OGC Innovation Days 2023 brings together diverse members of the climate, disaster, and emergency resilience and response communities to explore what OGC-enabled geospatial technologies have made possible and to ask: what do we need to do next?
This multi-day event will benefit anyone interested or involved in climate resilience, disaster response, or emergency management by providing an opportunity to learn about the latest geospatial data and technology developments from the OGC community, contribute to shaping future work, and interact with stakeholders from industry, government, research, and the private sector.
OGC has for many years been developing solutions that support climate and disaster resilience and response, from supporting the development of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) climate resilience information systems, to empowering first responders with the information they need, when they need it.
But to most effectively address the multi-faceted challenges of the changing climate and associated disasters, we want to hear about the problems being faced by city-managers, community members, first responders, climate scientists, insurers, government bodies, and others, as they respond to the changing climate and associated disasters – so that we can use OGC’s collective expertise to address them.
By bringing the climate, disaster, and emergency communities together, OGC Innovation Days 2023 provides a unique opportunity for attendees to meet people facing similar challenges to their own and learn about the solutions that worked for them, while guiding OGC towards creating impactful free and open solutions where none currently exist.
Join us at American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC to tackle climate, disasters, and emergencies together using FAIR geospatial data and systems.
The event is free for OGC Members – visit this page on the OGC Portal for your discount code. Discounts are also available for select non-member participants.
Register for Innovation Days 2023
Event Information:
Note that Thursday, December 7 is a closed session by invitation only.
See below for the full agenda, venue information, and special accommodation rates.
If you have any questions regarding the event or your registration, email info@ogc.org. Did you miss the 2022 event? Watch this recap of Innovation Days 2022 or view the 2022 event agenda and summary here.
Register for Innovation Days 2023
Full Agenda
December 5, Climate and Disasters inputs and outputs
8:00am – 9amRegistration OpenCoffee and Light Breakfast Available9:00am – 9:20amOpening and WelcomeDr. Ingo Simonis, OGCDr. Kasie Richards, Sr. Director, Situational Awareness and Decision Support – American Red Cross 9:20am – 9:50am Keynote: Disaster Resilience and Emergency Response at Speed and Scale: what’s needed now and for the future To serve the communities who are most directly impacted when extreme events strike, everyone working within disaster response and emergency management, from policymakers to teams on the ground, must have the confidence to act with speed and at scale. The data needed to inform this action is plentiful: earth observation data is regularly updated, and socio-economic and demographic information is available from authoritative government sources and industry-generated datasets. In this keynote talk, Craig Fugate, Former Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency of the United States, will provide insight into what is necessary to accelerate decision making and enable the reactions needed immediately following a disaster and, going beyond the immediate response, how organizations of all types can engage with the broader and longer-term impacts of increasingly severe and frequent disasters. Providing a call to action, this talk will push you to think beyond current practice and historic precedent and focus on changing the outcomes of disasters and emergencies for all the people they affect.Keynote SpeakerCraig Fugate, Former Administrator – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)9:50am – 11amDisaster Response and Emergency Management PanelThis panel brings together experts to share their views on the gap between the data and tools we have and the ones we need, how we move from raw data to insights, and their successes, challenges, and what to do next. Join the panel for the latest insights as they reflect on their own work and the outcomes of the OGC Disaster Pilot 2023 and explore how organizations can collaborate to better support immediate and longer-term disaster response efforts today and in the future.ModeratorJonathan Duran, Deputy Director at Arkansas GIS Office; Past President – National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)SpeakersDr. Kasie Richards, Sr. Director, Situational Awareness and Decision Support – American Red Cross Alan Leidner, Board of Directors – NYC GISMODr. Shanna McClain, Disasters Program Manager – NASANorman Speicher, Program Manager – Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate11:00am – 11:30amBreak and Networking11:30am – 12:40pmWildfire PanelEarth Observation data plays a critical role in the assessment and modeling of risks of wildfires, while the integration of geospatial data on factors from population density to road network connectivity is essential to our understanding of their impacts. Panelists will dive into their own work, as well as the outcomes of 2023 OGC Disaster Pilot. Hear how geospatial standards can drive better decision-making through improved interoperability, meeting critical needs as climate change alters the patterns of these phenomena. Come with your questions and participate in the debate on if and how the toolkits and solutions developed for one region can be adapted for another, as we work together to address the challenges posed by wildfires.ModeratorRyan Ahola, Environmental Scientist – Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)SpeakersScott Kaplan, Civil Applications Committee – USGS / Civil Air PatrolEverett Hinkley, National Remote Sensing Program Manager – United States Forest Service Jonathan Gadoury, Data Science Specialist – Weather and Climate, Intact Financial CorporationShayna Solis, CEO, Navteca12:40pm – 2:00pmLunch and Networking2:00pm – 3:20pmClimate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction PanelPanelists will lead a discussion around how to bring together the data, systems, and thinking used across climate and disaster communities to make more informed, accountable, and robust decisions. Discussion will focus on how we can learn from one another and create more interoperable systems as both how we think about and engage with ‘disasters’ and ‘emergency’ are reshaped by the changing climate.ModeratorDr. Nils Hempelmann, OGCSpeakersDavid Herring, Communication, Education and Engagement Division Chief – NOAA Climate Program Office Dr. Angel Lopez Alos, Data Stores Team Manager – ECMWFRachel Martin, Research Manager – Conservation X LabsDave Borges, Director CEOS Systems Engineering Office – NASA Dr. Alex Zvoleff, Senior Director – Resilience Science, Conservation International3:20pm – 3:50pmBreak and Networking3:50pm – 4:50pmAI PanelThis forward-looking panel will grapple with how we can collaborate to design the geospatial AI data models and systems our global community needs to increase our collective climate resilience and ensure that OGC-supported initiatives and standards are built on principles of data equity, trustworthiness, and responsibility, as we work to accelerate innovation through open standards and FAIR, fit-for-purpose, tools.ModeratorEldrich L. Frazier, Senior Advisor for Geospatial Technology – Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)SpeakersRyan Ahola, Environmental Scientist – Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)Matt Webster, Chief Technology Officer – BarbaricumTom Landry, Business Analyst Specialist – Product Owner, Intact Financial CorporationJim Antonisse, Senior Technology Advisor, WiSC4:50pm – 5:00pmClosing remarksDr. Ingo Simonis, Chief Technology Innovation Officer – OGC5:00pm – 7:00pmReceptionHeld at the Red Cross
December 6, Demonstration Day
8:00am – 9:00amRegistration OpenCoffee and Light Breakfast Available9:00am – 9:10amOpening and WelcomePrashant Shukle, Chair of the OGC Board of Directors9:10am – 10:00amOGC Impacts: Standards, Innovation, and Funding ActivitiesSpeakersDr. Ingo Simonis, Chief Technology Innovation Officer, OGC10:00am – 10:30amKeynote: Raven: Tactical Intelligence at Mission SpeedDale Hogan, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT)10:30am – 11:00amBreak and NetworkingVisit the RAVEN Mobile Command Center11:00am – 12:30pmDemonstration Spotlight: Geospatial Climate and Disasters Open TopicIndustry presentations:Antonio Correas, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer –SkyManticsAjay Gupta, CEO – HSR HealthDean Hintz, Senior Analyst – SAFE SoftwareBrian Goldin, Founder & CEO – Voyager SearchJason MacDonald, Senior Project Engineer/Project Manager – Compusult Limited12:30pm – 2:00pmLunch and NetworkingVisit the RAVEN Mobile Command Center2:00pm – 3:30pmDemonstration Spotlight: The role of AI in climate and disastersIndustry Presentations:Jeremy Shaffer, Vice President – Bentley SystemsMay Casterline, Principal Solutions Architect – NvidiaJuliette Murphy, CEO & Co-founder – FloodMappShayna Solis, CEO & Co-founder – Navteca3:30pm – 4:15pmOpen Discussion and Next StepsAll attendees 4:15-4:30pmClosing RemarksDr. Ingo Simonis, Chief Technology Innovation Officer – OGC
December 7, BY INVITATION ONLY – OGC Executive Planning Committee, Strategic Member Advisory Committee, and Special Guests
8:00am – 9:00amRegistration Open9:00am – 9:20amOpeningOpening and welcome:OGCRed Cross9:20am – 11:00amRound Table DiscussionOngoing activities, new inputs, and lessons learned from Innovation Days 1 and 211:00am – 11:30amBreak11:30am – 1:00pm Round Table DiscussionAgency and Industry synergies, OGC priorities, and next steps for 2024 in Climate and Disasters
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https://youtu.be/Z5K8tuLqM3s
Thank You Sponsors and Supporters:
The OGC Innovation Days would not be possible without the support of organizations across the globe. Thank you:
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2022 Participating Organizations