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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cornell!uw-beaver!ubc-cs!alberta!calgary!ctycal!ingoldsb
From: ingoldsb@ctycal.COM (Terry Ingoldsby)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Are you interested in Computer Mapping Systems?
Message-ID: <456@ctycal.UUCP>
Date: 8 Sep 89 22:50:41 GMT
References: <1883@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM>
Organization: The City of Calgary, Ab
Lines: 28
Keywords: A proposal to create a newsletter
Summary: Chicken and eggs

In article <1883@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM>, rcw@scicom.AlphaCDC.COM (Robert White) writes:
> I would like to see if there are enough users on the net interested
> in Geographic Information Systems (i.e. Arc/Info, DeltaSystems, Tydac, etc)
> to warrant a newsletter.  A GIS is a program capable of performing spatial

I would *definitely* be interested in a newsletter, email list or newsgroup that
discussed the concerns of GIS users.  GIS doesn't seem to fit into any category;
it has aspects of computer graphics, database, image processing.  It is used on
every sort of machine from IBM mainframes to workstations to PCs.

Part of the problem with getting GIS going on the net is due to the nature of
the agencies participating in GIS.  Much of the GIS work is done by government
groups who do not know about Usenet, electronic mail, etc., neither do they see
any benefit (since there are no groups discussing GIS).  Also, government
agencies are very sensitive about possible security risks of tying to networks.
This leads to a Catch-22 situation since you don't get a newsgroup unless
there are users and there are no users without a  newsgroup.

Nonetheless it behooves those of us who are enlightened :^) to educate the rest
about the benefits of the network.  Starting a newsletter would be a good first
step. 



-- 
  Terry Ingoldsby                       ctycal!ingoldsb@calgary.UUCP
  Land Information Systems                           or
  The City of Calgary         ...{alberta,ubc-cs,utai}!calgary!ctycal!ingoldsb