GITA: Turning the Page

After a rather tumultous few years in which the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) saw attendence at their annual conference fade and their regional chapters in some disarray, executive director Bob Samborski sees the group turning the page and entering a new era. He said that while the annual event will be cancelled, the association is looking to affiliate with other organizations in which geospatial plays an ancillary role. GITA will be looking to work with the Utilimetrics Association, a utilities technology organization, and supporting their Autovation Conference. GITA will also be manageing the FOSS4G event in the fall and perhaps expanding their very successful Oil & Gas Conference to incorporate upstream exploration topics. It received an extension on its contract with the Department of Homeland Security for its Geospatially Enabling Community Collaboration (GECCo) program.

Organizationally, Samborski has realigned his staff leaving four full-time employees and also recently pulled out of the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) citing dysfunction within that group.