The theme for the 9th International Conference of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure is Spatial Information: Tool for reducing poverty. GSDI-9 will provide opportunities to participate in and attend plenary sessions, technical sessions, regional discussions groups, workshop, poster sessions and commercial exhibits. Together these activities support a rich environment for knowledge exchange.

This conference is to be held in Chile, an ideal location given its varied terrain and majestic beauty with rugged desert in the north, a fertile central valley, volcanoes and lakes toward the south with a rugged and complex coastline to the west and the Andes Mountains on the eastern border. The people are warm and friendly and the weather should be lovely as we meet in the center of Santiago, Chile’s capital city. In addition to enjoying the conference activities and the amenities of Santiago such as its restaurants, parks and museums, plan to stay a few extra days to enjoy the numerous natural and historic attractions as well as resorts in the surrounding vicinity.