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Aurora, Colo., October 31, 2007—The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) has announced that Michael Harris of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has received the 2007 GIS for Oil & Gas Conference Speaker Award. The association also announced that the 2008 GIS for Oil & Gas Conference is slated for Sept. 21-24, 2008, at the Marriott Westchase Hotel in Houston, Texas.

The Speaker Award recognizes the top session presenter out of the event’s 26 technical sessions. Each speaker was rated by session participants in the areas of quality of presentation, content of session, visual aids, and relevance of topic, and Harris scored highest overall.

Upon learning that he was awarded, Harris said he was honored and a little shocked and surprised. “It is always my main goal to deliver value to attendees during a presentation, and I want them to be able to walk away with some new idea or learning so this award means a lot to me,” Harris said. “Presentations at these events are important because there really shouldn’t be any competition among pipeline companies when it comes to standards and methods. The real competition is the business environment and the challenges of labor shortages, stricter regulations, aging infrastructure, escalating costs, and declining volumes. Pipeline companies must cooperate and learn from each other to provide the most effective solutions.”

The 2007 GIS for Oil & Gas Conference had a record-breaking 14% increase in attendance and brought together 780 GIS and oil and gas professionals. The event featured paper presentations, half-day seminars, panels, and an exhibition hall.

Recognized as a leading educational association dedicated to geospatial information, GITA has developed a reputation for bringing together industry leaders to present papers, take part in panel discussions, and participate in seminars at the association’s annual conference. Using their industry knowledge in addition to effective presentation skills, these speakers share their experience with GIS professionals.

For more information about the 2008 GIS for Oil & Gas Conference, please visit gita.org/oilgas.

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The mission of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) is to provide excellence in education, information exchange, and applied research on the use and benefits of geospatial information and technology in infrastructure applications worldwide. Visit GITA on the Web at www.gita.org.