Geographic Information Science and Systems Specialty Group (GISSG)

Geographic Information Science and Systems Specialty Group (GISSG)

Association of American Geographers

October 9, 2009

Fall 2009 Annual Report

1 Mission Statement

The purpose of the specialty group is (from Article 2 of GISSG Constitution)

·  To promote the exchange of ideas and information relating to GIS.

·  To promote GIS research.

·  To improve the understanding of the proper application of GIS procedures.

·  To develop materials and promote activities needed to improve the teaching of GIS concepts.

·  To promote and coordinate activities and directions with other professional organizations involved with GIS.

·  To pursue charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

2 Dues Information

$12.00/year ($1.00/year for students)

3 Current Officers

Chair
Jeremy Mennis
Temple University
Department of Geography and Urban Studies
1115 W. Berks St., 309 Gladfelter Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Phone 215. 2044748
Email:

Vice Chair
Francis Harvey
University of Minnesota
Department of Geography
414 Social Sciences Building
267 19th Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone 612. 625-2586
Email:

Immediate Past Chair
Jennifer Miller
University of Texas at Austin
Department of Geography and the Environment
210 West 24th Street
Austin, TX 78712-1098
Phone. 512. 232-1587
Email:

Secretary/Treasurer
Sharolyn Anderson
Department of Geography
University of Denver
Denver, Colorado 80208
Telephone: 303. 871-3378
Office: BW 106
E-mail:

Academic Director
Jin-Kyu Jung
University of North Dakota
Department of Geography
O'Kelly and Ireland Room 152
221 Centennial Drive Stop 9020
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9020
Phone. 701. 777-4592
Email:

Government Director
Tiffany Vance
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
7600 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98115
Phone. 206.526.6767
Email:

Industry Director
Aileen Buckley
ESRI, Inc.
380 New York Street
Redlands, CA 97373
Phone. 909. 793-2853 x2997
Email:

Student Director
Christopher Lippit
San Diego State University
Department of Geography
5500 Campanile Dr.
San Diego, CA 92182-4493
Phone. 619. 594-5437
Email:

Liaison to UCGIS
Jeremy Mennis
Temple University
Department of Geography and Urban Studies
1115 W. Berks St., 309 Gladfelter Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Phone 215. 2044748
Email:

4 Activities at the 2009 AAG, Las Vegas, Nevada

The GISSG Business Meeting was held March 25, 2009 and was well attended.

The GISSG sponsored or co-sponsored 52 sessions at the 2009 AAG Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The GISSG continued to co-sponsor the Illustrated Paper Competition with the Remote Sensing Specialty Group (RSSG) and the Cartography Specialty Group (CSG). The winners were Robert Roth, first place, The Pennsylvania State University (Geographic Disparities in US Cervical Cancer Mortality 2000-2004); Mary Lindsey, second place, University of Maryland (Impact of Clouds on Late Season Agricultural Land-Cover Classification in Kentucky); and Prajna Regmi, third place, Clark University (Indian Ocean Dipole - Relationship with El Nino - Southern Oscillation and Teleconnections in South Asia). Congratulations to these outstanding students!

The GISSG Student Paper Competition was held during a sponsored session. The winners were Elizabeth Walton, first place, University of North Carolina – Greensboro (Ecological Niche Modeling as a Conservation Tool to Predict Actual and Potential Habitat for the Bog Turtle, Glyptemys muhlenbergii) and Matthew Collier, second place, University of Oklahoma (Mining Spatiotemporal Data to Map Drought Transitions). Congratulations to these outstanding students!

The Waldo Tobler Distinguished Lecture in GIScience was given by David Mark, University at Buffalo. Thank you Dr. Mark for an outstanding presentation.

The Robert T. Aangeenbrug GISSG Distinguished Career Award was presented to Jerry Dobson, University of Kansas. Congratulations to Dr. Dobson. A reception was held following the award.

At the GISSG Business meeting Brian Lees of the International Geographic Union (IGU) requested that the GISSG nominate someone to serve as the U.S. representative to the IGU Commission on GIS. After deliberation among the GISSG Board of Directors, Francis Harvey (University of Minnesota) was appointed to this position. We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Harvey’s service in this capacity.

5 Other Activities

Plans are underway for the 2010 AAG in Washington, D.C., including the GISSG Business Meeting, the Waldo Tobler Distinguished Lecture in GIScience, the presentation of the Robert T. Aangeenbrug GISSG Distinguished Career Award, the RSSG/GISSG/CSG Student Illustrated Paper Competition, and the GISSG Student Paper Competition. It is expected that the GISSG will sponsor or co-sponsor approximately the same number of sessions as at the 2009 AAG.

This year the GISSG initiated a new graduate student travel award competition for GISSG graduate student members. The award is given to students who have had an abstract accepted to a GIS-oriented, peer-reviewed, academic conference outside of the country where they are attending graduate school. The award is based on the merit of the abstract submission as well as a statement from the applicant as to how participating in the conference will further their academic career. Each award is worth $500.00. Three awards were made this Fall: Grant Fraley, San Diego State University (A Geovisual analytics approach to spatial multiple objective optimization), Carolyn Fish, Michigan State University (Evaluating the influence of tweening on human change perception in animated choropleth maps), and Brandon Whitehead, University of Auckland (Is it possible to 'fingerprint' geoscientific research and discovery?).

6 Membership

Total members: 1,429

Student members: 646

Non-student members: 783

7 Financial Report

The GISSG is in a financially strong and stable position. Accounting for the GISSG is managed by the AAG. As of August 31, 2009 the budget balance is $14,044.56. Below are all expenses and distributions from the last fiscal year:

8/31/2008 / Balance forward / $ 14,247.00
9/10/08 / GISSG support of student travel to ICA conference / (1,000.00) / 13,247.00
9/30/08 / Dues collected for September 2008 / 650.00 / 13,897.00
10/31/08 / Cova, T. deposit / 961.23 / 14,858.23
10/31/08 / Dues collected for October 2008 / 1,369.00 / 16,227.23
11/30/08 / Dues collected for November 2008 / 830.00 / 17,057.23
12/31/08 / Dues collected for December 2008 / 583.00 / 17,640.23
1/16/09 / CGIS sponsorship for reception - invoiced but not paid / 1,000.00 / 18,640.23
1/31/09 / Dues collected for January 2009 / 716.00 / 19,356.23
2/28/09 / Dues collected for February 2009 / 1,066.00 / 20,422.23
3/21/09 / Miller - reimb plaque expense / (80.00) / 20,342.23
3/21/09 / Mark - AM09 travel / (1,000.00) / 19,342.23
3/21/09 / Fraley - travel award / (750.00) / 18,592.23
3/21/09 / Xu - travel award / (750.00) / 17,842.23
3/21/09 / Collier - travel award / (750.00) / 17,092.23
3/21/09 / Walton - travel award / (750.00) / 16,342.23
3/25/09 / Elwood - AL tickets / (165.00) / 16,177.23
3/31/09 / GISSG Reception at AM2009 / (2,394.67) / 13,782.56
3/31/09 / Dues collected for March 2009 / 515.00 / 14,297.56
4/5/09 / Transfer to RSSG for 4 yrs sponsorship / (1,400.00) / 12,897.56
4/23/09 / Dobson - Aangeenbung distinguished career award / (1,000.00) / 11,897.56
4/24/09 / Informa UK GIS recep / 1,000.00 / 12,897.56
4/30/09 / Dues collected for April 2009 / 270.00 / 13,167.56
5/5/09 / Walton - GISSG Paper award / (500.00) / 12,667.56
5/5/09 / Collier - GISSG Paper award / (250.00) / 12,417.56
5/31/09 / Dues collected for May 2009 / 296.00 / 12,713.56
6/30/09 / Dues collected for June 2009 / 686.00 / 13,399.56
7/31/09 / Dues collected for July 2009 / 272.00 / 13,671.56
8/31/09 / Dues collected for August 2009 / 373.00 / 14,044.56
8/31/08 / Balance / $ 14,044.56

Appendix

Minutes from the 2009 GISSG Business Meeting

Miller?

·  Next year participants will only be able to be associated with 2 sessions?

·  E-Voting passed

Cova

·  Jerry Dobson Distinguished Career Award

·  GISSG paper competition had low submissions

o  Lets push over the summer and fall to get more entrants next year

o  List of entrants here…

§  .

§  .

§  .

Budget

·  The group is doing very well, good membership

·  AAG is doing the accounting for the group now

·  Travel awards for students have been increased

·  Currently raising about $7000/year

·  Need to pay RSSG for the Co-Sponsored Student Illustrated Paper Competition

·  Aileen Buckley

o  Suggested funding some students to go to the international carto meeting in Santiago Chile

o  Mennis: Is this a one time event or a plan to commit to regular contributions

o  D. Mark: Should we focus on ICA or be more generic to GIScience Conference Travel

o  ?_____?: What about funding students for AAG in DC next year?

o  Miller: Lets commit to spend surplus on students

o  Mennis: Lets consider support for students from developing regions to attend AAG

o  Cova: Seems to be agreement that we should spend surplus on students, lets have the officers discuss and agree on the exact details after the meeting

Mennis – UCGIS Meeting

·  Held in DC in February

·  New Officers were ?elected/installed?

·  New board members were ?elected/installed?

·  Summer Assembly in Bishops Lodge near Santa Fe, NM

·  The summer assembly will include a student paper competition and four students will be funded to attend

Cova – Elections

·  VC – Francis Harvey

·  AC – Jin Qui Jung

·  AC – Aileen Buckley

·  Gov Counselor – Tiffany Banks

·  Student Counselor – Chris Lippet

·  New Chair – Jeremey Mennis

·  Thanks to our previous chair and officers

Mennis:

·  As the new chair announced a plan to spend surplus GISSG funds on students

·  Research in Africa Collaboration

Announcements

·  AAG Requests

o  Fewer session sponsorships by specialty groups

o  No more 3 part all day sessions

o  Try to consolidate these types of sessions

·  D. Mark: Lets do the opposite and require all sessions to have sponsorship

o  A number of people agreed with this sentiment or expressed somewhat similar feelings

o  Someone noted that this might be related to leaving room for new specialty groups to be seen in unsponsored sessions

·  Ming Tsou :

o  Web site still hosted at SDSU

o  Please send content to update the site

·  ?______?: Program at Buffalo sponsoring students for the Vespucci Initiative

·  ?______?: Special issue on temporal GIS should be published and printed by December 2009

·  Ben Tuttle: RSSG/GISSG/CSG Student Illustrated Paper Competition Winners

o  First : Robert Roth - The Pennsylvania State University
Geographic Disparities in US Cervical Cancer Mortality 2000-2004

o  Second : Mary Lindsey : University of Maryland
Impact of Clouds on Late Season Agricultural Land-Cover Classification in Kentucky

o  Third : Prajna Regmi - Clark University
Indian Ocean Dipole - Relationship with El Nino - Southern Oscillation and Teleconnections in South Asia

·  Aileen Buckley:

o  AutoCarto Announcement

o  Careers in Cartography Brochure- Aimed at undergraduates

·  ?Brian Lees?: Need for nomination for a board member for the IGU Commission on GIS

o  This was discussed briefly, but no conclusions on nominations were reached

o  Decided to have the board discuss it later and come up with nominations

o  Follow this with an email vote by all members

Mennis:

·  Motion to adjourn at 7:44pm – seconded – and moved

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