Forum of Geographic Information for Relief and Development (GeOnG 2014)

CartONG

ESRI

Mon, 22 Sep - Tue, 23 Sep 2014

GeOnG 2014, on the theme “Turning data into actionable knowledge” will be held in Chambery’s Conference Centre “Le Manège” next September 22nd and 23rd. It aims at an audience of professional of data management and geographic information systems as well as at humanitarian actors using these technologies. Trainings on data management and geographic information systems will be held. Registration is open on CartONG's website (http://cartong.org/geong/2014/inscriptions) and early birds tariffs are currently available. CartONG is also looking for partners wishing to support us for the organisation of this event.

Since 2008, CartONG, a non-profit dedicated to the use of geographic information by relief and development organisations, organises the Forum of Geographic Information for Relief and Development GeOnG every two years.

This year, CartONG, in partnership with Esri, will hold its biennial event on the theme “Turning data into actionable knowledge”. Gathering professional of geographic information systems and data management as well as humanitarian using or interested in these technologies, the GeOnG is an event of exchange about practices, needs and challenges faced by the field. Conferences, round tables and hands on workshops will be organized in order to understand data and its use.

The previous edition saw almost 130 participants, coming form 60 different organisations gather. This year’s theme will be an opportunity to consider an unprecedented situation. The growing number of data collection tools, evoked during GeOnG 2010, as well as the multiplication of means to access and store data, like the cloud solutions which were at the heart of GeOnG 2012, foster data proliferation. Today, large amounts of data are available within days and even hours sometimes of the onset of an emergency, while at the same time numerous NGO share their own data. Holding an event dedicated to the theme « Turning data into actionable knowledge » will help reflect about how data can be analysed and treated to become a decision-making tool. GeOnG will evoke field experiences as well as essential tools and challenges and difficulties faced by field actors.

We are considering proposing an introduction on Data Ethics, held by Dr Calain (MSF-CH) this intervention will review the questions raised by the collection and use of sensitive data. The plenary session will discuss the existing means to turn data into information usable for decision making. Among the roundtable we expect to hold some will focus on technical questions and issue (data visualization, use of satellite imagery, integrated systems, choice of indicators to monitor and report on) while others will tackle more general questions (uses of epidemiology mapping, Big Data, use of data for the donors, volunteers and crowdsourcing possibilities). Workshops, which are GeOnG main features, will be an opportunity to discover and learn how to use data management and geographic information essentials as well as innovations. Workshops we consider include basic training to the use of ArcGIS and QGIS, ODK and ODK-based tools, Excel as a data management tool, possibilities offered by OSM in terms of geographic information management. Others will evoke how to choose survey indicators when several actors are involved, webmapping, data visualisation tools etc. Finally, this year we want to introduce a new format: the speed geeking session will allow project managers do present and discuss their ideas with small groups of participants, kind of a speed dating, but including ideas!

Conference Centre "Le Manege"
Chambery
English