This year’s World Environment Day theme is ‘Time for Nature’.
Many of us have been closer to nature in the last weeks (and indeed nature closer to us!), by connecting to the environment that is nearer to home during this strange and difficult time.
A desire to understand the world around us unites many working across the geospatial industry. Not just to support society to monitor and model a changing world, but to provide solutions driven by geospatial data to challenges which are increasingly connected and global in nature.
In 2019, the AGI annual conference GeoCom: Hitting Net Zero focussed on the rapid change that was needed to address arguably the most significant challenge in our lifetime. Six months later, we find ourselves stepping up to adapt at a pace we couldn’t have imagined to solve what, on the surface, may be a different challenge – but one which also impacts every aspect of our life from transportation, to healthcare and our economy.
The AGI is committed to supporting a sustainable future. To do this as professionals, we must seize the opportunity to use our skills and experience to impact global challenges. This year GeoCom will be back in November, and again puts the spotlight on the importance of the climate emergency, against a backdrop of witnessing an accelerated thirst for geospatial data and knowledge.
We’ll be releasing more information about GeoCom over the coming months. We’re excited to be embracing a new format for the event and the opportunity for many more in the community to join us in 2020. Our annual conference is only made possible by a dedicated team of professionals who provide their in-kind support. If you’d like to be involved in contributing to or supporting the event in 2020 please do contact our Conference Action Working Group (chaired by Abigail Page).
In the meantime, to mark World Environment Day, we have released last year’s keynote presentation given by Dr Christopher Tucker, Chair of the American Geographical Society. His book A Planet of 3 Billion provides inspiration to us all to think about the future of our planet.
Article written by Abigail Page.