Ireland/Symposium2018

Welcome to the Second Irish OSGeo Symposium 2018


The Irish Local Chapter of OSGeo are delighted to announce the hosting of the Second National Symposium in Portlaoise, Ireland on Friday, 25th May 2018. We, the organisers, welcome all delegates to our second meeting as an OSGeo community in Ireland. Portlaoise is very centrally located in the midlands of Ireland. It is very well served by frequent public transportation. This symposium follows on from our very successful inaugural symposium last year in Limerick.

The event is open to anyone. However it will be particular interest to individuals or groups such as: those with an interest in FOSS4G, users of open source software and FOSS4G, geographers and geoscientists, computer scientists, software developers and programmers, software companies, open data users, researchers, government agencies, SMEs, NGOs, students, citizens, etc.

The symposium will provide a relaxed and stimulating environment to learn about OSGeo, meet people with similar interest in OSGeo and FOSS4G, and learn new skills in the workshops. There are lots of people using OSGeo software and tools in Ireland and this symposium will allow them to meet and re-connect as a community.

The Symposium will feature a Keynote speech by a well known member of the OSGeo/FOSS4G community and a number of hands-on workshops in the afternoon.

Follow OSGeo IE on Twitter - we'll be using Twitter for the 2018 event. https://twitter.com/osgeoie

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS - Lightning Talks
We are delighted to announce the official call for participation in this event.To accommodate as many presentations as possible whilst showcasing a wide and varied selection of FOSS4G and OSGeo usage and applications in Ireland presentation format will be structured as lightning talks. Lightning talks will be structured as follows. They are strictly limited to 7 minutes.

Ideally, presentations should focus on the use of FOSS4G and OSGeo applications and software by large companies, SMEs, individuals, national and local government, academia (students, researchers, academics), volunteer communities, citizen scientists, etc who are based in Ireland.

Submit the abstract of your proposed contribution here on this Google Form. Deadline for submission of your abstract is Tuesday 17th April 2018 at 23:59:59

EVENT REGISTRATION
Registration IS NOW OPEN. Registration (ticket purchase) is available on EventBrite on Twitter, on the OSGeo Ireland mailing list and on the OSGeo Events page. Early bird registration will be open until 30th April 2018 at the superb price of €45.00. After this the standard price registration of €60.00 will apply up to the day of the event. Workshop attendance is included in the registration fee. Indeed we believe that our registration fees provide you with excellent value for money. All of the following are included in your registration fee: attendance at the whole day of the symposium, attendance at any of the three workshops, delegate registration pack which includes an OSGeo Live USB Key, three tea/coffee breaks, buffet lunch, free use of the hotel WiFi, and if you are driving car parking fees to cover a 10 hour stay on Friday 25th May 2018 in the adjacent multi-storey carpark.

In the lead up to the event you will receive a small number of emails giving you the latest news and information about the event. You will also be given the opportunity to outline your choice/preference of workshop attendance.

PROGRAMME TIMETABLE
This is the current version of the programme timetable. While some of the timings might change very slightly during the day the symposium will start at 09:00 and conclude at 16:45. This will allow all delegates to plan their travel to and from the event. All of the symposium sessions and workshops will be held within the conference facilities of the Midlands Park Hotel. The details of the specific rooms will be outlined before the event. All rooms are close to each other within the building to allow easy movement and interaction between the workshops and the main symposium track.

{| class="wikitable" ! Time Slot !! Programme Item/Event
 * 08:00 - 09:00 || Registration in Hotel (Tea/Coffee served to arriving delegates)
 * 09:00 - 09:15 || Official Opening and Welcome to the 2nd Irish OSGeo Symposium
 * 09:15 - 10:00 || Keynote Speech (details to be announced soon)
 * 10:00 - 10:15 || Questions and Answers session for Keynote. This will also include a presentation to the Keynote Speaker.
 * 10:15 - 11:10 || Lightning Talks Session 1 (up to 7 talks). Each lightning talk is given a maximum of 7 minutes speaking time.
 * 11:10 - 11:40 || Tea/Coffee Break
 * 11:40 - 12:30 || Lightning Talks Session 2 (up to 7 talks). Each lightning talk is given a maximum of 7 minutes speaking time.
 * 12:30 - 12:40 || Workshop Planning/Introductions from Workshop Presenters. Brief summary of the morning session.
 * 12:40 - 14:00 || Lunch for Delegates in the Hotel + Networking
 * 14:00 - 15:15 || Workshops (part 1) - all workshop descriptions are provided below.
 * 11:10 - 11:40 || Tea/Coffee Break
 * 11:40 - 12:30 || Lightning Talks Session 2 (up to 7 talks). Each lightning talk is given a maximum of 7 minutes speaking time.
 * 12:30 - 12:40 || Workshop Planning/Introductions from Workshop Presenters. Brief summary of the morning session.
 * 12:40 - 14:00 || Lunch for Delegates in the Hotel + Networking
 * 14:00 - 15:15 || Workshops (part 1) - all workshop descriptions are provided below.
 * 12:30 - 12:40 || Workshop Planning/Introductions from Workshop Presenters. Brief summary of the morning session.
 * 12:40 - 14:00 || Lunch for Delegates in the Hotel + Networking
 * 14:00 - 15:15 || Workshops (part 1) - all workshop descriptions are provided below.
 * 14:00 - 15:15 || Workshops (part 1) - all workshop descriptions are provided below.
 * 14:00 - 15:15 || Workshops (part 1) - all workshop descriptions are provided below.

Tea and Coffee will be served in the breakout area during this time. Delegates can leave the workshop momentarily and bring their tea/coffee back to the workshop.
 * 15:15 - 16:30 || Workshops (part 2)
 * 15:15 - 16:30 || Workshops (part 2)


 * 16:30 - 16:45 || Wrap up and Official Closing.
 * }
 * }

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
All delegates will be provided with an OSGeo Live Bootable USB Key containing a fully operational OSGeo Live distribution. Delegates are required to bring their own laptops. The descriptions of the workshops are provided below. Delegates should check before the Symposium if their laptops can be booted up from a USB key. In some cases work laptops from organisations and companies have this feature disabled for security reasons. Delegates should check with their IT support teams if their laptops can allow booting from a USB key. There will be no laptops available at the workshop(s)

Symposium Sponsorship

The Irish OSGeo Symposium operates on a cost-recovery model. All sponsorship we receive goes directly into the hosting of the symposium event. Sponsors are always welcome. We can offer the sponsors the following: If you, or your organisation, is interested in providing some sponsorship to this event please contact Daniel McInerney (daniel DOT o DOT mcinerney AT gmail DOT com) or Peter Mooney (peter DOT mooney AT nuim DOT ie) and we would be happy to discuss this in more detail with you. We do not stipulate a minimum or maximum amount of sponsorship. All support is very much appreciated and helps us deliver the best event possible.
 * Visual presence on any programme materials produced for the symposium
 * Links and organisational logo(s) from the symposium webpage
 * Opportunity to provide promotional material for distribution to delegates in their registration pack
 * Clear acknowledgement of support during the opening and closing sessions of the symposium

Organising Committee

We are, at the moment, a small committee. The people who have contributed most to the organisation of the symposium are as follows. All of us will be in Portlaoise on May 25th!


 * Peter Mooney (Maynooth University)
 * Daniel McInerney (Coillte Teoranta - Irish State Forestry Board)
 * Ozan Emem (Environmental Protection Agency)
 * Seth Girvan (Compass Informatics)
 * Richard McDonnell (The Office of Public Works)
 * Padraig Fitzmaurice (Environmental Protection Agency)
 * Hrishikesh Ballal (Geodesign Hub)