Hi Everyone,

The GIS Council announces the 1^st Annual NPS GIS Awards. Five categories of GIS Awards have been established. These awards will be presented at the upcoming Spatial Odyssey Conference the week of Dec 3^rd, 2001. Please review the following award categories and nominate an employee, co-worker, partner, or yourself for this award. To submit an award, fill out the GIS Award Nomination Form electronically. These awards need to be submitted to Nigel Shaw via email (nigel_shaw@nps.gov) by close of business on Wednesday, November 14^th. A team of GIS professionals will review the awards submitted and make decisions regarding who will receive the awards. Thanks for participating in the process!

1. GIS Enablers - recognizes supporters of GIS implementations or projects who may use the products but are not software users themselves. Examples include the superintendent who encourages and supports a park staff person to implement GIS or the GIS specialist's colleague who pursues a particular application for GIS but does not have the expertise to implement it.
2. Non-traditional Users - recognizes GIS users who apply the technology in new ways or for new purposes. Examples include a park GIS Specialist who develops an application to support the contracting office, or someone using GIS in a musical context.
3. Heroism - recognizes those who apply GIS technology in support of a life or resource saving situation. Examples include GIS support of a rescue mission, fire fighting, visitor safety, or protecting an resource such as a cultural site or endangered species.
4. Team Project - recognizes an achievement made by a group that required their working together and involved the use of GIS technology to achieve their ends. Examples include a planning team, an exotics control team, or a cultural resource mitigation project.
5. Community Outreach - recognizes use of GIS by NPS staff to further the creation of a partnership or meet the objectives of a partnership. This could be a formal NPS partner or an individual's contribution of their expertise to a local organization. Examples include GIS analysis of census data to identify people who may have an interest in a given greenway, GIS support of a Girl Scout Troop doing a tree census in their neighborhood (maybe they don't need GIS to do the job, but their learning is enhanced by its inclusion), or providing community service applications of GIS.