. We currently have scheduled a seminar titled "CAD/GIS Integration" on October 18, 2005 at the IUPUI Library in Indianapolis, Indiana. At present, this seminar has over 40 registrants and it is anticipated that additional registrations will be received before the date of the event. We are also planning to offer a full day GIS road show in collaboration with the Indiana Rivers Institute and other organizations. This event is tentatively planned for late winter 2005 or early summer of 2006 and will be held in Hanover, Indiana.

July 21, 2005

The Education Committee has been planning the fall seminar series and road show events. We are trying to increase outreach efforts in southern Indiana, working with the Rivers Institute on a water-based road show.

May 19, 2005

The IGIC Education Committee has scheduled two events in May and June of 2005. The first will be a seminar on Environmental Applications of GIS which will occur at the IUPUI Library on May 17th. The seminar will involve multiple speakers from academic as well as public and private sector organizations who will offer a variety of perspectives on this important topic. The second event will be the GIS Road Show that will be held in Kokomo, Indiana on June 17th. This event, held in collaboration with IvyTech State College, will provide a full day of informative sessions that address topics ranging from applications of GIS in emergency management to ways that GIS can be used in combination with GPS to address a range of community issues.
The Education Committee will be meeting on May 20th to plan the next round of activities starting in July.

March 8, 2005

The road show and seminar series are continuing. The next seminar will be in Indianapolis on May 17th. It will focus on environmental and natural resource applications. Topics and techniques will include: suitability analysis for restoration and land conservation, wildlife monitoring, vegetation analysis, terrain analysis, watershed analysis, and NPS pollution modeling (TMDLs). Real world applications will be emphasized.

We have a road show in Kokomo on June 17th from 9 to 4:30. It�s free, and will take place at IvyTech State College. Here�s the description: This event will provide an opportunity for both current and prospective GIS users in north central Indiana and beyond to hear about the latest developments in this important technology. Anyone interested in the management, dissemination, or analysis of spatial information should attend. The special topic for the day will be �GPS and GIS: Powerful Solutions for Complex Problems.�

The committee has been working with NW Indiana on a new metadata production tool. The beta version is completed, and it�s down to working out the kinks. Wayne County has already started using it for their data. The committee will be asking board members for assistance in promoting the final version. �And now you have no excuse for not creating metadata.�

We will be using stories from the Indiana GIS Conference 2005 GIS Award winners and nominees. The goal is to enrich the Benefits of GIS section of the INGISI website further. This will be a great way to collect and disseminate in the future.


Online Maps Standards GIS Policy & Guides Projects IndianaMap GIS Inventory What's GIS? GIS In Action Awards Classes & Seminars Links GIS Council Membership Committees Annual Conference Funding Jobs & Internships News Calendar Contact Us Home	home > committees > education & outreach committee > activities Education & Outreach Committee Activities Activities are updated after IGIC board meetings, roughly once per quarter. If you'd like more information about a specific project or initiative in the interim, feel free to contact one of the committee co-chairs or the IGIC Offices. June 19, 2008 The Education Committee currently has two major initiatives underway. We are continuing to work on the logistics associated with the 2008 Local Government Coordinators Meeting. This full day meeting is scheduled to occur on September 26 at the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis. We are encouraging IGIC members to personally invite local government GIS coordinators in their community to this important event. The morning agenda will include an update on the activities of the State Geographic Information Office as well as IGIC. The afternoon session will be focused on a 'hot topic' of interest to local government in Indiana. This portion of the meeting will be highly interactive in nature. We anticipate that these discussions will lead to the development of state and local collaborations and new initiatives in Indiana. The Committee is also working on a new series of Road Shows to be held across the State beginning in the Fall of 2008. We anticipate holding up to 12 road shows during the 2008-09 period. The committee is defining a theme for the road shows which will likely focus on benefits of the IndianaMap. IGIC Board members that are willing to host a Road Show in their community are encouraged to contact a member of the Education Committee as soon as possible. April 17, 2008 The Education Committee has been working on a number of initiatives since the last Board meeting. The Committee is actively engaged in planning IGIC's second Local Government GIS Coordinators Forum. This meeting will build on the success of the October 2007 event, and will be held at the Farm Bureau Building in Indianapolis from 10 am to 3 pm on September 26th. The Committee is also continuing to offer both traditional seminars and webinars on a near monthly basis. Participation in these events continues to grow. Plans include expanding the educational offerings by initiating a series of road shows over the next few months at locations around the State. The Committee has also the following seminars scheduled. Mashable Maps: An Introduction to Web-Based Mapping with Google and Microsoft - July 14th, 1:30-2:30pm - WEBINAR Indiana's Historical Aerial Photography - April 17th, 1:30-2:30pm - WEBINAR Water, Water, Everywhere: Finding and Using Hydrology Data - May 16th, 1:00-3:30pm - Indiana State Library February 18, 2008 The focus of our next meeting will be planning the 2008 Local Government GIS Coordinators Meeting scheduled for September 26th. We will also talk briefly about user group websites and developing some promotional materials. The Committee has also the following seminars scheduled. Approaches to Using Oblique Aerial Imagery - March 28th, 1:00-3:30pm - Indiana State Library Indiana's Historical Aerial Photography - April 17th, 1:30-2:30pm - WEBINAR Water, Water, Everywhere: Finding and Using Hydrology Data - May 16th, 1:00-3:30pm - Indiana State Library January 17, 2008 The success of the first Local Government GIS Coordinator Forum in November prompted the committee to make it an annual event. A second Forum has been schedule for September 26, 2008. Bill Holder, who attended the Forum, is working with the participants from northeast Indiana to facilitate a meeting in late January/February to start a regional user group. Jim Sparks, Indiana Geographic Information Officer, will be putting on a dinner-theatre-style activity during the plenary of the annual GIS conference in which the idea of selling geospatial data will be put "on trial." This event will then be taken on the road to the Association of Indiana Counties, and the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns. There are four seminars currently scheduled in 2008 with more to follow. November 15, 2007 We have planned a 'Local Government GIS Coordinators' meeting on Nov 7th at the Indiana History Reference Room of the Indiana State Library. This all day event that will provide opportunities for new and existing GIS coordinators from around the state to come together for the purpose of learning about what is happening in Indiana. Topics to be addressed include the impact of the IndianaMap legislation on local government GIS activities, exploration of IGIC resources, opportunities for IGIC committee participation, and strategies for developing regional GIS user groups. At present, there are over 50 people registered for this event. We are currently planning a series of 1/2-day GIS seminars for Spring 2008. September 20, 2007 Currently there are three seminars scheduled. These are listed on the IGIC website. Discussions on how to promote these are being discussed with the Publicity Committee. The Great Lakes Social Studies Conference is scheduled to occur in Indianapolis on February 28 and 29, 2008. The organization requested that IGIC have a presence at this event in the form of a workshop, booth, or presentations. The Local Government GIS Coordinators meeting was rescheduled to occur on November 7th from 10:30 to 3:00. The meeting was moved from the October 11th date selected at the last meeting in order to allow for adequate preparation time. The meeting will still be held at the IGIC facility in Indianapolis which has a capacity of 150 persons. July 19, 2007 The committee has just completed work on a series of presenter kits for a grant from IndianaView. Members created PowerPoint presentations focusing on education, economic development, health & safety, and government. The presentations have been posted to the IGIC website at www.in.gov/igic/class/kits.html Seminars and webinars have been scheduled out for the remainder of the year. The committee looks forward to working with the new publicity committee to develop contact lists to help boost attendance at events. It was decided that IGIC will facilitate a meeting of local government GIS coordinators for the purpose of informing them about GIS resources in the state and encouraging their active participating in the Indiana GIS community. The meeting is scheduled to occur on October 11 from 10:30 to 3:00 EST. Lunch will be provided. The Education Committee will take the lead on promoting and handling logistics for this meeting. The meeting will be held at the IGIC facility in Indianapolis which has a capacity of 150 persons. March 12, 2007 The committee has scheduled seminars for most of 2007. Most will be free, but non-members will be charged $25 beginning in the fall. Beginning in March, we will also look at scheduling Road Shows, as many as 4 half-day events around the state. Topics will be based on feedback from the conference survey responses. The responses will also determine whether the committee continues to explore the possibility of providing webcasts of seminars to members. IGIC is planning to submit a grant to support the development of a series of "presenter kits." They will address specific issues and topics, and will be available for download from the IGIC website. January 18, 2007 The committee continues working on the 2007 seminar series, and has finalized monthly events through May, including seminars on transportation, hydrology and K-12 education. The committee is also looking to develop additional education materials to be posted online. November 16, 2006 The committee has identified monthly seminars for 2007 through July, and are working to finalize speakers and locations for each. Several new members have joined, bringing representation from new sectors. Upcoming activities will include developing a series of presentation materials to be posted online, and designed to assist with communicating GIS concepts and benefits to targeted audiences. September 21, 2006 Kevin Jordan, Subcommittee Chair, indicated that he has received feedback from several individuals on content and development strategies related to a proposed exhibit booth. Content will be based on IGIC's focus areas, and geared toward specific audiences ( e.g. electric, utility, public safety, etc.). The Education Committee defined logistic issues: Ideally need to have one person be able to setup the booth without assistance Low transportation cost - ease of portability Interchangeable panels to be able to adopt to target audience It was suggested that the committee might be able to make the booth, and members are researching other companies who may have approaches that we can adopt for our needs. It was suggested that the booth should accommodate a panel that allows projection of a laptop demonstration onto the exhibit where electricity is available. The committee will also need to define issues related to the accessibility of the booth - who has access to the booth and under what conditions. It is anticipated that it will receive considerable demand once it is available and known to exist by the user community. Upcoming Seminars GIC has 16 economic development presentations occurring throughout the state over a six week period of time starting in September. The presentations are being conducted by economic development officials who will go through a train-the-trainer workshop and then deliver the materials to local constituencies. July 20, 2006 The IGIC Education Committee is planning a number of exciting initiatives over the coming months. At our July meeting we created a subcommittee to plan for the acquisition of a booth that can be used to promote IGIC objectives at conferences and other forums around the state. This portable display will complement the semi-permanent display that IGIC is also acquiring. Committee members are also actively pursuing ways to support the growth of GIS education in the K-12 arena. Initiatives currently underway including pursuit of relationships with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and 4-H organizations in the state. These efforts are anticipated to complement other K-12 initiatives that are underway by organizations such as the Geographic Educators Network of Indiana that support GIS education within K-12 schools. The Committee is also continuing to support GIS Education thru a variety of education seminars. The 2006 seminar series is underway and showing great success based on attendance and participant feedback. The 2007 seminar dates and topics will be announced in the near future. May 18, 2006 A survey was completed by the participants of the annual conference in February. Major items learned from that survey include the following: A majority of respondents had multiple years of experience, suggesting that our user community is maturing A majority of respondents indicated interest in seminars that address advanced topics such as geometric networks, geodatabases, GPS, and so forth Most respondents were willing to travel 30 to 60 miles to a seminar and preferred half- and full-day events over shorter events Time of year was not a significant factor in determining whether most respondents would attend a seminar Committee Activity Promotion: The committee will be compiling a list of press contacts to whom announcements about education events will be sent as they are available. K-12 Outreach: It was decided that the committee will make a significant effort to conduct outreach to the K-12 community over the next year. Potential activities include contacting the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, and 4-H organizations that service the state to determine how GIS experts can support these groups by helping support merit badge programs and other activities. Committee Mission: It was decided that one of the key components of the Education Committee mission is to promote all GIS education related activities in the state. This includes those that are sponsored by IGIC as well as other activities. In accordance with this mission, the following steps will be taken: Committee members will post any education related activities that they deem relevant to the IGIC calendar The Committee will coordinate with CUSIS to ensure that GIS education activities such as seminars, special presentations, etc. that are offered by the higher education community are posted to the IGIC website. Community Service Award: It was suggested that a Community Service Award be given at the IGIC Conference. This award could be granted to a person or organization that supports community activities - such as supporting a youth group - through a GIS related activity. March 6, 2006 Jenny Dubeansky announced that IGIC has identified funds that will enable her to handle the logistics (arranging speakers, coordinating with local facilitators, etc.) for the seminars and road shows that the Education Committee sponsors. This is an important development since it will enable us to focus on more strategic objectives and tasks rather than getting bogged down in the logistical details of seminars as we have been for the past few months. Members have been invited to submit ideas to the education committee listserv for initiatives that we can/should pursue over the next year. We are considering where GIS-related education and outreach are lacking in Indiana at this time and how the committee, working with other groups or independently, can address these needs. We have the opportunity to reach out to new user communities as well as to enhance our support of existing communities. November 17, 2005 Seminar series and Road Show events have been planned well into next year. We have decided to feature IndianaMap framework data in a number of them, including the upcoming November 29th survey. 2006 seminars will highlight using the color IR, vector takeoff and elevation data. A January seminar on IGIC resources has also been scheduled. Road Shows have been scheduled for April in NW Indiana and June in Kokomo, topics to be determined. The committee opted to support the GIS Day effort of others, rather than schedule a competing event on November 16th. A link to the ESRI GIS Day activities page was added to the IGIC website. September 22, 2005 The Education committee is continuing to offer a series of GIS seminars around the state of Indiana. We currently have scheduled a seminar titled "CAD/GIS Integration" on October 18, 2005 at the IUPUI Library in Indianapolis, Indiana. At present, this seminar has over 40 registrants and it is anticipated that additional registrations will be received before the date of the event. We are also planning to offer a full day GIS road show in collaboration with the Indiana Rivers Institute and other organizations. This event is tentatively planned for late winter 2005 or early summer of 2006 and will be held in Hanover, Indiana. July 21, 2005 The Education Committee has been planning the fall seminar series and road show events. We are trying to increase outreach efforts in southern Indiana, working with the Rivers Institute on a water-based road show. May 19, 2005 The IGIC Education Committee has scheduled two events in May and June of 2005. The first will be a seminar on Environmental Applications of GIS which will occur at the IUPUI Library on May 17th. The seminar will involve multiple speakers from academic as well as public and private sector organizations who will offer a variety of perspectives on this important topic. The second event will be the GIS Road Show that will be held in Kokomo, Indiana on June 17th. This event, held in collaboration with IvyTech State College, will provide a full day of informative sessions that address topics ranging from applications of GIS in emergency management to ways that GIS can be used in combination with GPS to address a range of community issues. The Education Committee will be meeting on May 20th to plan the next round of activities starting in July. March 8, 2005 The road show and seminar series are continuing. The next seminar will be in Indianapolis on May 17th. It will focus on environmental and natural resource applications. Topics and techniques will include: suitability analysis for restoration and land conservation, wildlife monitoring, vegetation analysis, terrain analysis, watershed analysis, and NPS pollution modeling (TMDLs). Real world applications will be emphasized. We have a road show in Kokomo on June 17th from 9 to 4:30. It�s free, and will take place at IvyTech State College. Here�s the description: This event will provide an opportunity for both current and prospective GIS users in north central Indiana and beyond to hear about the latest developments in this important technology. Anyone interested in the management, dissemination, or analysis of spatial information should attend. The special topic for the day will be �GPS and GIS: Powerful Solutions for Complex Problems.� The committee has been working with NW Indiana on a new metadata production tool. The beta version is completed, and it�s down to working out the kinks. Wayne County has already started using it for their data. The committee will be asking board members for assistance in promoting the final version. �And now you have no excuse for not creating metadata.� We will be using stories from the Indiana GIS Conference 2005 GIS Award winners and nominees. The goal is to enrich the Benefits of GIS section of the INGISI website further. This will be a great way to collect and disseminate in the future.

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