At the “Shaping the EO*GI skills of the future” Final Conference of the Horizon 2020 funded project EO4GEO, Anna Spiteri gave an invited presentation entitled ‘A new IoT: the Interrelationships of Things in the EO*GI sector’.

The event brought together a broad and diverse range of stakeholders in the field of Earth Observation and Geographic Information (EO*GI), including institutions (the European Commission, EUSPA, ESA, as well as local and regional entities), as well as representatives of the private sector and academia and training providers, with the scope to discuss the current needs and education gaps in the EO*GI sector, what means are put in place to tackle it, and what additional steps and initiatives should be undertaken.

In her articulate presentation, Anna build on notions elaborated upon by Dr. Iain Gilchrist (neuroscientist, cultural historian) in his publication: ‘The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the Western World’.

Anna invited the audience to consider that, as an EO*GI community, we have an important role to play, the ability to monitor changes, make meaningful maps, (PPIGS), do forecasts but with added understanding, with responsibility, with local tangible knowledge… not just data manipulation… and then we will start being more credible… and become more ‘of service’.

A recording of her presentation (starting around 2 hours and 20 minutes of the recording) can be accessed via this link, and full copy of her presentation can be accessed from the EO4GEO website through this link.