From Phyllis Thomas, RM-URISA

Rocky Mountain Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (RM URISA). RM-URISA is sponsoring the GIS for Urban and Regional Government track this year.

Some of the highlights of the track include: Using HAZUS for Flood Risk Assessment, Disposable or ‘Interim’ Imagery Delivered Via Web Management Services (WMS) to Your GIS, Promoting Smart Growth with GIS and Remote Sensing, and Beginning Spatial Load Analysis at a Rural Electric Cooperative.

In addition, we will sponsor a pre-conference URISA certified workshop, on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 on Public Data, Public Access, Privacy, and Security: U.S. Law and Policy. As data distribution capacities increase, there is increasing tension between citizen expectations of confidentiality, access to public records as a foundation of a free society, and protection of public security.

What data are subject to Freedom of Information laws? Can a government raise revenue (or defray maintenance costs) by charging market prices for the data? What about privacy restrictions and homeland security concerns? What about liability for data errors? This workshop will focus on the critical legal issues and the policy options they frame.

Specific topics include:

• State and Federal Freedom of Information Laws
• Data Sales vs. Data Access
• State and Federal Informational Privacy Laws
• Secrecy and Homeland Security Protections
• Balancing Public Access, Privacy, and Secrecy
• Protecting Ownership and Minimizing Liability
• Policy and Technical Considerations

Intended Audience: This workshop is intended for public and private sector managers, elected officials, and policy professionals, database developers and administrators, and GIS professionals.