Yes, it’s almost that time of year again, where the forward thinkers, the innovators, and the tinkerers of the spatial industry converge in Sydney for the GeoNext conference.
GeoNext was created to get the new breed of spatial users – those that aren’t from a traditional spatial background – to co-mingle with the established players in the field. We, the organisers, believe that there is a lot to be gained by both parties, if we were able to better trade stories, information, and experience. Judging by the feedback from previous years, the attendees believe so, too. For this reason, I always get a little excited when the event draws nearer – and here we are just one week out.
If you’re even half as excited by this concept as I am, you should peruse the GeoNext conference program, or – better yet – register today.
It’s also exciting that, this year, GeoNext is hosting two extra-conference workshops: one running the day before GeoNext from NGIS on Google Maps for Business; and one running the day following from the Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network (AURIN).
The NGIS Google Maps for Business Forum – which runs the day before GeoNext, on 25th February – will include presentations from the WOTIF Group, NSW Globe, and Google.
These high profile organisations will present the latest Google Maps technology user applications. Delegates will have the opportunity to share ideas with other Google users and network with leading Google developers.
Some of the speakers include:
- Scott Horn, Front-end Team leader responsible for the iconic travel website, Wotif.com
- Paul Van Klooster, Assistant Director, Service Development, Land and Property Information responsible for the revolutionary NSW Globe implementation
- Paul Cousins, Head of Geospatial Google Enterprise, ANZ
- Nathan Eaton, Principal GIS Consultant and Google Team Lead, NGIS Australia
- Peter Kinne, Regional Director, Digital Globe
Following the NGIS Google Maps for Business User Forum, NGIS will run its very popular Google Tech Boot Camp.
The NGIS Google Tech Boot Camp is a dynamic and collaborative technical experience lead by senior technical specialists. The boot camp will enhance the knowledge of delegates in the use of Google Maps Engine and Google Maps API applications for their own applications and spatial systems.
Delegates who register to attend a pre-show Forum will receive a special rate for the GeoNext Conference the following day, which will comprise of experts from the fields of GIS, mapping, mobility, software development and business.
More details can be found on the GeoNext workshop page.
The AURIN Workshop – which runs the day after GeoNext, on the 27th February – will introduce participants to the AURIN Portal, and offer them the chance to explore the open data services and spatial tools currently available on the system.
Participants will be able to explore different states and cities across Australia, and zoom into suburbs to discover information on an area’s demographics, socio-economics, politics, health, and more.
The workshop includes a number of hands-on exercises where participants can shop for data, run spatial analysis and statistics, visualise outputs, and explore the advanced urban modelling and simulation tools the system has to offer.
Dr Jack Barton, the Urban Data and eResearch Facilitator for AURIN, will lead this session.
The AURIN workshop will be of interest to e-Researchers who work with any aspect of the urban environment: Government/governance, demographics, socio-economics, health, geographic visualisation or urban planning/design.
Places for this workshop are strictly limited and registration is essential. Please contact Jack Barton at john.barton@unimelb.edu.au or +61 3 9035 4206 to reserve a place. You can learn more at the GeoNext AURIN Workshop page.
