On the television show LOST, a plane wreck has left the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 marooned on a tropical island. The survivors have no means of communication with the rest of the world and can only assume that the island they're stranded on is located somewhere between their departure city of Sydney, Australia, and their destination city of Los Angeles, California.

Since the show first aired in 2004, the Losties, as they've become known, have stumbled upon all kinds of mysteries and even encountered other strange inhabitants of the island-all of which have brought up multiple unanswered questions about the mystical isle. Entering its sixth season in 2010, the Losties are now more lost than ever, and so are the show's viewers if they don't tune in to get answers on a weekly basis.

If only the poor Losties had access to mobile GIS, or better yet, had crash landed at the Technical Support Island at the ESRI UC, they'd probably be more aware of their own geographic location; they wouldn't have unanswered questions about their fate; and the design of their future wouldn't seem so bleak.

If you're lost and have your own unanswered questions about ESRI products, just find your way over to the Technical Support Island. Located in the Exhibit Pavilion, this island has answers. Once there, you'll find ESRI senior support specialists and technical staff ready to rescue you with one-on-one support and guidance regarding ArcGIS, its extensions, customization, implementation, and printing issues.

Walk-in service is welcome, but it's recommended you make an appointment at the Technical Support Island reception area. Appointments begin on the hour and half hour and since each are limited to 20 minutes, you can rest assured you won't get stranded there for long. If your question takes longer to answer, arrangements can be made to further investigate your question at a later time during the UC, or after the conference has concluded.

Sure, the UC may not offer as much drama, action, and mystery as LOST, but the ESRI staff that inhabit the Technical Support Island won't leave you hanging. You'll actually get off the island, and you'll do so without that lost look on your face.

Pencil this in.

Other resources to note in the ESRI Showcase.