The 2012 Esri International User Conference will be here before you know it, and this year’s event will be a terrific opportunity for current Community Maps Program members and anyone who is interested in Community Maps to share their experiences, learn the benefits of the program and find out where things are headed in the future. Check out some of the exciting events we have planned for our week in beautiful San Diego.
We begin the week with a Preconference Seminar – Building the Basemap for the Community Maps Program. This one day seminar is a good fit for potential Community Maps contributors who want to learn the process involved in preparing their data for submission. The seminar is free, but spaces are limited, so make sure to register early.
This year’s User Conference Map Contest provides a new way for Community Maps contributors and users to showcase their work. The new contest category “Best Product Utilizing Community Maps” focuses on printed map presentations that use one of the ArcGIS Online community maps (Imagery, Streets, Topographic and Ocean) as a foundation. The map objectives and operational layers can vary, and it will be exciting to see all the different ways that users are making a difference with the authoritative contributed content now available through these basemaps. In addition to this new category, don’t forget about the rest of the Map Contest. Even if you choose not to enter your map in the specific Community Map category, consider whether you have a story to tell that is appropriate for one of the others. Categories like “Best Instructional Presentation” and “Best Data Integration” could be a perfect way to communicate your process for creating your own community map or demonstrating your use of spatial ETL tools. In addition to the chance to win an award and be featured in the annual Esri Map Book, your participation in the Map Gallery will allow others to see your work and exchange ideas of their own, so make sure to visit our Map Gallery page for all the details on how to participate and register your map for the contest.
Following the plenary and keynote sessions on the first day of the UC, the Community Maps team will be offering several technical workshops and demo theater sessions. The topics will range from high level overviews of the program to detailed technical explanations for specific processes like data migration. Make sure to check out the UC agenda for the times and descriptions for the various presentations as the conference draws closer.
And finally, we know the week of User Conference in San Diego is hectic, but please try to drop by the Community Maps booth in the Esri Showcase from Tuesday to Thursday. Whether you are a long time Community Maps Program participant, or just curious, we would love to meet you and help answer any questions you might have.
So start planning your trip now, and we’ll see you in San Diego!
