The following post was submitted by

Chris Sergent, a Systems Analyst in Decatur, Illinois

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Having worked just over a year in GIS at the local level of government and a little over seven years with the state, I have found user/developer groups to be the biggest key to smashing through road blocks of knowledge impediment. It has facilitated my growth on a professional level, and on a personal level in using GIS in the welfare system as well as using it for providing information on the fly during, Hurricane Katrina while residents migrated to Illinois, to know where they were, so we could be there for them.  I would like others to benefit as I have to increase available knowledge resources so developers can be there for developers making it possible for everyone to achieve their GIS vision. 

I went to the User Conference in 2007 in San Diego and would encourage users, developers, and decision makers that have not have had the chance to attend any conference, to attend the one in August of this year, as a foundation or a gauge of "where we are"  in moving forward in Enterprise GIS. These three groups work individually most of the time, and this conference demonstrates the complete picture in how each area transparently works together and the User Conference makes that transparent layer visible allowing for the opportunity; like profit maximization, it allows for information services maximization. If you can't afford to go, you really can't afford NOT to go.

This year, I am going to the Developers conference in Palm Springs and would like to meet with other developers and get together to start a GIS developers group and informally meet after the sessions are over for one of the days. Anyone that can't go, I would still like to encourage them to get involved; as we can still use electronic means to collaborate.

--Chris

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