The detailed programme for the Global Geospatial Conference 2013 has been published on the conference website. This is the combined GSDI 14 World Conference and AfricaGIS 2013 Conference being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 4-8 November 2013, at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) of hosts UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
Seven Plenary Sessions
The conference includes an extensive programme of plenary and panel sessions, with renowned speakers offering their views and experience on a wide range of topics and issues focusing on the main conference theme of “Spatial Enablement in Support of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction”.
• Plenary 1: Conference Opening
– Welcome from the conference joint organisers, hosts and associated international geospatial organizations supporting the conference
– Keynote: Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Africa
• Plenary 2: Global Perspectives on Spatial Enablement in Support of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction
– Prof Jacqueline McGlade, recipient of the GSDI Global Citizen Award 2013
– Jack Dangermond, President, Esri
• Plenary 3: Corporate Perspectives
– Stan Tillman, Software Scientist, Intergraph
– Mark Cygan, Industry Solutions Manager for Map, Chart & Data Production and SDI, Esri
– Ed Parsons, Geospatial Technologist, Google
• Plenary 4: Multi-Nation and Regional Experiences and Perspectives
– Stanley Wood, Gates Foundation
– Peter Gilruth, Director, Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA), UNEP
– Barbara Ryan, Secretariat Director, Group on Earth Observation (GEO)
• Plenary 5: African Continent Perspectives
– Wilbur Khasilwa Ottichilo, MP, Emuhaya Constituency, Kenya
– Andrea Smith, Senior Regional Sales Manager, DigitalGlobe
– Lee Schwartz, Director, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, US Department of State
• Plenary 6: Panel on Aid Programs Supporting Mapping and Geospatial Initiatives
– African Union Commission/Monitoring of Environment and Security (MESA) – tba
– UN Development Program (UNEP) – tba
– Carrie Stokes, USAID Geographer, USAID GeoCenter
– Helge Onsrud, Director, Norwegian Mapping Authority, Centre for Property Rights and Development
– Roger Sayre, US Geological Survey, Senior Scientist for Ecosystems for Land Change Science Program
• Plenary 7: Conference Reflections So Far and Moving Forward
– Denise McKenzie, Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
– Prof David Coleman, President, GSDI Association
– Sives Govender, Executive Director, EIS-Africa & President, International Geospatial Society (IGS)
Technical Sessions
The plenaries are accompanied by an extensive technical programme of over 170 presentations in multiple parallel sessions each day of the conference. The session topics include:
– SDI and Geospatial Enablement
– SDI Development, Data Sharing and Tools
– Assessing SDIs
– Enabling Citizens, Government Decision Making, and Collaboration
– Enabling Africa
– Data: Decision, Policy and Economic Approaches
– Economic Development and Poverty, Institutional and Economic
– Education Innovations, Capacity Building
– Risk and Security, Vulnerability Assessment
– Collaborative Approaches: Implementation & Research
– Geospatial Research Reports & Studies: Crops, Water, Vegetation, Soil & Mineral, Change and Prediction
– Health, Roads, Agriculture, Forest Assessment, Change Assessment, Energy & Environment
– Technical Approaches, Monitoring and Management, Tracking Physical Change
– Resource and Waste Management, Vectors and Vegetation
– Land Information Systems Development, Land Use & Land Cover
– Earth Observation from Space, EO for Forestry & Agriculture (Agricab)
Industry Showcase
An Industry Showcase session is offered on Tuesday, 5 November, at which Exhibitors have the opportunity to present their organisations, products and services.
Workshops
Numerous workshops are offered, beginning on the Sunday preceding conference opening (3 November) through to Thursday (7 November). Attendance is free, but pre-registration at the conference web site is recommended.
– Esri: Hands on – WebGIS for decision-makers using ArcGIS Online
– Esri: Hands on – Mobile GIS using new Esri Tools
– Intergraph Workshop
– Esri: A Platform for Your Nation: ArcGIS Online
– AfriGEOSS Launch and Reception
– Earth Observation for Agriculture and Forestry Management
– Software for Processing and Interpreting Remote Sensing Image Time Series: SPIRITS Launch
– GMES and Africa Roundtable
– Google Maps and Earth: Basics, Advanced and Interesting Use Cases Workshop
See the full Workshops list, with details of dates, times location and content.
Meetings
– Meetings of the GSDI Societal Impacts Committee, Technical Committee, Legal & Socioeconomic Committee and the Outreach and Membership Committee are held on the final day of the conference (8 November). Anyone interested in participating in any of the Committees is invited to attend these sessions.
– The International Geospatial Society (IGS) meeting is on Sunday (3 November) at 1130-1300h.
– Member meetings for EIS-Africa and AARSE are on Friday morning (8 November).
– The new AfriGEOSS initiative of GEO will be launched on Tuesday (5 November), at a combined workshop and reception (1730h – 1900h).
Further information, contact: Sives Govender, Executive Director, EIS-Africa (SGovender@eis-africa.org), Prof Harlan Onsrud, Secretary-General, GSDI (Harlan.onsrud@maine.edu).
To see the detailed programme, please visit http://www.gsdi.org/gsdiconf/gsdi14/prog_details.html.