About Us

GeoAlberta History

GeoAlberta is co-hosted by The Alberta Chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), the Alberta Chapter of the Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA), the Alberta Geomatics Group (AGG), and the City of Edmonton's Geographic Base Information Systems Office (GBIS).

These four GIS organizations decided to join forces in 2001 and merged their previously individual annnual conferences into the first GeoAlberta, which was held in Edmonton in 2002. Now, over 400 GIS professionals and those interested in applying GIS in their organizations converge annually under one roof for three days of sharing, learning, networking, and fun!

The conference rotates each year between Edmonton and Calgary, with Edmonton being the host city for 2006.

Who Attends?

Attendees at GeoAlberta represent a number of different industries:

Other interesting facts about GeoAlberta attendees:

  • Average age of attendees = 35.
  • Average number of years in the industry: 7.7 years.
  • 77% male, 23% female.
  • 88% of GeoAlberta attendees attend only 1-2 conferences per year (including GeoAlberta). 12% attend 3-4 conferences per year.
  • Primary attendee objectives for coming to GeoAlberta:
    • Education / Professional Development
    • Networking with peers in the industry
    • Fun / Inspiration / Break from the norm
    • Information to help buy GIS products or services