March 29, 2004

Dear GIS Professional:

Last spring, many Montana GIS users recognized a need to rethink how coordination, communication, and cooperation were taking place within the GIS community.

In October, a brainstorming meeting was held in Livingston. While there, we identified obstacles and possible improvements that could be made to strengthen the GIS community as a whole. We broke out into small groups that were tasked with providing a course of action that addressed these issues. At the end of the meeting, a steering committee consisting of representatives from the existing GIS groups in Montana including ITWG, MLGGC, MGIC and MTGIS Users' Group, were selected to carry forward the recommendations to a single cohesive solution.

Over the past several months, the steering committee drafted a Constitution and Bylaws for a new association that incorporates the strengths and needs of the individual groups that now exist, as well as the Montana GIS community as a whole. We would like to invite you to attend an in-depth presentation regarding this process and its results, followed by a question and answer period during the Intermountain GIS conference. The conference is being held in Billings, April 19th - 23rd (see http://www.mtgeo.org/conference2004 for details). The scheduled time for this presentation is from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. on April 21st. Please feel free to contact any member of steering committee or MTGIS Users' Group board if you have questions or concerns. Also, there will be education, conference planning, and technical committee meetings held at 5:00 p.m. on April 21st. If you are interested in becoming involved in any of these areas, we encourage you to attend these meetings.

If you are a member of the MTGIS Users' Group, you will be receiving a ballot that will determine if we move forward to the new association or continue under the current operating structures of the various groups. As president of the MTGIS Users' Group, and on behalf of my fellow board members, we urge you to support the transition to the Montana Association of GIS Professionals (MAGIP). We believe it will strengthen the Montana GIS community for years to come.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has participated in this process, with special thanks to the steering committee for their commitment to the Montana GIS community.

Sincerely,

Annette Cabrera
President
MTGIS Users' Group Board
Constitution and Bylaws of the Montana Association of GIS Professionals