URISA 101
Learn about our organization and how to join our community.
About Us
URISA is a nonprofit association of geospatial professionals across the public, private, non-profit, and academic institutions.
Since 1963 the Urban and Regional Information Systems, URISA has strived to be the premier organization connecting people and resources in the geospatial community. Empowered by our unique membership, and steadfast in our mission and goals to be a multi-disciplinary geospatial organization that provides professional education and training, a vibrant and connected community, advocacy for geospatial challenges and issues, and essential resources.
Our organization fosters excellence in the GIS community and engages professionals throughout their careers. Through the execution of our strategic goals: To protect, promote, and grow the geospatial profession, to support geospatial professionals at all stages of their careers with essential training and resources, and to sustain and strengthen the organization. The GIS profession and community solidify their place as premier professional organization.
Committees
URISA has 16 committees, each with leadership that consists of a minimum of three individuals that work closely together: a chair, associate chair, and board liaison. Check out the bookmarks at the top to jump to the Get Involved section if you're interested in joining, or continue scrolling to learn more about each committee.
Appointed Committees
Chapter Development and Relations Council
Purpose of Committee: The Chapter Development and Relations Council promotes the health and growth of URISA chapters and facilitates communication, and support by and between URISA and its chapters. *Referenced from volunteer website
Typical Volunteer Effort: Attend monthly CDRC meetings and facilitate communication from your chapter to other chapters and the URISA Board. Disseminate information from these meetings to your chapter and chapter board. Provide updates and information from your chapter to the CDRC meetings including chapter updates, struggles and/or needs, and events. Participate in discussions about best practices, your chapter workings, and assist other chapters
Leadership Development Committee
Purpose of Committee: This Committee is charged with recommending a slate of candidates to serve on the URISA Board of Directors in accordance with the Association’s Bylaws and to propose candidates to serve in the post of Whistleblower Policy Compliance Officer. This Committee also identifies people for future leadership roles.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Candidate selection
OneURISA Task Force
Purpose of Committee: The OneURISA Action Committee (Action Team) will engage Chapters in discussion, transition, and implementation of the Unified Membership Model, as outlined in the URISA BOD Unified Membership Model Blueprint.
Typical Volunteer Effort: One 1-hour conference call per month and contributions to documentation as necessary to fulfill the duties of the committee.
- Minimal (Less than 4 hours a month)
Past Presidents Council
The Council provides advice to URISA’s Board upon request, and may, at Board request or with Board approval, take up specific matters for the good of the Association. In addition, each year the Council reviews and makes recommendations to the Board on nominations for the GIS Hall of Fame.
Special Awards Committee
This committee is charged with developing awards that recognize members for their contributions to the association and community at large.
Teller Committee
The Committee annually validates the votes from the annual ballot distribution.
Vanguard Cabinet
Purpose of Committee: The purpose of the Vanguard Cabinet is to engage young and emerging professionals through collaboration, innovation, and networking in the geospatial community.
Typical Volunteer Effort:
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month)
- Engaged (12 hour or more per month)
Volunteer Committees
Annual Conference GIS-Pro Committee
Purpose of Committee: The Committee is charged with producing the Association’s annual educational conference.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Participate in monthly meetings and take on tasks to prepare for GIS-Pro. Participate in discussions regarding the conference including reviewing conference submissions, and coordinating the track chairs, and moderators for conference sessions. Core Committee which includes the Conference Chair, Program Chair, and Associate Program Chair meet twice a month in order to coordinate activities. After submissions for the conference are received volunteers are asked to participate in putting the program together over one weekend, typically at the site of the conference.
- Minimal (Less than 4 hours a month) Level of most committee members
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month) Level of members who choose to take leadership of a particular aspect of the conference (Silent Auction, Sponsors, etc.)
- Engaged (12 hour or more per month) Level of Conference Chair and Program Chair
Specialty Conferences Committee
Additional conference committees are charged with producing specialty conferences such as the URISA Caribbean GIS Conference, GIS/Valuation Technologies Conference, GIS in Transit Conference, and the GIS in Public Health Conference.
On an as-needed basis, other committees may be formed, or individuals designated, to develop and deliver regional and special interest conferences to meet the needs of the membership.
Community Resilience Committee
Purpose of Committee: Established to discuss and produce knowledge about the role of geospatial data, technologies, policies and associated best practices related to community resilience. Community resilience touches on an array of topics including climate change, disasters, and social equity.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Participate in monthly meetings and perform short-term tasks
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month)
- Engaged (12 hour or more per month)
Exemplary Systems In Government (ESIG) Awards Committee
This Committee is charged with the development, administration and selection of awards for recognition of exceptional achievement in the application of information technology that has improved the delivery and quality of government services.
GIS in Equity and Social Justice Workgroup
Purpose of Committee: The Equity and Social Justice Workgroup will work to develop educational materials for two specific groups:
(a) GIS Professionals – materials that help raise awareness and skills among existing GIS professionals. We will seek to help GIS Professionals understand their responsibilities under the GISP and URISA Codes of Conduct. We will develop educational materials that identify the tools and methodologies we have to engage the widest variety and number of people in decision-making.
(b) Decision makers/Social Justice Organizations – materials that introduce people engaged in social justice in the community to geospatial tools. We will seek to expand the use of GIS within this community in order to better serve their constituencies. We will develop educational materials that identify the tools and methodologies we have to allow specific constituencies to tell their own stories to decision makers, to analyze data provided by a variety of sources, and to include their unique ways of knowing into the decision-making process.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Monthly hour long meeting and occasional projects to create educational materials.
- Minimal (Less than 4 hours a month)
GISCorps Core Committee
Purpose of Committee: Plans and directs the work of the GISCorps. The GISCorps Core Committee coordinates short term, volunteer based GIS services to underprivileged communities and for humanitarian relief. The GISCorps Core Committee solicits and assigns volunteers to provide GIS services.
Typical Volunteer Effort:
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month)
- Engaged (12 hour or more per month)
Marketing Committee
Purpose of Committee: This committee is charged with developing and implementing programs to: market the organization; advertise its activities, events, programs and initiatives; and attract and retain URISA members.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Participate in monthly meetings and take the lead on a tasks
- Minimal (Less than 4 hours a month)
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month)
- Engaged (12 hour or more per month)
Membership Committee
Purpose of Committee: The purpose of the Membership Committee is to advance membership growth, retention and benefits by promoting URISA membership through marketing and communications efforts and best practices to increase participation in URISA through networking, volunteerism and recognition. The committee is responsible for evaluating current and proposed member benefits and potential new categories of membership to be reviewed and approved by the URISA Board of Directors.*Referenced from volunteer website
Typical Volunteer Effort:
- Minimal (Less than 4 hours a month)
URISA's NextGen Task Force
Purpose of Committee: This task force was established to leverage the GIS voice of URISA with the emerging technology of Next Generation 911 (NextGen 911) via participation in the NextGen 911 NOW Coalition.*Referenced from volunteer website and the GIS Professional
Typical Volunteer Effort: Addressing / NG9-1-1 Summit Planning & Execution, Fact Sheet Development, Webinar Content Development, Workshop Planning, and Collaboration & Best Practices Document Development
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month)
- Engaged (12 hour or more per month)
Professional Education Committee (PEC)
Purpose of Committee: Coordinates the development and maintenance of URISA-approved professional educational materials by establishing guidelines and procedures for the development, review, and publication of URISA approved professional educational materials. The PEC ensures that these materials are developed and presented in accordance with URISA policies, membership interests, and Board strategic goals. The committee also coordinates the URISA portfolio of educational materials, identifying gaps, resolving overlaps, and assessing balance.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Work involves content development, review, and presentations.
- Active (4 to 8hours a month)
- Engaged (8 hour or more per month)
Policy Advisory (PAC) Committee
Purpose of Committee: The Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) is charged with advising and recommending formal policy positions on matters that one, pertain directly to URISA’s mission; two, do not involve political lobbying; three, are raised and reviewed, and the position recommended, in accordance with the established procedures of the committee. The PAC may take matters upon referral by the Board, upon its own initiative, or upon the request by any URISA member.
The PAC provides advice and recommendations to the URISA Board of Directors (Board), although it may assist chapters dealing with state and local issues. Board recommendations may be in the form of official resolutions, position statements, or formal comment submittals on policy matters. The PAC does not make decisions for the association related to policy or other matters. The PAC does not get involved with internal association policy.
PAC members have extensive experience with the technical, professional and policy issues that encompasses URISA's mission, although the PAC welcomes young professionals as well. Members should also have an understanding and respect for URISA procedures and traditions. The Committee is a collaborative effort and individual members may be called on to create or coordinate the work of the Committee either individually or as part of a team. It is desirable that the Committee have at least one Canadian member. The Committee may add additional members on an ad hoc basis with expertise in a particular issue.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Varies from 1 or 2 hours a month to 6 or more depending on involvement and workload. The higher number of hours is only when working on specific projects and not a typical month.
URISA GIS Leadership Academy Committee
Purpose of Committee: Provide GIS Professional with the tools and tactics to become excellent GIS leaders in their organizations and in the GIS field through a week long learning experiences. The academy focuses on GIS leadership and management techniques, strategic planning, team development, organizational capacity building, program investment and justification, change management, and ethics and professional challenges, among other things.
Typical Volunteer Effort: Teaching, instructing, update content and exercises, and developing outlines and content
- Active (4 to 12 hours a month)
Pro-Equity Anti-Racism Committee
More information coming soon...
Climate Change & Climate Equity Working Group
As a working group under URISA's Community Resiliency Committee, the Climate Change & Climate Equity Working Group examines how the following can be addressed:
Addressing these questions involves the examination of systems contributing to climate change, conditions perpetuating existing inequities, and the distribution of climate change effects.
Chapters
Carolina
California Chapter
URISA Chesapeake Chapter
Florida Chapter
Louisiana Chapter
Mid-Atlantic Chapter
New England Chapter
Oregon Chapter
Northern Rockies Chapter
Ohio Chapter
Rocky Mountain Chapter
Texas Chapter
Alberta Chapter
British Columbia Chapter
BeSpatial/URISA Ontario
Caribbean Chapter
Get Involved!
Serving on a committee or task force can be one of the most rewarding benefits of being a URISA member. Not only will you have an opportunity to share your knowledge and skills to further the work of the organization, but you will almost certainly grow as a professional as a result of collaborating with other dedicated volunteers. Committee or task force membership can also put you on a path to leadership opportunities within URISA that benefit you personally and professionally. Additionally, volunteering provides valuable Contributions Points toward your GISP certification and renewal.
Come join the fun! As a professional organization, URISA is a great way to network and collaborate with your geospatial peers. All members strive to promote excellence in GIS, so please connect with our community by volunteering and participating in one of URISA's many diverse committees. Start your journey with URISA today!
NEW! Be sure to also check out the URISA Membership Involvement Hub for all the latest and greatest regarding participating at URISA.