PR -- Petroleum and pipeline professionals from the worldwide ESRI user community will soon gather at the 2009 ESRI Petroleum User Group (PUG) Conference being held February 23–25, 2009, at the Houston Marriott Westchase in Houston, Texas. The PUG Conference is the best place for oil and gas professionals using geographic information system (GIS) technology to explore the business value of GIS for their organizations. This premier event serves as a forum for attendees to connect with others in the energy industry, as well as ESRI staff and business partners, and discuss trends, solutions, and best practices for successfully leveraging GIS.

Regardless of their GIS experience, participants will come away from the conference with innovative ideas and tools they can put to work immediately in their business. The broad range of sessions and activities being offered are geared to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to launch, grow, or maintain GIS projects and widen the scope of their GIS investment. From GIS and IT professionals to senior executives and health, safety, security, and environment (HSSE) users, conference attendees will find the resources they need to improve efficiency and lower expenses.

"This conference will help set the stage for many GIS departments' 2009–2010 IT goals," said Geoff Wade, natural resources industry solutions manager, ESRI. "The current economic environment compels petroleum companies to employ systems that enable them to think and act smarter than they ever have. The information strategies and GIS technologies that industry experts and oil and pipeline GIS users will share as they convene at PUG 2009 will be essential for improving efficiencies across the board."

The gathering provides a place to learn the latest in GIS technology, applications, and methods. User presentations will be given on topics ranging from exploration and production to infrastructure support and mobile field deployment. Technical sessions will delve into ArcGIS 9.3 as ESRI staff perform a variety of demonstrations and discuss important topics. Attendees can also meet with ESRI development staff and work on a list of software enhancements they would like to see in future releases. Plus, participants can visit the GIS Solutions EXPO and Map Gallery to meet with energy and technology industry vendors and representatives from other agencies using GIS to enhance operations.

The deadline to save $50 on conference registration is February 4. Discounts on hotel accommodations are also available. To find out more about PUG 2009 and to register, visit www.esri.com/pug.