Friday 26 August 2011

MGUG Considers Changing its Name

According to the MGUG newsletter and web-site, http://www.mgug.ca/, MGUG is thinking of changing its name.  Don’t worry, it will still be called MGUG (yes it rolls off of the tongue) - but the initials could have a slightly different meaning.   Currently MGUG is an acronym for Manitoba GIS Users Group.

At its heart, the discussion is about what the first “G” in MGUG should stand for.  Is it Geomatics, GIS or Geospatial?  There is a poll on the web-site for you to vote on your favourite option.  The three choices under consideration are:
  • Manitoba Geomatics User Group
  • Manitoba Geospatial User Group
  • Manitoba GIS User Group
Currently if you browse the MGUG web-site you will see that the words “Geomatics” and “GIS” are both used liberally.  The word “Geospatial” is a little rarer.  The home page tells us we are at the “Meeting Place for the GIS Community”.  The newsletter is “Connecting Manitoba’s Geomatics Community”.

So what is prompting this decision to change the name?  Is the GIS in MGUG too exclusive?  Are GPS practitioners and surveyors feeling left out?  Maybe MGUG should become like IBM and ESRI and never spell its name out.  When was the last time you saw IBM spelled out as International Business Machines? Or ESRI as Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Inc.?

At the time of writing this blog, voting was slightly in favor of keeping the old name, with “GIS” taking 46% of the vote, while 42% want to change to “Geomatics” and 12% voted for “Geospatial”.

In the grand scheme of things this may not be the most crucial decision to make.  Perhaps the most interesting part of this survey is the level of participation.  The GIS / Geomatics community is not that big, yet there are more than 125 votes (and counting) on this survey already.   Have you registered your vote yet and taken the opportunity to have your say?  Remember to vote early and vote often.

Bonus points - If you are really sharp you noticed the inconsistent use of the singular and plural “User” and “Users” in this blog when referring to MGUG’s full name.  This is a deliberate reflection of the MGUG web-site which also uses both the singular and plural versions.  The MGUG logo and most references on the web-site use the singular “User”.  The MGUG constitution, which defines the official name, uses the plural “Users”.

Tuesday 16 August 2011

The First Manitoba GIS Conference

With MGUG putting on the big GIS conference at Celebrations Dinner Theatre on September 30, I hearken back to the first GIS conference that was held in Manitoba.  Yes it was that long ago we used terms like “hearken back”

Unfortunately, there is no written history, so you cannot Google “first GIS Conference in Manitoba” and get the information.  It was a long time ago, so some of my facts are fuzzy.   If anyone can add to, clarify or correct, I am extremely grateful.  I would also be interested to know if you were there.

The first Manitoba GIS conference was actually called a “GIS Colloquium” and was the first of a series of annual colloquia.  The term “colloquium” is academic, and fittingly, it was organized by Marci Faurer, then a PhD graduate student at the University of Manitoba Geography Department.  It was 1987 (give or take a year) and GIS was still very new to the University.  At the time, I was also a graduate student in the Geography Department, struggling to finish my thesis.  The first Manitoba GIS Colloquium was held at the University of Manitoba and I volunteered to help out.

There were a number of business and government organizations within Manitoba that were already using GIS so the program was diverse.  The talks, primarily on applications of GIS, were fascinating to a young graduate student about to go looking for a job.  One of the more interesting presentations was from ID Systems, an environmental consulting company, who described their site selection work with the Manitoba Hazardous Waste Management Corporation.  A year or two later I was lucky enough to get a job with ID Systems and begin my professional GIS career.

Marci Faurer moved on to become an Assistant Professor at the University of Winnipeg and moved the colloquia to UofW. Tragically, Marci passed away a few years later, but we should always remember that she was the first to bring the GIS community in Manitoba together and that we are following her vision.  It’s hard to believe, but this vision is nearly 25 years old.  Marci Faurer should be remembered as a pioneer in Manitoba GIS.

Tuesday 9 August 2011

IHEEP 2011 Conference

IHEEP 2011 is another reason for Geomatics people to get excited about September in Manitoba!

For the first time IHEEP (International Highway Engineering and Exchange Program) is holding their annual international conference in Winnipeg.  The conference is at the Fairmont from September 11 to 15, 2011.

You haven't heard of IHEEP?  The focus of IHEEP is the application of technology to the transportation industry.  Even if you are not a transportation person, this conference may interest you for a couple of reasons.

Many of the big players such as ESRI, Intergraph, Autodesk and Oracle are sponsors and presenting at the conference.

LiDAR!  LiDAR!  LiDAR!  The IHEEP 2011 conference will have one track dedicated to LiDAR all day Tuesday September 13.  That’s eight LiDAR-related presentations!  One of the presentations to check out will be given by Fugro (http://www.fugro.com/) and Manitoba’s own LiDAR expert, Mario Machado.

For more information on the conference:
http://www.iheep2011.com/

A preliminary technical program is available on the web-site.  If you are interested, one day registrations are allowed.

Monday 1 August 2011

MGUG Changes its Format

The next MGUG event is scheduled for September 30, 2011.  Have you noticed the format has changed?  It is now an all day event.  This is a departure from the first workshops which were strictly afternoon events.

The new all-day format has a new name.  It is called a conference.  Until now, MGUG used the term “workshop” for its half-day events.

Also new is the venue – Celebrations Dinner Theatre (Canad Inns Destination Centre Fort Garry).  The venue can accommodate attendance up to 500 people and all seats have an excellent view of the stage. 

That’s not all that’s new.  The new format and venue come with an admission charge (to cover expenses).  This is a first for MGUG, if you don’t count MGUG’s participation in the 2006 GIAC conference.   This is an exciting change.  The MGUG board is obviously not feeling restricted by the same old lecture theatres and boardrooms.    The cost is $43.39 per person if you register before August 31 and it includes breakfast, lunch and other stuff.   This is a bargain compared to the ESRI User Group Meeting, and that is a good deal.

What will the new format mean for attendance?  The past couple of workshops had turnouts of more than 200 people.  With an all day event and Microsoft as the headliner, will there be more people?  Or will there be fewer people now that it costs money to get in?  The MGUG Board has initiated a drive for 500 with the intent to get 500 attendees at the conference.  500!  Really?  That’s crazy!  Or is it?

With Microsoft and John Sauder on the program it should be well worth the time and money.  I will be there and so should you.  GIS is no longer the sole domain of dedicated GIS software companies such as ESRI and Intergraph.  Microsoft and Google are now leaders, especially in the visualization aspect of GIS.   I recommend you get out and see Microsoft’s vision of the future.  Be sure to register before August 31 and save $20.

Congratulations to MGUG – we are looking forward to this event.
http://www.mgug.ca/