PostgreSQL and GIS: breaking way from the "conventional" GIS Mindset

Our speaker is John J. Reiser (http://users.rowan.edu/~reiser/)) of Rowan University:

John will speak on PostgreSQL & GIS: breaking away from the conventional GIS mindset:

While "spatial databases" are often part of GIS software vendors' marketing, many GIS users are still most familiar with conventional file-based formats. Presenter John Reiser will discuss how his understanding of PostgreSQL evolved from "backend black box" to become a major tool for GIS research and project management.

Topics (may change if inspiration strikes):

• choosing a GIS database

• doing more with GIS than ESRI provides

• exploring PostGIS, crosstabs, ESRI's ST_Geometry & mixing these to suit different projects

• spatial is special -- but not as special as it is made out to be

• GIS terminology can turn off users, how to turn them back on

John blogs as New Jersey Geographer (http://njgeo.org)