Dr. Barry Wellar, who is affiliated with both groups, is the Administrator of the Competition. He is the Distinguished Research Fellow at Transport 2000, and Media Program Director for GIS Day for the Association.
"Transportation research and applications have been a core aspect of geographic information systems (GIS) for decades. However, there are major changes taking place that call for a new generation of alternative transportation experts to come out of Canadian universities and colleges. They need to know a lot more about sustainable transport, new research methods and techniques, and GIS software and technologies. This Competition is seen as a practical way to serve the institutional interests of Transport 2000, and to also put a very substantive topic on the table for university and college students participating in GIS Day activities."
According to Wellar this is the kind of partnering that makes great economic and logistical sense when a high tech component is involved.
"The Canadian Association of Geographers has already established itself as a major player in Canada's GIS Day experience, so it makes sense to tie Transport 2000 in with the Association. In addition, for the past six years the Laboratory for Applied Geomatics and GIS Science at the University of Ottawa has been running the kind of poster program that we plan to use for the Competition. The agreement of the Lab to assist in conducting the Competition means that the technology part is taken care of, and Transport 2000 can focus on providing the transportation expertise needed to review the posters, prepare the evaluations and select the award winners."
The date for GIS Day in 2007 is November 14, but the program is being announced now to give faculty and students lead time to prepare for the competition says Dr. Wellar.
"The GIS-Transportation Competition is a very significant initiative, and we want to give Canadian university and college students every opportunity to produce outstanding GIS-transportation projects and applications. Making the announcement now will help professors and students gear up for the fall semester when the competition will be held."
Faculty members and students who want to learn more about the GIS-Transportation Prize Competition should monitor www.transport2000.ca for developments.
[29 January 2007]