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UCGIS News (con't)
Policy and Legislation Committee News
 by
Prof. John Shuler, Chair, UCGIS Policy and Legislation Committee, University of
Illinois at Chicago
The discussion and contributions at this year's summer assembly included several
critical points to increase UCGIS membership awareness of important policy and
legislative issues. Specifically, the committee
recommended to the Executive Board the following action items:
- Reviewed the success of the 2006 Winter Meeting;
- Completed a letter of support for the NSGIC initiative: "Imagery for the
Nation;"
- Discussed possible prototypes of how to alert UCGIS members about critical
legislative, regulatory initiatives from federal government through the UCGIS
web pages; by November 2006, have prototype in place;
- With the current chair's term ending at the 2007 summer assembly; a general
call went out to membership seeking indviduals who would be willing to carry on
the good work of committee chair – anybody interested?
- discussed plans to focus 2007 winter meeting on aspects of the “grand
challenge”, as well as more targeted ideas and communications to help consortium
members talk to their elected members; this includes specific ways to involve
your institution’s lobbying office.
- work through an ad hoc committee to develop a prototype of a knowledgebase of
consortium members research interests;
- discussed how UCGIS can communicate to the international communit about
various policy and legislative matters the international community
The Committee is now preparing for the 2007 UCGIS Winter meeting scheduled to be
held in Washington, D.C. in early February.
Announcement of New Officers
 “Andre Skupin, San Diego State University, took over as Chair of the Membership
Committee from Mary Lou Larson, University of Wyoming. Mary Lou is currently
serving on the Board. Many thanks go to Mary Lou for her valuable and continuing
service to UCGIS.”
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