The Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) and the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) are pleased to announce a joint CaGIS conference and UCGIS symposium in Columbus, Ohio, on June 3-6, 2024. The theme of the joint event will be Climate Smart GIScience: Mapping a Sustainable Future.
The climate crisis is the defining event of our time, and perhaps of the entire span of human civilization. As the globe continues to heat due to anthropogenic climate change, we will experience more extreme weather events, disruptions to our infrastructures and lives, human displacement and strains on society, governance and security. We will also witness increasing harms to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, including species migration and extinction. The geographic dimension of these events and impacts will not be uniform, and will depend on factors such as geography, demographics, resources and societal organization, with people of color and disadvantaged communities bearing the largest burdens.
Major questions for the conference include:
- How can geographic information science, spatial analysis, cartography and geovisualization help us to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis at all geographic scales?
- How can novel geospatial data and GeoAI help us understand the behavior of complex human-environmental systems and shape these systems towards more sustainable and resilient outcomes in a time of intensifying disruptions?
- What are the best practices for science, industry and governmental collaboration in a climate emergency, including educating and training the next generation of researchers, practitioners and policy analysis, and development of GeoAI standards?
- How do we conduct research, education and outreach in a climate-friendly way, including the activities of professional organizations? How do we help our universities become more climate smart?
- How do we leverage the power of the map in climate change communication, for outreach and engagement to communities impacted by climate change and extreme weather?
While the focus of the joint meeting is climate and sustainability, abstracts on other topics related to cartography and GIScience are also welcome.
For research papers, panel/interactive sessions and lightning talks, submit an appropriate abstract as indicated below. We are also soliciting brief vision papers on the overall theme of how geospatial science connects within the larger data sciences, especially with regards to curricula and degrees. Vision papers will be made available to all participants prior to the conference. All abstract and statement submissions are due January 15, 2024.
- Vision paper that addresses the key roles for the geospatial sciences within the broader realm of climate science, setting an agenda for research or pedagogy.
- Submit a 1000-word statement
- Research paper:
- Submit a 1500-word abstract that includes the research question, brief literature review and description of methods, and a brief description of findings.
- The editor of the Cartography and Geographic Information Science journal and the journal’s editorial board will review these 1500 word abstracts and will invite submission of full papers to be considered for publication in a special issue of the journal by the end of 2025.
- Curious about how to format your submission? CaGIS has prepared a helpful template (Word doc) for your use.
- Poster or Lightning Talk:
- Submit a 500-word abstract
- Workshop proposal for a 90- or 180-minute session:
- Submit a 500-word abstract outlining the workshop. Include expectations for participants (prerequisites, technology requirements), and proposed length.
All submissions will be reviewed by the program committee. Because of the limited number of sessions planned for this conference, all abstracts may not be selected for presentation. The final decision on acceptances for the program will depend on the relevance of submissions to the theme as well as space availability. Participants whose abstracts are selected are expected to acknowledge receipt of the acceptance letter by email, verifying their intent to attend and make a presentation at the conference, and are required to register before April 15, 2024, to be included in the program. An edited conference proceedings of all accepted abstracts and position papers will be available online on the CaGIS and UCGIS websites.
All submissions should be provided through EasyChair using the link below (you may need to log into EasyChair and then click the link again for the conference submission page to show):