The 2016 COGNA conference will take place May 3—7, 2016, in Reno, Nevada.  We are looking for papers and panels to explore a full range of toponymic topics such as name standardization policies at the Federal, State, Tribal, and local levels of government, and conflict resolution regarding naming procedures.

This conference is the only event that brings together the State Geographic Names Authorities (SNAs) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) and provides participants a unique opportunity to share information and knowledge about the geographic naming process.  There is no better way to network and benefit from the expertise of members and staff of the BGN, SNAs, Tribal authorities, other State and Federal mapping agencies, and members of the geospatial and academic communities.

We invite anyone to share their experiences with geographic names, standardization, policies, and practices to submit papers for individual presentations (25 minutes with 5 minutes of Q & A), or panel sessions (up to 1.5 hours).  University scholars, GIS professionals, government employees, community leaders, or anyone with a personal or professional interest in geographic names are specifically encouraged to participate.

Suggested topics may include, but not limited to:
Issues when the names in state & federal data bases are different
Mapping by various agencies such as USGS, USFS, NPS, BLM, FWS, FEMA, State, and local
Geographic names in emergency response
Using geographic names in GIS
Coordination of geographic name usage between different municipalities
Native American names
Geographic name usage and standardization in web mapping applications
History of geographic names
Linguistic and cultural influences on geographic names

Submissions on related topics of interest to a toponymic audience are welcome.

Send a 250-word abstract to Wayne Furr at twfurr@cogna50usa.org for consideration.  Indicate the type of presentation that you are sending in, individual or panel discussion.  For panel discussions, provide the names (or suggested names) of all presenters and their affiliation.  Due Date: April 1, 2016.

Note: All presenters must register as conference attendees.  

We hope that you will save the dates and join us in Reno, NV for a lively and informative experience.  Don’t forget to mark your calendars!