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lisbon area estoril & cascais congress center facilities around |
The venue for GIS PLANET 2005 is located in Estoril, a small touristy village of the Metropolitan Area of Lisboa, the capital city of Portugal. Lisboa is a modern metropolis of cosmopolitan environment, showing a full splendid contrast between traditional and contemporary values, mystiques, landscapes, architectural designs and cultural assets. Being at the crossroads of civilizations, from the western limit of the known world during the beginning of the Roman Empire to the starting and center point of global commerce in the middle of the last Millennium, Lisboa trusts its Atlantic vocation to challenge the future as a major European gateway and converging platform between continents. Standing in the northern bank of the River Tagus’ estuary, the largest in Europe, and sprawled over several hills, Lisbon holds a unique, fantastic and surprising light. As their strong and always present relationship grows in intensity and form, its oceanic destiny is granted by a renewed borderline where old monuments and leisure facilities are integrated with new architectural symbols like the Centro Cultural de Belém. The spectacular city light and historic buildings are enriched by some strong characteristics such as the hospitality of the inhabitants, the wonderful gastronomy and the intense nightlife of areas like Bairro Alto, Docklands and Expo, making it a perfect destination for everyone. In 1998, Lisboa hosted the Expo’98 – The Last World Exhibition of the 20th Century, becoming a meeting point of cultures and people to celebrate the oceans, within the mystic of discoveries and the spirit of humanism. More recently, it served as one of the Portuguese cities for the Euro 2004 – European Football Championship. Those great events were only possible thanks to the attractiveness of the Lisbon area that, supported by excellent state of the art accommodation facilities and organizational capabilities, drove it to the top five world cities demanded to host international conferences and meetings, according to the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA). |
Lisbon is a perfect setting for the meeting, with its historical role in discovery and mapping, and its modern role as an exciting city. I am very pleased to be part of GIS PLANET, and am looking forward to a milestone conference." Michael Goodchild University of California, Santa Barbara GIS PLANET 2005 Chairman |
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