Ireland/Symposium2019

Welcome to the Third Irish OSGeo Symposium 2019 (OSGeoIE 2019)

Our Symposium

The Irish Local Chapter of OSGeo are delighted to announce the hosting of the 3rd National Symposium at the Metropole Hotel in Cork City, Ireland on Thursday, 11th April 2019. We, the organisers, welcome all delegates to our third meeting as an OSGeo community in Ireland. Following on from our inaugural event in Limerick in 2017 and in Portlaoise in May 2018 the symposium moves to Cork city.

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, data scientists, 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.

Symposium Keynote Speaker

We are delighted to accounce that our Keynote for OSGeoIE 2019 will be Mr. Martin Høgh (Twitter). Martin is an open source code, urban planner and founder of the MapCentia company in Denmark. Specifically related to OSGeo, Martin is the creator of GC2 and Vidi. The GC2/Vidi framework helps you build a spatial data infrastructure quickly and easily. This framework is powered using open source components to build scalable solutions. GC2 makes it easy to deploy PostGIS, MapServer, QGIS Server, MapCache, Elasticsearch, GDAL/ogr2ogr while Vidi is described as 'a modern take on browser GIS'. It is the front-end client for GC2.

As a company MapCentia believes getting easy access to standard based open source software matters. MapCentia is helping teams to get the most out of their data. From local governments to world leading consulting firms, their product is extending what is possible with open source software and data.

Martin will give the Keynote for #OSGeoIE2019 and will then provide a workshop on GC2 in the afternoon. We are delighted to welcome Martin to Ireland, Cork and the 3rd OSGeo IE Symposium. His insights, knowledge and innovative style will provide us with lots of valuable content for the day.

Tickets are now on Sale

Tickets for OSGeoIE 2019 are now on sale! Student tickets are available along with special early bird registration. Please see the symposium Eventbrite page for purchasing information.

• Early Bird Registration Ticket: €60 (up to March 29th 2019)
• Standard Registration Ticket: €80 (from March 30th 2019 until April 11th 2019)
• Student Registration Ticket: €40 - avaialble at all times up to the symposium. You will need to produce your student ID or a letter from your head of school/department/ to validate your student status when you collect your registration pack on the morning of the symposium.

Student Poster Competition

Based on feedback from both of the previous symposia we are delighted to introduce a student poster competition to OSGeoIE 2019. This is a great opportunity for students to be actively involved in OSGeoIE 2019. It also provides an opportunity for the OSGeo Ireland community to engage with students in an less formal setting than a lightning talk or workshop.

Eligibility: Any student who is currently enrolled or registered in ANY Irish University, College, Research Institution, Training School or Secondary School is eligible for entry. At least one of the students named as authors/creators of the poster must register at the student rate for OSGeoIE 2019.

Poster Content/Focus: If you are a student and you are working with OSGeo or FOSS4G tools or services then why not tell us about your experiences, your work, etc regarding using these tools and services. Perhaps you are using Open (Spatial/Geographic) Data or other Open Source Software to work with spatial/geographic data in your work?

Posters should be A0 or A1 size. Entrants will be responsible for the printing and production costs of their own posters. Unfortunately we cannot provide support or printing facilities in this regard.

There will be a prize for poster which is voted by OSGeoIE 2019 delegates as the 'Best Poster'. The prize will be announced in the final closing session.

Symposium Programme Outline (as March 10th 2019)

The table below is the first outline draft of the symposium programme. The timings are subject to change. Changes will be clearly notified on this webpage, social media and by email where appropriate. More specific details of each of the sessions will be added in the coming weeks.

Programme Slot	Symposium Activity
Registration. To facilitate early arrivals and setup our registration booth will be open from 08:00 || 08:00 - 09:00
Opening Address, Welcome and Introductions	09:00 - 09:15
Keynote Presentation (followed by open Q&A) Mr. Martin Høgh. Martin is an open source code, urban planner and founder of the MapCentia company in Denmark. Specifically related to OSGeo, Martin is the creator of GC2 and Vidi	09:15 - 10:00
Selected Long Format Presentations This will include 2 - 3 presentations on specific OSGeo/FOSS4G work in Ireland.	10:00 - 10:45
Tea/Coffee Break and Networking	10:45 - 11:15
Lightning Talks Presentation Sessions The lightning talks session is one of the most popular parts of the OSGeoIE symposium. These sessions involve a series of lightning talks (strictly moderated to 7 minutes maximum) on current OSGeo or FOSS4G work in Ireland	11:15 - 13:00
Lunch Time, Networking and Poster Session. A light lunch will be served. During this time delegates will be encourage to browse the posters on display and vote for best poster	13:00 - 14:30
Interactive Workshops Workshop 1: Introduction to GC2 Workshop 2: OpenStreetMap (Getting started and using JOSM) Workshop 3: Geospatial Python	14:30 - 16:15
Tea/Coffee Break and Networking	16:15 - 16:40
Closing Address and Finish Announcement of Best Poster Award Winner	16:40 - 17:00

Sponsorship Packages and Options

This year we are being proactive and reaching out to companies and SMEs who may be interested in sponsoring OSGeoIE but who may, as yet, not be aware of the symposium or the activity of the OSGeo community in Ireland. The OSGeoIE symposium format is personal, informative and friendly. It will be a great opportunity for your company to showcase your products, connect with other experts and interact with potential talent for your recruitment needs. Our aim is to present a mix of both world class use of OSGeo, FOSS4G and other open source tools whilst showcasing Irish talent and expertise in this space.

OSGeoIE brings in professional users of OSGeo software and FOSS4G from academia, industry and local and national government. In the previous years we have had participants from almost all major Irish entities: Ordnance Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, Coillte and local councils and others. We also encourage third level students to attend and offer student ticket options. The format includes a series of lightning talks, a keynote speech, longer format presentations and interactive expert-led workshops on OSGeo tools.