Dear ICA Colleagues,
The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for the 30th International Cartographic Conference in Florence, Italy, are ready for us to arrive and participate, whether it is in-person or remotely. The LOC has worked tirelessly to ensure a complete scientific program, a special experience in maximizing the Florence experience in art, history, cuisine and hospitality. Each of us has been faced with difficult circumstances in determining if we participate in person. For some, government travel restrictions have made the decision for you. For others, what we hoped was a calming of the pandemic storm was complicated with the recent Omicron variant. Each of us is having to make choices that require seeking information beyond the normal challenges of traveling to a different country. From my experience, having been to Europe three different times beginning in September, Italy had the most organized and stringent requirements for personal health safety. Those procedures have not been relaxed since that time. In fact, in our most recent meeting with the LOC on Monday, they have been in continual discussion with government and the university to ensure that the ICC is compliant. I am departing soon to be in Florence with our hosts. I am looking forward to see the beauty of Florence, the International Cartographic Exhibition at the Italian Geographic Military Institute, the School of Humanities at the University of Florence, the gala dinner at the Palazzo Borghese, and the other settings we will experience during our stay. There is so much to see.
See you in Florence!
– Tim Trainor
President of the International Cartographic Association
