Conference Season is Over

As we approach November, we can look back at a first for Manitoba – multiple GIS-related conferences within a six week period.  In mid-September, we started with IHEEP, followed by MGUG and Intergraph.  To finish the season, ESRI hosted a Public Infrastructure Leadership Forum at the Fort Garry Hotel on October 25.

All of the GIS events were good and useful to the GIS community.  For me, the crown jewel of the lot was the MGUG conference on September 30.  I found the presentations given by Microsoft to be extremely interesting and useful.  Others I have talked to were extremely impressed with Taz Stuart and John Sauder.  One of the most interesting presentations was given by Dr. Mohamed Abousalem of Tecterra who almost came across like Santa Claus.  Even today, as I attend other events and talk with others, they are still referring to the MGUG event and how good it was.

The other events of this season were more focussed – each specializing in a different area.  At IHEEP, the focus was on transportation but it did have a broader appeal to the Geomatics professional with a full day of sessions devoted to LiDAR.  As mentioned in a previous blog, the feedback was excellent and that the LiDAR sessions were worth attending.

The Intergraph Regional Users’ Conference held at the Delta was a great opportunity to see Intergraph’s latest technology and their vision for the future.  It was free and about 75 people attended.  For me, the most interesting part of the conference was the presentation on Smart Client, a powerful thin client application that Intergraph will soon be releasing in North America.

Earlier this week, ESRI held a Public Infrastructure Leadership Forum.  Again, this was a focused event that would not appeal to all GIS people, but was useful for those who are interested in asset management.

After all of the excitement of September and October, it looks like it will be a long winter, unless MGUG puts on a half day workshop sometime after the New Year.  Otherwise, the next GIS events to look forward to are in March or later with WestMan GIS conference and the ESRI Regional User Group.