Geographic Information Systems users, emergency response specialists, and forestry and natural resource professionals will converge on downtown Nacogdoches for the third-annual East Texas Geospatial Conference Jan. 21-23 at Hotel Fredonia.

The conference will provide GIS professionals opportunities for learning, networking and training and will feature Robert Joseph, director of the U.S. Geological Survey Texas Water Science Center, as keynote speaker on Wednesday. Mary Jo Naschke, public information officer for the City of Galveston, will serve as keynote speaker on Thursday.

The event is sponsored by Stephen F. Austin State University, the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, the Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center, the East Texas GIS and GPS Users Group, and the South Central Arc GIS User Group.

The cost of the conference is $50 and includes lunch and dinner on Wednesday and lunch on Thursday. Five technical workshops will be held at an additional cost of $15 each. They will include ArcPad I, ArcPad II, Geocoding in ArcGIS 9.3, Weather Mash-Ups and Introduction to Plume Modeling. In addition, a Geographic Information Systems Professional certification overview will be offered for $10.

For the conference registration form, lodging details and additional information, visit www.crgsc.org or call (936) 468-1347.