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A look Ahead to GeoSpatial World 2003

by GeoCommunity Staff, April 24, 2003

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GeoSpatial World 2003, the annual gathering of the Intergraph Geospatial users community is rapidly approaching. Slated to run from May 19-21 in New Orleans, LA, the popular user conference will have a noticeably different ambiance than the gathering which has been held in Atlanta, GA ever since it broke away from IGUG. It was back in 2000 when Intergraph verticalized and the "GIS people" the formation of the Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions division (IMGS) - Recall IGUG was an annual event typically hosted in Intergraph's home town of Huntsville, AL. The theme of this years event will likely be cajun fun, mardis-gras, and "laissez-les bonne temps roulee", however, the objective remains the same... to educate, inform, and entertain Intergraph's geostpatial technology users with presentations, seminars, and training sessions that focus on geospatial resource information, land information management, cartography, commercial remote sensing, and photogrammetry.

2003 will mark my 4th Geospatial World, having attended the final event in Huntsville back in 2000 and the last 2 events in Atlanta. In between I've also had a chance to connect with Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions (IMGS) staff between at other events like GITA, and CTIA's wireless show and Wireless IT. Keep in mind though, there's no better way to become familiar with the company's philosophy and their solutions then by mingling with Intergraph staff, business partners, and solution providers at GeoSpatial World.

Some things to keep in mind:

For those of you attending your first GeospatialWorld, expect some fine hospitality from the Intergraph staff (as always), expect to meet some of the executives like Pretha Pulusani, Lee Finnier, David Holmes, and others. They are typically easily accessible to attendees and will welcome your comments and questions.

If you can, arrive a day early and take in a course or two on Sunday. Many people forget about the the half day training sessions that are offered on this day. Courses this year (subject to seat availability) include an Introduction to GeoMedia Grid, Advanced GeoMedia customization, Data Server connections, and a number of others.

Don't take off and miss out on the Intergraph hosted festivities. The party on Tuesday night is always a blast and is typically very well attended and organized. This year's festivities will held at Mardis Gras World. Intergraph provides transport to and from the venue, several drinks, and a buffet meal to all attendees. It's also a fun event if your family is with you.

If you've never been to New Orleans... (pronounced N'awlins!) use caution taking in the French Quarter and the local sites. New Orleans is a fun place, however, it can also be a bit rough around the edges. Touring in groups is wise and be careful if you start knocking back Hurricanes as they they pack a mean whallop! Walking Bourbon St. with a plastic cup of Beer is OK and the Fun things to do include, coffee and a beignet at the French Market (Cafe du Monde), walk the French Quarter (of course) and Jackson Square, take a Mississippi cruise, pretty much any local Jazz or zydeco band, gambling at a local casino like Harrah's or Bally's (Gambling is legal in LA). Must see bars and restaurants include Pat O'Brien's and the ACME Oyster House. Be sure to try some local crawfish (they should still be in season) and a plate of fried catfish! If you plan on bringing the kids there's a Six Flags theme park in the area as well.

To help build an itinery, Intergraph has built a searchable online databse http://www.geospatialworld.com/tp/search/default.asp. I recommend you maximize the use of your day by building a calendar prior to your arrival in New Orleans. Here's just a smapling of some of the presentations I recommend you attend on Monday:

• Welcome Address by Preetha Pulusani - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 8:30 AM~9:45 AM
• Increase your Productivity with Geospatial Solutions - Dave Holmes is currently director of worldwide product strategy for Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions. - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 10:15 AM~11:30 AM
• GeoMedia/GeoMedia Professional Product Update - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 1:00 PM~2:30 PM
• Using GeoMedia WebMap Publishing Tools to Create Quick and Robust Web Sites - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 1:00 PM~2:30 PM
• Building a GIS for Local Governments - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 1:00 PM~1:30 PM
• GIS Wireless – GeoSpatial View of Maritime Transportation Process for Mobile Workers - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 1:30 PM~2:00 PM
• Homeland Security (HLS) Solution for Local Governments - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 2:00 PM~2:30 PM
• GeoMedia WebMap, WebMap Professional, and WebMap Publisher Product Update from Roger Harwell - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 3:00 PM~3:45 PM
• Introduction to Editing Geometries Using GeoMedia - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 3:00 PM~5:00 PM
• Canadian Forces Landmine Detection using Intergraph Technology, OnDemand, and GeoMedia - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 3:00 PM~3:45 PM
• GeoMedia Grid Product Update - Monday, May 19, 2003 | 4:00 PM~5:00 PM

For fun, a N'awlins Glossary of terminolgy! To help you better understand the locals, here's a short glossary of Louisianna terminolgy of some of the lingo you are likely going to encounter (I know... I'm a Canadian, however, I've lived in the deep south for 4 years now!)

• Bayou (by' you) - Slow stream, or body of water running through a marsh
• Cajun (kay' jun) - French Acadians that settled here from Canada
• Creole (cree' ole) - Descendents of French, Spanish, and Carribean slaves and natives
• dat (dat) - The person, thing or idea indicated.
• erster (ur-stur) - Any of various marine bivalve mollusks
• fixin (fik-sin) - About to
• gris-gris (gree-gree) - Bad luck or a curse
• Hurricane (hurr-i-cane) - tropical stoorm, also the name of a famous New Orleans drink
• jambalaya (jam-ba-li-ya) - Seasoned rice with smoked sausage, shrimp and chicken
• lagniappe (lan-yap) - A little something extra at no charge
• Mardi Gras (mardis-gras) Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent
• Muffuletta (Moo Fa' lotta) - Super-large, round, fat sandwich filled with salami-type meats
• Parish - Louisiana has Parishes not Counties
• Po-Boy - a sandwich or A large piece of french bread, sliced and filled w/seafood, etc...
• poopa (pooh-pah) - A bread bowl filled with gumbo or red beans
• zydeco (zi-deh-ko) - Local music form

GeoSpatial World 2002 coverage
GeoSpatial World 2001 coverage
IGUG 2000 coverage