Reston, Virginia – With emerging technologies, regulations and business development key concerns of geospatial businesses, MAPPS (www.mapps.org), the association for private sector geospatial firms, today announced the program for its 2014 Winter Conference to be held February 9-13 at The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla (San Diego), CA.
The conference will focus on business, management, marketing, technical, policy, and workforce issues relevant to the geospatial community. The agenda is designed by and for private geospatial firm principals, owners, partners and senior professionals.
A focus will be on emerging technologies, including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAVs), new sensor systems, and data processing software, streaming LIDAR, new image processing techniques, point cloud generation instruments and analysis software fusion initiative and oblique and 3D mapping The program will also address Federal privacy regulations and intellectual property licensing, and unionization threats.
Business development and best practices is a staple of MAPPS programs. Attendees will hear from NOAA’s Coastal Services Center on Digital Coast and from USGS on its 3-Dimensional Elevation Program (3DEP). In addition, sessions will include international business opportunities, increasing personal productivity, and Federal government demand for address data.
"This program provides the owners, principals and senior executives responsible for management, production and business development in private sector geospatial firms with the knowledge to compete and grow their business in today’s market," said Mike Tully (Aerial Services Inc., Cedar Falls, IA), MAPPS Program Committee Chair and member of the association’s Board of Directors. "The goal with this and every program at MAPPS is to give senior executives knowledge and understanding of how new technology, markets and legislation will impact their business. This program achieves that goal."
Intermixed with the educational sessions, the program includes networking events to build teaming relationships and partnerships among firms, a cornerstone of MAPPS conferences.
"MAPPS conferences are known as a forum for idea sharing and partnership building among our members, which is unmatched in the geospatial profession," said John Palatiello, MAPPS Executive Director.
MAPPS will also announce the winners of the 2013 Geospatial Products and Services Excellence awards at the conference. The ceremony was postponed due to the U.S. Government shutdown.
MAPPS is offering a special membership promotion for firms that are not current members. The association invites principals of firms to attend the Winter Conference at the non-member rate, but if the firm joins MAPPS prior to the end of the conference on February 13, 2014, the firm will be credited with the difference between the member and non-member rate. That is a 56% savings toward membership. The reimbursement will be credited toward the firm’s 2014 membership dues in MAPPS.
About MAPPS
Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. Independent Consultant Members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession.
MAPPS provides its member firms opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement.
For more information on MAPPS, please visit www.MAPPS.org.
