We see many interesting tends like GeoIT GeoIoT SLAM Robotics based on ROS, GeoIT LBA with UWB and AR in Mobile, new Geowebinfrastructure initivatives and much more. After the PC/GIS, Internet/Geowebinfrastructure, Mobile/Location Based Apps the current GeoIT age is the GeoIoT age. Internet of Things gets spatial aware and even executable and it this case drivable. In the opening of the GeoIT Wherecamp 2018 Conference the indoor vacuum cleaner showed with SLAM and all the known sensors, but also with robotics a new trend. Navigation reaches a new step from human to automatic execution. Other examples of autonomous navigations are drones with PX4 and Baidu Apollo.auto for cars. Restaurants use GeoIT Robotics to deliver their guests and answer the staff shortage. The acceptance of guests is very high.

Both are based on a middle ware called Robot Operation System (ROS). Baidu Apollo.auto optimized this middle ware for big data and near real-time information logistics with its CyberRT. The ROS foundation, www.ros.org, represents also a strong and common basis community. Because GeoIT and Robotics use similar or even the same sensors and concepts it’s time to look deeper into these concepts. It has the potential for many new startups and a new technology wave for GeoIT.

The GeoIT SLAM Workshop will be hosted by our vice president Prof. Dr. Michel Deriaz in Geneva on June 22/23 Thursday afternoon, evening with Pizza and Beer and Friday morning. We are guest at the “TaM” – the Travelling and Mobility R&D team from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, and the University of Geneva.

Our society offers the hardware ROS Turtlebot as an open and educational platform. But also, the Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms and concepts with be discussed.

The level is a beginner level and it’s time to learn something new: the driveable execution of geoinformation with GeoIT GeoIoT robotics. We are all beginners.

The workshop will be free of charge – including pizza & beer for a hackable night.

Join us for free and register here!

Contact: Prof. Dr. Roland Wagner, president@geoit.org

We are restarting our Wherecamps for you! Although conferences were not feasible in the last years the development of new technologies stepped forward and we see many interesting tends like GeoIT GeoIoT SLAM Robotics based on ROS, GeoIT LBA with UWB and AR in Mobile, new Geowebinfrastructure initivatives and much more. Therefore will be time to exchange knowledge and to adapt to these developments or to startup new projects or companies. We are planning to run a Call for participation, but also like in the earlier times of the Wherecamps real spontaneous talks and demonstrations as known from Barcamps.

Have a look at released Wherecamp Call for Participation here.

Invitation to GeoIT Future Workshop
Dear member of the the Association for
Geoinformatics, GeoIT and Navigation e.V.

15 years ago, in 2005, this society started with the “Bonner Erklärung zur Geoinformatik” (Geoinformatics Bonn declaration). As this press release states, 12 University scholars met and drove this development. Nothing bad with university professors convening and speaking with one voice (!). Still, Geoinformatics and GeoIT have developed rapidly in the mass market since then and it is safe to say that most of these developments are triggered by industry. To this end, smartphones and mobile navigation were the main drivers and the results heavily contribute to the overall “datafication” (Cukier & Mayer-Schoenberger 2013) of the society. Now new technologies are appearing.

We invite all members of our society to participate in an open workshop (open in a sense of open to everybody and open-ended) to briefly discuss some of the major trends and, more importantly, how recent and most likely future trends may change today’s role of Geoinformatics and GeoIT. How should our association react to these changes?

What are the most important innovations for businesses and customers in the 2020s? Navigation is also considered further as a key technology in the upcoming revolution of autonomous driving cars, but we may focus even more on the data and information aspects, societal impacts and the skills and knowledge future engineers and scientists may need. Beyond navigation, what are other major trends and developments at the interplay of IT and GeoIT. How can we position our association to support industry as well as academia in this field? Until recently, maps were the predominant technology for the acquisition and provision of geographical knowledge. That seems to change. But how to describe, structure or name new developments? Some of these questions are of interest to academy and industry alike, e.g. when it comes to standards.
More and more data foster an increasing number of geospatial applications. What core skills and knowledge are necessary in such a future world?
Please join us for a half day workshop on January 27th at our office in Berlin or book a Skype slot “meet the Management Board” for an easy and convenient telecon discussion via info@geoit.org .You may also send us ideas or input beforehand.
Best regards

President Prof. Dr. Roland Wagner
Vice President Prof. Dr. Thomas Blaschke
Treasurer Dr. Richard Süselbeck

Save the evening on Monday, 11th of March at T-Labs / TU Berlin for the next upcoming GeoIT Talks. Register now via: http://21talks.geoit.org/

You like to visit TomTom’s Berlin Offices in the Treptow Towers? Register for the next GeoIT Talks on Monday, 3rd of December 2018.

You can download now allmost all presentation in the agenda: http://wherecamp2018.geoit.org/agenda/

Have a look at the agenda for the next Wherecamp edition on October 24th here.