Reston, Virginia, December 28, 2011 – MAPPS (www.mapps.org), the national association of private sector geospatial firms, today announced that Jim Kirkland, vice president and general counsel of Trimble and a leader in the effort to defend GPS users from interference by the LightSquared system proposal, will be the keynote speaker at the organization’s annual Winter Conference, to be held January 22-26, 2012 at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.
Mr. Kirkland will discuss the LightSquared issue, its impact on GPS users including consumers and the geospatial community, the current status, prospects for the future, lessons learned and how the lobbying and public relations experience can serve the profession on future issues.
"We are honored to have Mr. Kirkland as our keynote speaker," said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. "MAPPS has worked with Trimble and the Coalition to Save Our GPS to protect GPS users from the negative impacts of LightSquared’s proposal. Jim Kirkland has been instrumental in developing and implementing strategies on this important issue and we look forward to hearing his insights on the entire process."
Additionally, a first-class business and technical education program will be presented at the conference. Topics on the conference program will include:
The Business Opportunity in Cloud Computing; Is FAA Shutting Down LiDAR?; NGA’s GeoInt Data Services Contract; A National Enhanced Elevation Program; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs); A National Geodetic Survey (NGS) National Gravity Program; The NERC Market for Geospatial Data; Spatial Information in Support of Renewable Energy; State Government Outsourcing & Privatization of Geospatial Activities; Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business Procurement; State GIS Councils: Agents of Change or Defenders of the Status Quo?; Vegetative Mapping; Creating a Government Relations Program in Your Firm; and State Licensing of Photogrammetrists: What’s the Status, What’s Working and What’s Not?
For program, registration and other information, visit the MAPPS web site at www.mapps.org.
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 January 26, 2012, the firm will be credited with the difference between the member and non-member rate. That is a 56% savings. The reimbursement will be credited toward the firm’s 2012 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 160+ 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.