April 22, 2010 -- Harrisburg, PA - A proposal to transform communities across Pennsylvania into low-carbon producing, reduced and renewable energy consumption, and environmentally sensitive places to live, work and play, all while ensuring economic viability, will be the subject of the keynote address to be presented by a team of members of PA-MAPPS at the Pennsylvania GIS Conference, May 11, 2010 at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center in Johnstown, PA.

"The theme of this year's conference is 'Advancing Sustainability with Geospatial Knowledge and Technology,'" said Brady Stroh, Center for Geospatial Information Services, Institute for State and Regional Affairs, at Penn State Harrisburg, PA GIS Conference coordinator. "This keynote address will truly set the tone for the conference and stimulate a discussion of the role the GIS community can play in providing a foundation for strategies and solutions by which Pennsylvania's cities, towns, townships and counties can create jobs and economic opportunities, lower their carbon footprint, reduce their demand for fossil fuels, and operate in a cleaner manner. With nearby Pittsburgh hosting the United Nations Environment Programme's World Environment Day on June 5, this is a timely and appropriate opening to our conference."

"The GIS community can significantly benefit from, and immeasurably contribute to, the health and well being of Pennsylvania by the development of a program to set statewide standards and local implementation strategies for CO2 emission reduction, common-sense environmental protection, livable communities, coordination of land use and transportation, and do it while enhancing economic prosperity," said Michael Shillenn, (Photo Science, West Chester, PA), PA-MAPPS President. "Coordinated statewide geographic information can be the foundation for implementing these goals and enhancing the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians. We are honored to assemble a team of our members for this session to present ideas on how sustainability is feasible and desirable."

The Keynote Address at the PA GIS Conference will be one of more than 65 regional events and activities to promote environmental awareness and action during the six weeks that "bridge the gap" between the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22 and the U.N. World Environment Day assembly in Pittsburgh on June 5.

About PA GIS Conference

Now in its eighteenth year, the 2010 PA GIS Conference, May 11-12, will bring together several hundred geographic information producers and users for education, information sharing, networking, and discussion of best practices in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Organized as an outreach service of the Center for Geospatial Information Services, the Institute for State and Regional Affairs, at Penn State Harrisburg, the PA GIS Conference includes continuing education for professionals from local, regional and state government, private practice, academia, and nongovernmental organizations, as well as users of geospatial data, products, services and technologies. For more information on the PA GIS Conference, please visit http://www.pagisconference.org" target="_NewWindow1">www.pagisconference.org.

About PA-MAPPS and MAPPS

PA-MAPPS, the first state chapter of MAPPS, is open to private firms in the geospatial community including those in photogrammetry, satellite and airborne remote sensing, hydrography, aerial and satellite image processing, surveying, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PA-MAPPS has two membership categories; Member Firms: geospatial service firms with offices and employees based in Pennsylvania and Associate Members: companies that do business in but not having a physical office or businesses in the Commonwealth, or those that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the Keystone State. Firms in PA-MAPPS are also members of MAPPS. Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. Current MAPPS memberships span 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. MAPPS provides its 180+ 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.