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Leesburg, February 9, 2000

William E. Huxhold, a professor in the Department of Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, assumed leadership of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) for the next year during the group’s annual meeting in Washington.

UCGIS is a non-profit consortium of universities and other research institutions committed to advancing understanding of geographic processes and spatial relationships through improved theory, methods, technology and data.

Huxhold, who is the author of several textbooks on GIS, including An Introduction to Urban Geographic Information Systems, took office expressing his and the organization’s gratitude to outgoing UCGIS President Greg Elmes, of West Virginia University. Huxhold went on to say that Dr. Elmes set a high standard of leadership in the organization that will be a challenge to meet, but he intends to continue the tradition of strong leadership within the GI Science community that UCGIS represents.

Huxhold outlined UCGIS priorities for his 2000 term, based on the Consortium’s deliberations during the past year. He said that these priorities would be:

• to increase awareness outside the GI Science community of the value of geographic information science research and education, especially with regards to their benefits to society;

• to involve more educational, governmental, and private sector institutions, both here in the U.S. and internationally in the activities and goals of UCGIS;
• to increase the availability of forums for UCGIS members to communicate, debate, cooperate, and share their collective knowledge about GIScience and its value to society.

Harlan Onsrud, of the University of Maine, was elected as UCGIS vice president and president- elect. He will assume the presidency of the group at its winter meeting next year. Three new Board members will join him Robert McMaster, of the University of Minnesota, Harvey Miller, of the University of Utah, and Stephen Hirtle, from the University of Pittsburgh. Continuing Board Members include Barbara Buttenfield, of the University of Colorado, Art Getis, of San Diego State University, and Bob Rugg, of Virginia Commonwealth University. Board members serve three-year terms.

For more information contact:

Susan McDonald Jampoler

Executive Director, UCGIS

43351 Spinks Ferry Road

Leesburg, VA 20176

(703) 779-7980

execdir@ucgis.org