American Water Resources Association (AWRA) 2010 Spring Specialty Conference GIS & Water Resources VI

CONFERENCE OPENING PLENARY SESSION

Monday / March 17 / 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Ari Michelsen
President, American Water Resources Association
Texas AgriLife Research, Texas A&M University, El Paso, TX

Sandra Fox
Conference General Chair
St. Johns River Water Management District, Palatka, FL

Francisco Olivera
Conference Technical Program Chair
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX

Keynote Speech: Integrating Water Resources Information Using GIS and the Web

Dr. Jack Dangermond
President and Founder, ESRI
Redlands, CA

GIS is entering a new era when broader band-width, faster computers and massive storage capabilities are creating the ability to share data and services in “the cloud”. Time series of observations data for water flow, level and quality can now be accessed as web services using the WaterML language. Maps of observation network site locations are being published in ArcGIS Online, and linked to water web services, enabling new mapping and modeling applications that describe the variation of water conditions in time and space, the integration of this information with other geospatial layers to improve water operations, management and planning, and improving the public access to water information.

SPECIAL PLENARY SESSION

Monday / March 29 / 10:30 AM - 12:00 Noon

Plenary Panel: A Strategic Vision of the Future for Water Resources Information

Moderator: Jack Hampson
National Water Resource Technologies Program, PBS&J ~ Tampa, Florida

Panelists

Jack Dangermond
President, ESRI ~ Redlands, California

Dr. David Maidment
CUAHSI HIS Principal Investigator, Center for Research in Water Resources-University of Texas at Austin ~ Austin, Texas

James R. Cameron
Divison Director, GIS & Web Development, South Florida Water Management District ~ West Palm Beach, Flordia

Katherine Lins
Chief, Office of Water Information, Water Resources Division, USGS ~ Reston, Virginia

Tommy Dewald
NHDPlus Program Manager, USEPA Office of Water ~ Washington, D.C.

Sharing their vision of what is needed to meet water resources challenges in the coming decade, a panel of leading professionals and researchers spanning regional and federal government, industry, and academia come together for a strategic discussion.

What is possible with new and emerging information technologies to help us respond effectively and creatively to those challenges? The panel discussion will tie to the plenary address by Jack Dangermond on the kind of information framework needed to handle the diverse and complex requirements of water resources management.

What needs are shared by the inter-related challenges facing water supply, water quality, flood risk, environmental monitoring, protection, and restoration in a context of water/energy tradeoffs, climate change and uncertainty?