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NACIS News October 2023

Date posted: September 29, 2023

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It’s almost conference time

The 43rd Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh is nearly here! We’re excited to see you and have planned a full schedule of engaging events. Here’s a helpful checklist of things that you should do this week, if you haven’t already:

Vote for our newest board members before Oct. 6th at 11:59pm Pacific time

Order your conference t-shirt in time to receive it before you leave for the conference (a limited number will also be available in person)

Take the NACIS membership census to help us understand our community better

Review the bylaw changes detailed below, so you can vote on them at the Annual Business Meeting in Pittsburgh

Be aware of our cancellation policy

In light of current events, we would like to remind our members of our cancellation policy for the conference. Should you need to cancel your registration, the deadline is 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on Monday, October 2nd.

Sign up for the field trip

If you’re planning on attending Eric Theise’s A Synesthete’s Atlas field trip on Saturday evening (October 14th), check out the updated Sched page for details and get your advance ticket at Eventbrite!

Video sponsors needed

Every year it costs NACIS about $20,000 to record and share conference videos. We’re seeking sponsorships to cover the cost so we can continue to build a library of cartographic content available to anyone on our YouTube channel. Please visit our video sponsorship page if you or your organization can make a donation. Thanks!

Proposals to update the NACIS bylaws

NACIS leadership recommends the following updates to our bylaws. Please review the proposed changes, as NACIS members will be voting on this proposal at our Annual Business Meeting during the conference in October.

Replace the gendered pronouns “s/he” with the gender-neutral “they”. NACIS acknowledges the diversity of gender identities in our community, and is committed to using our members’ correct pronouns as a matter of respect, courtesy, and with the belief it helps foster a more inclusive Society (full text of proposed change).

Remove the limit on student member status eligibility (currently three years). NACIS recognizes that academic programs often take longer than three years. Removing this time limit will ensure that students at any stage of their program will continue to have access to reduced membership rates and conference registration fees, travel grants, student competitions and awards, and eligibility to run for the student board member position (full text of proposed change).

Third annual Map Swap

The NACIS Map Swap will again be a part of the annual meeting, during Thursday morning break. Remember to pack your extra maps to share! And to leave room in your suitcase for free maps. You don’t need to bring maps in order to take maps, as there will be plenty to go around. Questions? Ask Jen Mapes.

Calling all conference speakers

If you’re speaking at the conference this year, please respond to the email you received from your session moderator as soon as you can. Any presenters who didn’t receive a moderator email: please reach out to our moderator coordinator, Vicky Johnson-Dahl.

Annual map design competition

The Cartography and Geographic Information Society is pleased to announce our 51st Annual Map Design Competition. The competition is open to all mapmakers in the United States and Canada for maps completed or published during 2023. Entry is free for all, and submissions are due by January 31st.

The purpose of the competition is to promote interest in map design and to recognize significant design advances in cartography. The focus of this competition is design; therefore, judging is based on cartographic design criteria, such as creativity, text (including spelling and grammar), balance, unity, visual hierarchy, clarity, use of color, and subject matter. See award categories and entry details here.

Banner image by user 12019 via Pixabay