The International Geospatial Society (IGS) is a global community of individual specialists and professionals with geospatial, spatial data infrastructure, geographic information system (GIS), mobile technology, mapping and related interests. The goal of the organization is to engage and enhance communications internationally among individuals who are actively involved in promoting, developing, or advancing geospatial and affiliated concepts.

The International Geospatial Society enables members to become fully engaged with peers from across the world and is currently the only global organization of individual member geospatial specialists. Members are actively engaged in developing the annual work plans for the organization, participate in teams to accomplish those plans and vote electronically for officers and resolutions as appropriate. As the individual member arm of the GSDI Association (GSDI), IGS members may actively serve on the standing committees of both IGS and GSDI. The elected President and Vice-President of IGS are members of the GSDI Association Council and the President sits on the GSDI Board of Directors.

The home nations of members span the globe (see http://geospatialsociey.org/members). To promote equity in opportunity internationally and to better support technology transfer among all, the organization supports open access to all of its publications and individuals from developing nations have the opportunity to join the organization for free.

Why should I join?

Develop Partnerships

The International Geospatial Society and the GSDI Association provide a global venue for networking, communicating and learning among members. The organizations are highly inclusive providing contacts and communication avenues to diverse parties from across the world. International Geospatial Society members and government, private sector, academic and non-profit organization members of GSDI are invited to participate fully in GSDI conferences, seminars, web discussions, and through the GSDI knowledge networks. Organizations looking for intellectual resources and geospatial consultants can better find each other through the Society.  

Contribute to and benefit from growing global knowledge networks developed by and for the discipline.

As an International Geospatial Society member you are invited to contribute and maintain your professional personal profile and that of your organization in the Geographic Information Knowledge Network (GIKNet, http://giknet.org). This is a highly visible guide to the global geographic specialist and professional communities where you may also upload documents created by yourself to a long-term archive being developed for the community. Further, you gain access to the GSDI Member Services System, a web-based portal environment, where you may directly contribute SDI Community News to the Member’s Corner on the IGS and the GSDI homepages.

Support and Contribute to Open Access Publishing of Geospatial Learning Materials 

IGS and GSDI strive to publish all of their publications using open access licensing. In this manner, the annual dues supplied by members support publications that are legally-accessible across the globe providing maximum dissemination of knowledge. Refereed open-access publication outlets are offered in conjunction with all major world conferences. Even our officially supported scholarly journals, the International Journal of Spatial Data Infrastructure Research and the Journal of Spatial Information Science, are open access peer-reviewed publications (see http://www.gsdi.org/official_journals). 

Support Developing Nation Initiatives and Markets

IGS and GSDI support the establishment and expansion of local, national, and multi-national spatial data infrastructures that are locally to globally compatible. It has a particular emphasis on helping developing nations to establish such infrastructures and acquire the capacities to maintain them. Get involved through the developing IGS committee structure or the existing GSDI committee structure to help put in place member-driven processes for prioritization of IGS resources to address the educational and technological needs of developing nation participants.

Help build recommendations on SDI Best Practices

Help identify and document geospatial technology and SDI best practices including technical, business, and policy practices.  Help build practical how-to-do guides and short videos for use by government and businesses worldwide and have them hosted in the GIKNetwork and/or through the International Geospatial Society web pages.

Be affiliated with an organization with established global recognition and resources.

The International Geospatial Society is affiliated with an already established and well-respected international organization of geospatial agencies and organizations. The GSDI Association is the premier organization connecting professionals and specialists interested in promoting international cooperation and collaboration in support of compatible local, national and international spatial data infrastructure developments.  Such developments will allow nations and organizations to better address social, economic, and environmental issues of pressing importance.  Successful major conferences in Bonn (Germany), Chapel Hill (USA), Canberra (Australia), Cape Town (South Africa), Cartagena (Colombia), Budapest (Hungary), Bangalore (India), Cairo (Egypt), St. Augustine (Trinidad), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Singapore (Singapore) and Quebec City (Canada) attest to the growing global influence of the GSDI Association and enhance likely long-term success and productivity of the International Geospatial Society.

Participate in the regular GSDI World Conferences

If you have the ability to travel, we invite you to participate, network and partner with others at the global GSDI conferences.  Since 1996, experts in SDI and geospatial matters have come together to share their experiences in advancing SDI’s from local to international levels.  Registrants and special guests participate in presentation, panel and poster sessions, engage in round table and committee project discussions, receive workshop training in spatial data infrastructure advancements, and challenge each other in lively technical and policy dialog on SDI and geospatial topics. International Geospatial Society meetings are held in conjunction with each world conference.

Grow professionally and personally

The International Geospatial Society offers expanding opportunities for participation by individuals.  Join a committee and become engaged in developing and carrying out its workplan. Present a paper or propose a panel discussion or workshop at a conference. Propose a global webinar for live viewing and archival linking. Participate in discussion lists or contribute knowledge to the GIKNet for others to learn more about you.  Participate in training and workshop opportunities with other members of the global community whether online or in person.

How much is the annual fee?

The annual fee is US$ 50 for regular membership. Full-time enrolled university students may choose to pay an annual fee of US $25 (students must provide the name of the university in which they are enrolled full-time and provide the contact e-mail and phone number for the academic department head). Individuals from qualifying developing nations have the additional option to join for free by meeting a few conditions.

How do I join?

Fill out the short membership web form at http://geospatialsociety.org/join.

A.     Payment: Submit your annual membership fee payment through use of a credit card.  Invoice processing, international wire transfer fees and foreign exchange charges often exceed the entire amount of the suggested annual fee. Thus, in order to keep fees as low as possible for everyone, we accept annual membership fee payments for the International Geospatial Society only though online credit card payments or through the transfer of cash in person to our Business Manager at a GSDI World Conference.

B.    Free Membership: If you are both a citizen of and reside in a low income and lower middle income country¹ and you have professional interests germane to the Society, you probably qualify for free membership as specified at http://www.igeoss.org/freemembership. If you do, fill out the professional profile as required. Then, in completing the membership information at http://www.igeoss.org/join, you will be offered automatically the free membership option if you are from a qualifying country.

To answer further questions or for detailed information on any of the above, see the Bylaws of the GSDI Association that may be found at http://gsdi.org or contact any of the staff or officers listed at http://geospatialsociety.org/contacts

¹Consult http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/CLASS.XLS

Benefits of Joining IGS (pdf version)