Conference Overview
1st International Conference
Come to the 1st International MapWindow GIS Users and Developers Conference:
Orlando, Florida, USA
31 March - 2 April 2010
This will be a great opportunity to participate in workshops, present your work to the broader community, and be an integral part of
this exciting open source GIS project!
Who should attend? Anyone interested in the
MapWindow project including programmers using the MapWindow
libraries in their own software, end-users looking for
specialized training on plug-ins and MapWindow user tools, and
students and educators looking for an easy to install, easy to
use free GIS for their courses.
About MapWindow GIS
The open source MapWindow GIS project is the most widely used open source GIS specifically for the Windows operating system.
Built tightly around the Microsoft .NET Framework, MapWindow is closely integrated with Windows to give users a seamless end-user experience. MapWindow is free to use and the source code and internal libraries are available for use by third party developers of GIS software.
With over 6000 downloads per month, translations in multiple languages, a world-wide development team, and an exciting roadmap for future development, MapWindow has a bright future.
Conference Purpose
This conference will serve a number of purposes for different participants including:
- An opportunity to attend workshops on the use of the MapWindow desktop application as well as developer workshops on Plug-in authoring, ActiveX application development, and working with the new MapWindow 6 .NET libraries.
- An opportunity to present your work based on the MapWindow project components and tools and to share ideas and experiences with the rest of the community.
- An opportunity to meet with all of the key players in the MapWindow project, share your ideas and insights, look for opportunities to collaborate with other users and developers, build your business contacts in the open source GIS community, and be an integral member of the team as a user and/or developer.
Conference Agenda
A full conference agenda will take place over three days summarized as follows:- Day 1: Wednesday, 31 March 2010 - MapWindow Team Meeting - including selection of the MapWindow Project Steering Committee, general discussion of goals, plans, etc. (3:00 - 5:00 P.M.)
- Day 2: Thursday, 1 April 2010 – Workshops, workshops, workshops... (See the workshops page for more details on specific workshops to be offered.)
- Day 3: Friday, 2 April 2010 – Presentations from conference participants.(See the schedule page for details on the full conference agenda)
Conference Venue
We have been fortunate to secure meeting space at the brand newly rebuilt
Holiday Inn in the Walt Disney World Resort hotel for our conference. Please read more about the hotel and make your hotel accommodations on the
venue page.
This hotel is within the Walt Disney World Resort property and
is within walking distance of
Downtown Disney. Shuttle busses to the Disney World Parks
leave the hotel every 15 minutes.
This means there are plenty of opportunities for your family
members or traveling companions to have some fun while you are
attending the conference. Of course, you can always join them
before or after conference meetings for some Disney fun.
Cost
Considering the price that many software training companies charge for a single day workshop, the cost structure for this conference is a bargain. The bulk of the fees will just cover the expenses of the conference. Please bring your guests! Spouses, friends, and "significant others" are welcome to the conference and can register as "Guests".
| Registration Type | Early (on or before 17 Dec. 2009) | Regular (after 17 Dec. 2009) |
| Student | $180 USD | $230 USD |
| Full | $240 USD | $290 USD |
| Guest | $80 USD | $80 USD |
Full and Student Registrations Include:
- Participation in workshops and presentations.
- An official MapWindow GIS Conference T-Shirt and Pen; other schwag TBD.
- Morning and afternoon coffee/snack breaks on Thursday and Friday.
- Thursday night Disney-themed banquet.
- Free access to WIFI in all conference areas.
- Discounted Tickets to Walt Disney World theme parks are available in connection with the conference hotel. See venue page for details.
- Bragging rights: You attended the first MapWindow conference.
- Guest Brunch on Thursday at 10:00 AM - opportunity to get to know some of the other guests.
- Thursday night Disney-themed banquet.
- Discounted Tickets to Walt Disney World theme parks are available in connection with the conference hotel. See venue page for details.
Important Dates
- Conference registration and submission of abstracts for presentations opens September 21, 2009 and will remain open until March 26, 2010.
- Early bird registration ($180 for students, $240 full) ends December 17, 2009. After this, full registration rates apply ($230 for students, $290 full).
- Book your hotel rooms early. We have reserved a block of rooms at the conference hotel at the discounted rate of $139/night (as an “on site” Disney affiliated hotel, rates are usually closer to $169/night). Booking early will confirm space and help us demonstrate our commitment to the hotel. A credit card is required to hold your room, but no charges will be made till you check out.
Financial and in-kind sponsorship is provided to this conference by a number of individuals and organizations
listed on the right hand column of this page and all conference
pages.
If you would like to help sponsor this conference, please contact us. We have the following
specific sponsorship opportunities available:
- Banquet Sponsor: This is the pre-eminent sponsorship opportunity at the 1st International MapWindow GIS Users and Developers Conference. As Banquet Sponsor, your organization will be featured in the conference program, on the conference web page, and also on a banner and/or materials at the banquet room (banner or materials to be supplied by the sponsor). Cost for Banquet Sponsor: $2000.
- Break Sponsor: With multiple snack/coffee breaks (morning and afternoon both Thursday and Friday), a total of four Break Sponsor opportunities exist. As a Break Sponsor, your organization will be featured in the conference program, on the conference web page, and on a banner and/or materials at the breaks (banner or materials to be supplied by the sponsor). Cost for Break Sponsor: $500.
AWRA GIS and Water Resources
Consider attending the 2010 AWRA Spring Specialty Conference on GIS and Water Resources. This meeting will take place Monday through Wednesday of the same week as the MapWindow conference in Orlando. Many from the MapWindow team will be there as well.
