Thanks for contributions to a successful GISCA 2019!

The annual ‘GIS in Central Asia’ Conference - GISCA2019 was successfully completed May 30-June 1 in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. GISCA 2019 was organized locally by the the Austria-Central Asia Centre for GIScience - ACA*GIScience at the Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture (KSUCTA) with support from the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet, the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Commission for GIScience and industry partners Trimble International, GeoTwo, Korea and KyrgyzGeoTech LLC. In 2019, GISCA was focused on the theme "From Spatial Data to Spatial Intelligence". Geographic Information Science as a conceptual foundation, Geoinformatics as the methodology and GIS as software technology are powerful instruments for linking information across different sources by location. GISCA 2019 pre-conference workshops were organized for  postgraduate students and young researchers from Central Asian Universities. 

The OpenStreetMap Workshop incl. Mapping Party gave a general introduction to OSM as well as its data structures, incl. the OSM tagging system. Moreover, by the example of an OSM mapping party (field work and computer work), participants could gather experience on editing data in OSM and learn about the relevance of this type of OSM event. The mapping party was focused on the urban green and related infrastructure in Bishkek.

The workshop "Introduction to Drone Aerial Imaging for Mapping and Surveying" covered the fundamentals and principles of aerial imaging to enhance commercial UAS operators’ knowledge in mapping with drones by understanding how to accurately plan and collate this imaging from various UAS platforms and digital sensing techniques. Workshop participants have completed practical exercises in order to produce and present enhanced geospatial products with photogrammetry and GIS applications through classroom and practical-based learning.

The Organizing Committee appreciates the active involvement of all GISCA 2019 participants in the conference activities and invites all interested parties to the next GISCA 2020 planned for June 1-2 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan!

GISCA 2019 conference >>> and workshop >>> photos are available on Google Drive for public access. 

eLearning in Central Asia: Benefits and Challenges

Already more than one decade ago Geo-Informatics (GI) was introduced at Central Asian Universities as a separate subject. Nowadays, Geo-Informatics is a widely recognized and rapidly developing field.

The demand for GI experts is increasing, and thus the need for solid GI education. Currently, the number of experts and students in this domain is very limited compared to existing demand. Of course teaching GI requires substantial computer and connectivity (Internet) resources, trained faculty, the provision of adequate study material and lifelong learning.

To address this situation, the implementation and use of eLearning is slowly gathering interest across Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). Now, what are the benefits and challenges regarding eLearning, particularly considering these countries as former Soviet Union republics? Which recommendations can be given to enjoy the benefits and to face the challenges of eLearning?

For dealing with these questions a survey (directed towards teachers working at Central Asian universities) was conducted. The questionnaire is still open for everyone who is interested and having experience in teaching GI in Central Asia. It is also possible to participate in this survey just following to this link https://surveymonkey.com/r/P8V5RDN.

If you are interested in the results of this survey you are welcome to our conference GISCA´19 (https://gisca2019.wordpress.com).

Invitation to Research Conference - National University of Uzbekistan

On October 19-20, 2018 the EU-Uzbek DSinGIS project is inviting to attend the International Scientific and Practical Conference on "Scientific - research work in the field of Geoinformatics: current state and prospects" to be held at the National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent.

Main conference topics will be:

• Geoinformatics in geodetic operations. 
• Thematic cartography, web-cartography, mapping services and its applications. 
• Cadastral services in the management of natural resources. 
• Geoinformatics in environmental protection, rational use and management of land and water resources. 
• Application of geoinformation technologies in architecture and construction. 
• Geospatial analysis and modeling. 
• Processing and analysis of remote sensing data. 
• Geoinformation technologies in the education system. 
• The role of geoinformation technologies in the Earth sciences.

The conference is aiming at professors, teachers, young scientists, undergraduates, outstanding students and specialists in this field communicating their scientific research and results: presenting inventions and proposals that reflect original ideas with papers relating to the topic of the conference.

Important dates: 

• August 10, 2018: Deadline for Abstract submission 
• September 20, 2018: Deadline for Paper submission 

For further details please refer to >>>http://www.dsingis.eu/dsingis-conference-october-19-20-2018-at-the-national-university-of-uzbekistan/

"Spatial Representations and Spatial Data Infrastructures" Workshop at ACA*GIScience

Dr. Ainura Nazarkulova, University of Salzburg - Z_GIS, currently an Erasmus+ Visiting Researcher at KSUCTA is conducting a Workshop on "Spatial Representations and Spatial Data Infrastructures" at ACA*GIScience hosted at Kyrgyz State University of Construction, Transport and Architecture (KSUCTA).

GEM Master and PhD students as well as several young researchers are attending this workshop to learn about the foundations of Spatial Data Infrastructures.

In addition, new technological developments and international project opportunities are presented and discussed in this workshop.   

From Editor-in-Chief Dr Nitin Kumar Tripathi for the IJG Vol.14, No 1, January-March 2018 Special Issue on GISCA'17

‘GIS in Central Asia’ Conference - GISCA 2018

The annual ‘GIS in Central Asia’ Conference - GISCA 2018 "Geoinformatics for Regional Development" has issued the Call for Papers and has opened registration for the conference scheduled for June 14-17 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The main objectives of this English language conference are to bring together GIS academics, researchers and practitioners from Central Asian and other countries and to encourage international cooperation and knowledge exchange in GIS education.

Key themes (additional themes and sessions are welcome) of the conference are:

• GIS for Regional Sustainable Development
• GIS for Environmental and Ecosystem Management
• Development of Spatial Data Infrastructures
• GIS for Disaster and Emergency Management
• GIS and Digital Humanities
• GIS for Business and Logistics
• New Trends and Technologies in Surveying, Cadastre and Land Management
• Professional and Continuing Education in Geoinformatics
• Remote Sensing Applications
• GIS for Public Health
• Geo-Information technology for natural and cultural heritage management
• Tourism and GIS.

GISCA 2018 is being organized locally by the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with support from the Research Centre for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (Almaty) and the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The GISCA conference series and its publications are managed by the Austria-Central Asia Centre for GIScience - ACA*GIScience supported by the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet and the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Commission for GIScience. The conference looks forward to additional sponsorship from the Geoinformatics industry.

The conference committee accepts scientific papers on the stated conference themes with a focus on the Central Asian Region. Active participation in the conference is invited via presentation of a paper or poster, or through workshop attendance. Accepted papers in English will be reviewed and published in the News of Al-Farabi KazNU. Selected papers will be recommended for publication in the International Journal of Geoinformatics (http://e-geoinfo.net).

We request to disseminate this CFP to all interested GIS educators and professionals. The deadlines are March 31, 2018 for submission of paper abstracts and May 14, 2018 for accepted full papers by email to gisca18@aca-giscience.org. All information about GISCA 2018 registration, preliminary agenda, paper submission and visa application procedures are available at https://gisca2018.wordpress.com.

Conference secretary: Dr. Gulnara Nyussupova, gisca2018kz@gmail.com
Tel/Fax: +7 727 377 3335 (1227) / +7 727 221 14 88
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Al-Farabi avenue, 71
Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan

Course on Cloud-based GIS at CAS-XIEG

Working with geospatial technologies today is trending towards online applications, in many cases replacing desktop software installations with browser-based access to online functionality. Approx. 30 graduate students and faculty met at the Xinjiang Institute for Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Urumqi from Nov 2-5 for an experience in leveraging the rich collection of services offered by global spatial data infrastructures.

Prof Josef Strobl from Z_GIS challenged the participants to compile, design and share their first online maps, and to recognize the differences between traditional static maps vs dynamic, interactive map-based interfaces at the core of online geo-media. One full day was dedicated to creating decision-support information from available data through spatial analytics, before everyone embarked on the journey to build a web-app as well as a storymap to ‘communicate spatially’ with their respective target audiences.

Participants from all across Central Asia (and Rwanda) accepted this challenge, built valuable skills and will implement their new competences in their thesis projects and professional as well as academic environments. Thanks are due to Prof Alishir Kurban and his team from CAS-XIEG for organizing this workshop, and for providing an excellent learning environment. Looking forward to seeing lots of shared maps, apps and storymaps online in the future!

CAS-XIEG >News