Membership has its benefits!

WAURISA serves the GIS community across the entire State of Washington via a variety of services and programs:

• The Annual Washington GIS Conference has grown year after year into the premier gathering of GIS users and professionals in Washington State.
• The Summit, WAURISA’s quarterly newsletter, provides in depth articles about local GIS programs, GIS educational opportunities, information about GIS volunteers and notable personalities, and a forum for opinions about key issues that impact the GIS community.
  
• Educational Workshops bring experts together to share their knowledge and experience to help disseminate best of breed GIS tools and techniques.
• The Summit Award is the WAURISA sponsored annual ‘GIS person of the Year’ award, to recognize ‘The Highest Level of Contribution to the Washington GIS Community.’ The award is presented during the Washington GIS Conference.
• The Dick Thomas Award recognizes our the efforts of GIS students through a student paper competition named in honor of Dick Thomas, held during the annual Washington GIS Conference.
• Access to the members only portion of the web page which includes a member directory, downloadable presentation materials for the past two annual conferences, and membership attendance records for the conference, committees, and award winners. 

WAURISA is committed to proving value to its members:

Students: 

Volunteer opportunities, networking, map contest, and student presentations at the Washington GIS Conference, resume posting and employment news on the Washington GIS Forum. The annual Dick Thomas Award student paper competition provides students an opportunities to present their work to their peers and to potential employers.  WAURISA can help students launch their career in GIS in Washington State.

GIS Users: 

Access to a variety of educational and informational resources to help GIS users maximize their investment in GIS tools and technology. WAURISA programs and services help users accelerate their GIS programs via access to the extensive knowledge base that our members represent.

GIS Professionals: 

WAURISA is committed to advancing the GIS profession in Washington State. Our events and publications facilitate the sharing of GIS ‘best practices.’ Many of our events provide GIS professionals with credit for GIS Certification, and our support of the GIS Code of Ethics advances the standing of the profession.

Other GIS User Groups: 

WAURISA is not the only organization that serves GIS users and professionals in the state. We coordinate and cooperate with local ‘grass roots’ GIS user groups, state or regional chapters of other professional organizations (GITA, ASPRS, ACSM, etc.), and GIS organizations in nearby states and in Canada.

GIS Service Providers & Vendors: 

Vendors and GIS service providers are a key part of the Washington GIS Community and WAURISA depends on their generous support. We provide GIS vendors and service providers with value as well, by offering a variety of venues for the community to publicize how they have used outside GIS services or products to help meet their business needs.