AGSE 2011

Date 14.-20.08.2011, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya

Theme

AGSE 2011: Geoinformation for a better World

About this conference

This year’s motto resonates around the motto of the AGSE series of conferences: 'an interdisciplinary, international forum for sharing knowledge about the application of geoinformatics with focus on application and on developing countries'. AGSE has been doing this with yeoman spirit ever since its inception in 2008 through the vision of Prof Franz-Josef Behr of the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany. The first AGSE at Trivandrum, in Kerala, India (AGSE 2008) signalled the tremendous enthusiasm the developed world holds for geoinformatics, especially in the use of the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) variety. Subsequent forums have travelled to Stuttgart, Germany (AGSE 2009), Arequipa, Peru (AGSE2010) and now Nairobi, Kenya (AGSE 2011), which shows the tremendous potential that geoinformatics has.

AGSE 2011 conference is special; it is being held for the first time in Africa, and particularly so in Nairobi, Kenya, the city that hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). Besides drawing a variety of papers from the international forum of the alumni of Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, a considerable contribution from other researchers has addressed the use geoinformatics in Africa, and more so from the host country. The conference has attracted papers from more than 10 countries, spanning from Malaysia to Chile, and from Germany all the way to Zambia. The scientific and application areas presented in the papers are classed into eleven broad tracks or sub-themes namely: (1) General application papers, (2) Internet-based and open source solutions, (3) Advances in GIScience and current developments, (4) Spatial data infrastructures, (5) Environmental issues and sustainable development, (6) Natural resource management, and monitoring (7) Disaster and risk management, (8) Geoinformatics in health, (9)Urban and regional planning, (10) GIS in Education, and (11) Alumni experiences and business development. The importance of geoinformatics in the environment cannot go unnoticed, as the applications of the technology and science continue to draw a lot of interest. Examples of the application areas range from land use/land cover analysis for sustainable tourism, land use dynamics in forest management systems, to pollution, among other environmental oriented applications.

Program Committee

Chair: Prof. Dr. Franz-Josef Behr, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Stuttgart, Germany
Dr. Moses M. Ngigi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. A. P. Pradeepkumar, Reader, Dept of Geology, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, India
Dr. Charles N. Mundia, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. David N. Kuria, Department of Geomatic Engineering, Kimanthi University, Nyeri, Kenya
Dr. Douglas Musiega, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Thomas M. Ngigi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Edward H. Waithaka, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Faith N. Karanja, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya

Local Organizing Committee:

Dr. Moses M. Ngigi (Chairman), Dr. David N. Kuria, Mr. Gabriel V. Sanya, Mr. Charles Wasomi, Mr. Charles Gaya, Dr. Douglas Musiega, Dr. Charles N. Mundia, Dr. Edward H. Waithaka, Dr. Thomas G. Ngigi, Dr. Faith N. Karanja, Mr. Hosea Mwangi, Mr. Geoffrey Gichuru, Mr. Mark K. Boitt, Ms. Mercy W. Mwaniki, Mr. Nathan O. Agutu, Mr. Vitalis Opondo, Ms. Eucabeth Majiwa, Ms. Charity W. Kamau, Ms. Joan Mugambi, Ms. Eunice W. Nduati

A short summary (in German)

  • Fünftägige Summer School mit vorausgehendem zweitägigen Workshop, rund 80 Teilnehmer aus ca. 10 verschiedenen Ländern, davon 53 Alumni des englischsprachigen Master-Studiengangs Photogrammetry and Geoinformatics sowie anderer deutscher Hochschulen.
  • Umfangreiches partizipatives Vortragsprogramm mit Keynotes, ca. 60 Präsentationen (mind. eine Präsentation oder Workshop pro Alumna / Alumnus war verpflichtend) sowie eine Reihe von Workshops.
  • Die Bandbreite der Vorträge reichte (mit Schwerpunkt auf UN-MDG) vom photogrammetrischen Anwendungen wie Hyperspectral Data, Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie, Klassifizierung und GIS-Einsatz zur Unterstützung nachhaltiger Entwicklung, Krisenmanagement und Informationsbereitstellung im Krisenfall, Routenoptimierung bis hin zu Themen, die sich mit den neuesten Technologien der Geoinformatik auseinandersetzten, wie OpenStreetMap, Climate Change, Einsatz von Laserscanning, GPS, Navigation, interoperable Geodatenstandards und Geodateninfrastrukturen, Health Sciences. Ein Schwerpunkt lag auf der Nutzung von Open Source Technologien. Ein gesonderter Block war mit persönliche Erfahrungsberichten der Alumni gefüllt (Professional experiences and personal development)
  • Begleitprogramm: ganztägige Fachexkursion nach Kuala Lumpur, Besuch National Mapping Agency und MaCGDI (Center of Geospatial Data Infrastructure / Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), ein sozialer, kultureller Abend mit traditioneller Musik und Tanzvorführung.
  • Alle Alumni und das Personal der HFT waren im Tagungshotel bzw. in nahegelegener Pension Campus untergebracht. Es entstand ein sehr gutes Miteinander, zusätzlich verstärkt durch Exkursion und kulturelle Veranstaltung.