Up Front
IT Guru to address ITA
Jack Dangermond
Visiting information technology personalityJack Dangermond, founder and president of Environmental SystemsResearch Institute (ESRI) will be making a presentation to theInformation Technology Association (ITA) during his two-day visitto Cayman later this month.
ESRI are one of the largest software companiesin the world specialising in geographical information systems(GIS), with over 300,000 installations worldwide. The technologyis fast taking hold in Cayman too, explains ITA Vice PresidentJohn Bebb.
"The Lands & Survey Departmentfirst adopted the technology in 1991 as a means of managing andorganising its' graphic and tabular data, developing into whathas become known as the Land Information System. Since then othergovernment departments and the private sector, particularly theutilities, have developed their own systems based on the sametechnology."
GIS is currently one of the fastest growingtechnologies in the world, providing solutions for a diverse rangeof applications characterised by companies such as Sears, NationalGeographic, Shell, GTE, Starbucks Coffee, Ernst & Young, WellsFargo Bank, the list is endless. The annual ESRI User conferenceis attended by over 10,000 delegates from over 90 countries.
Mr. Dangermond is visiting Cayman to seefor himself the work that is being done and why GIS implementationin Cayman is moving ahead of other Caribbean countries. (Lands& Survey received ESRI's "Special Achievement in GISAward" in 1999).
In his talk to ITA titled "IS versus(G)IS", Mr. Dangermond will illustrate the power of the technologyand why the spatial aspect of information is important. He willalso discuss internet applications and offer his vision of thefuture. Mr. Dangermond is recognised in both academia and industryas a leader and authority in his field and is a much sought-afterspeaker internationally. He has served as an advisor to such USagencies as NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency.
All IT professionals, educators, studentsand those interested in IT are invited to attend what promisesto be a very special evening at 6pm on Wednesday 31st January2001 at the Marriott Resort Hotel.
For further details visit ITA website atwww.ita.org.ky