KAM History

In 1986, the State of Kansas underwent a mass reappraisal and classification. This required every county in Kansas to acquire new photo base maps and create ownership, agricultural use and soil overlays. That same year a small group of individuals determined that there was a need for an association to deal with the issues of mapping and to offer a forum for exchange of information.

The first organizational meeting was held April 2, 1986 and a steering committee was formed. The group selected the Kansas Association of Mappers as the official name. In addition, they developed a list for membership, developed a constitution, decided to create two levels of professional designations and filed for nonprofit charter. The Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Kansas Secretary of State on April 14, 1986.

The first conference was held in November 1986. The growth and expansion that KAM has undergone since then can gauge the success of the one-day conference. At the 8th Annual Conference in 1993, the membership approved the 3rd Edition of the constitution that broadened the scope of KAM. The organization became more broadly based with a large variety of land information specialists joining in. The membership is currently over 200 and includes professionals from the federal, state and local government, the private sector and academic institutions.

In 1996, Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh, officially certified the KAM compass design logo.

KAM operates from a constitution and a set of by-laws. The Executive Board administers the business of the association. In addition, KAM has nine standing committees to support its activities. They are: Awards, Designations, Education, History, Legislation/Standards, Membership, Nominations, and Program and Publications. KAM is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

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