NEBRASKA GEOSPATIAL FORUM

UNK-The Nebraska Geospatial Forum will be held at the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus on March 14.

The forum will bring together university researchers, industry leaders and other experts to consider the implications of emerging technologies for business applications. The goals of the forum are to survey current uses of geospatial information systems in Nebraska, to identify several specific areas where technological advances will have significant benefits, and to begin to develop partnerships for addressing these needs.

This year’s forum will focus on Nebraska’s agriculture and natural resources.

“UNK was chosen to host the forum because of the concentration of farming in this area,” said Dr. Marc Albrecht, UNK professor of biology.

Albrecht said a wide range of people, farmers, city planners and land and natural resource managers, could gain insight on land use at the forum.

“There are a lot of resources in Nebraska,” Albrecht said. “Many of them are free to the public as long as the public knows where they are.”

Participation at the forum is limited and advanced registration is required. Contact Albrecht at (308) 865-8549 for more information.

FORUM SCHEDULE AND INFORMATION

Tueseday, March 14

9-10 a.m. Registration

10-10!5 a.m. Introductions, Senior Vice Chancellor James Roark

10:15-10:30 a.m. Nebraska’s Geospatial Resources, Dr. Marc Albrecht

10:30 a.m.-noon Geospatial Resources for Rural Nebraska: Martin Kleinschmidt, Center for Rural Affairs

Josh Lear, Nebraska Natural Resources Commission

Dr. Al Peters, CALMIT, NASA-ARC Program

Marus Tooze, CALMIT

Noon-1 p.m. Luncheon

1-3:30 p.m. Decision Support Tools for Agriculture: Kurt Seevers, mPower

Mike Giles, Growth Stages, Inc.

Chuck Nichols, Earthscan Network

3:30-4 p.m. Closing thoughts, Dr. Robert Caldwell and Dr. Jeffrey Peake

4-5 p.m. Demonstration and posters