In 1998, USP approached the Fiji Lands Department to jointly conduct a two days National GIS Conference, which was than extended to a three-day conference in 1999. In 2004, this Fiji Conference was renamed to the "Pacific Islands GIS&RS User Conference" due to the increasing interests of participants that came from Pacific Island countries. In 2005, ISPRS joined the initiative and was part of the first discussion session of the Conference. Today, the Conference is the largest GIS and RS Conference in the Pacific, where Pacific application is dominating the content. There are similar conferences in New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii, however, Pacific islanders are not the dominant factor.
The Conference runs for four days, with over 60 presentations. Day five is reserved for workshops and day four contains the discussion session. The Conference provides a platform where three types of participants meet and interact: (A) Different Pacific island GIS&RS users from government administrations, utilities and private enterprises, (B) Scientists from Pacific and outside universities as well as research institutes or regional organisations and (C) companies of the GIS and RS market providing hardware, software, image data and service. During the day PPT presentations are dominant, but the Conference also provides every evening a social function, which give opportunities for the three groups of participants to meet and exchange ideas.
During the last few years the Conference did not produce proceedings; presenters and presentations are available on the Conference website.
PGRSC History
The Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council (PGRSC) was officially launched in March 2018. The 2017 Pacific Islands GIS & RS User Conference was the first one run by the independent Council and not by SPC. Now, the GIS and RS Council has focal points in nearly all Pacific Island countries providing country input to the Conference. This year is the first time that the Conference will be held in a different Pacific island country. PGRSC also has vehicles or information dissamination such as the Pacific Islands GIS&RS Newsletter, which has been existed for more than 25 years and a e-mail distribution list IS-PacNet, existing since 1996. Today PGRSC is the Pacific regional member of IDSPRS and has a MoU with SIBA/GITA and with STAR. Other links are in discussion.
