Vice Admiral (ret.) Robert Murrett, former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Dr. Michael Griffin, former chief administrator of NASA, headline event.

The inaugural GEO Huntsville Conference (formerly the Rocket City Geospatial Conference) will feature two keynote speakers who reflect the focus of the event: geospatial intelligence and the commercialization of space. Vice Admiral (ret.) Robert Murrett, the former director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and Dr. Michael Griffin, the former chief administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), will be the keynoters and will emphasize the importance of geospatial technology to the economic development of Huntsville.

“In the City of Huntsville, we are increasingly relying on GIS technologies to manage our natural resources, environmental planning, telecommunications, public safety and transportation,” said Mayor Tommy Battle. “We see significant growth opportunities in commercial space applications, and there is no better place to explore those connections than here in Huntsville with our leadership in space technologies.”

“Our keynoters are two of the nation’s preeminent leaders in geospatial and space technology and we are thrilled to have them provide their perspective on their respective disciplines,” said Joe Francica, conference chairman and the vice publisher of Directions Media, the conference organizer.

The GEO Huntsville Conference will offer attendees the opportunity to seek business opportunities through both private sector partnerships and those with federal government agencies. The objective is to promote the geospatial technology applications and innovation by the companies, agencies and academic institutions that comprise the North Alabama region. 

GEO Huntsville is one of three economic development and jobs initiatives sponsored by Mayor Battle. Cyber Huntsville and Energy Huntsville are the other initiatives and both will be participating in the conference.

The conference will be held November 8 and 9, 2012 in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  This conference will feature a full slate of presentations from C-level executives and military administrators who will discuss the applications of geographic information within their organizations and how Huntsville is developing into a region of geospatial technology excellence.

Registration and information

The conference organizers encourage early registration, which will cost only $195. The cost for students is $75. More information about the conference can be found at the conference website: Www.GEOHuntsville.com.

About Directions Media

The conference is hosted by Directions Media, the global leader in collectively covering all aspects of location technology: geographic information systems (GIS), location intelligence, digital mapping and location-based services (LBS).  Directions Media, with offices in Huntsville, Alabama and Glencoe, Illinois, encompasses four media properties: Directions Magazine, and All Points Blog as well as the Location Intelligence and GEO Huntsville annual conferences. More information can be found at www.DirectionsMedia.net.