DGI 2010 draws international crowd
Over 650 participants attended the DGI 2010 conference at the QEII Centre in London between January 25-27 this year
DGI 2010 has firmly established itself as the pillar of the European geospatial information community. This year's conference proved that it was more important than ever for defence and national security GIS professionals to come together, learn from each other and develop long-term strategies to overcome the current challenges faced by the sector. Over three content-packed days the conference addressed the most current issues such as interoperability, standards management, imagery analysis, international collaboration, in-theatre GIS capability expansion and future development of GIS in all parts of defence and national security forces.
Addressing the strategies for effective use of geospatial information in-theatre and in security operations, the event focused on international collaboration as well as cross organizational interoperability.
DGI 2010 opened with an intensive pre-conference technology focus day. Through high-level presentations and interactive sessions, delegates learned how their colleagues are addressing the most pressing technological and infrastructure issues facing the GIS community globally. Dr. Mike Case, Senior Researcher. US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) gave an overview of the strategies used by the US Army for data analysis and accurate intelligence delivery in-theatre.
Patrick Brooijmans, GIS Consultant, Netherlands MoD & Marlene Meyer, Head of Defence, Geospatial Organisation, Denmark gave detailed accounts of their strategies for analyzing data to produce effective and timely intelligence for their users in-theatre and in HQ.
Chaired by Jill Smith, President & CEO of DigitalGlobe the main conference was opened by Maj. General Jerry Thomas, Assistant Chief Of the Defence Staff (Intelligence Capability), UK MOD who gave an update on his expectations and strategies for GIS capability in the UK forces.
The conference received great support from over 40 countries. Senior GIS officers from MOD's across the world took part in conference discussions, delivered GIS in-theatre case studies and debated the key issues over 2 days.
DGI 2010 welcomed General Sir Rupert Smith, Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe as its guest keynote speaker on the 26th of January. Sir Rupert Smith gave a memorable address focusing on key issues the fighter has to face in-theatre and how GIS is used in action on a daily basis.
Col. John D. Kedar, Comd JAGO, UK MOD and his colleagues prepared a practical brief on the latest challenges and issues in Helmand province. Real life examples from last months operations in Afghanistan were at the core of discussion.
The conference was fully supported by NATO with key executives giving presentations on NATO's GIS strategies and current case studies.
A special two day session was dedicated to case studies in national security GIS capability, with presentations on use of GIS in the London 2012 Olympic Games, Heathrow Airport, Police, Transport Police, emergency relief operations and the latest events in Haiti.
The conference was complemented by an extensive exhibition of the latest GIS technology from top solution providers from around the world. For more information on conference please visit www.dgieurope.com
The dates for DGI 211 are already confirmed as the 24 – 27 January 2011, once again at the QEII Conference Centre in London. Early-bird discounts are available for a very limited time only. For more information please visit our website on www.dgieurope.com.
