Royal Geographical Society with IBG Annual Conference 2005, London
"Flows and spaces in a globalised world"
31 August - 2nd September 2005
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First Notice of GISc Research Group Sessions
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1. New tools and techniques for the exploration of society and space
2. Using GIS to explore geographical flows and spaces of the past [in
association with HGRG]
3. Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing and GIS: Monitoring Ecosystem
Responses to Landscape Change [in association with BRG]
4. GIS and Health [in association with GHRG & AGI Health SIG]
5. Postgraduate research in GIS [in association with PGF]
If you are interested in participating in any of these sessions, please
submit the download the proforma from
<http://www.rgs.org/pdf/AC2005%20Abstract%20submission%20form.pdf >
including a title and short abstract (not exceeding 200 words) to the
Session Convenor by 21st January 2005.
Further details of all sessions are given below.
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1. [GIScRG] New tools and techniques for the exploration of society and
space
Session Convenor: Dr Muki Haklay <[log in to unmask]> Department of
Geomatic Engineering, UCL
In the last decade, the increased power of computers, the availability of
large data sources and the advances in methods of spatial modelling and
geographical information science created new tools, theories and concepts
for representation and modelling of spatial phenomena.
Agent-Based Modelling, Cellular Automata, Spatial Data Mining and many
other techniques enabled the exploration of spatial relationships in new
ways, using the computer as a simulation laboratory or as a powerful
microscope - revealing new aspects of geographical flows, networks and
spaces. These methods are especially powerful in exploring ideas about
society in a globalised world, be it at the local, regional or global
scale.
This session will focus on these methods of modelling spaces and flows
using computerised representation of society and geographical entities.
The aim of the session is to provide a forum for those who are active in
development of computer models of society and space from the small scale
interaction of pedestrians with their environment, to global models of
economic activities or epidemiology. The session is also intended to
explore the philosophical and theoretical assumptions which are embedded
in these models, and consider different ways of representing geographical
phenomena using spatial modelling techniques. I would especially encourage
papers that might touch on one or more of the following themes:
- The theoretical frameworks that are being used to simulate society and
space
- Reflections on the modelling process: the integration of assumptions
- Abstraction of real-world interactions and their implications on model
outputs
- The use of models to produce meaningful and verifiable outputs
- The use of models in decision making processes
If you are interested in participating in this session, please submit a
title and short abstract (not exceeding 200 words) to the organiser by
21st January 2005.
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2. [GIScRG and HGRG] Using GIS to explore geographical flows and spaces of
the past
Session Convenor: Dr Ian Gregory <[log in to unmask]> Department of
Geography, Portsmouth
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the use of geographical
information systems (GIS) in historical research. This session
demonstrates the current state of the art in the field with a view to
exploring the question: what new knowledge can GIS offer to the discipline
of history? The session will demonstrate that GIS can be applied to a wide
variety of historical problems involving spatial or spatio-temporal
information. It draws on the expertise of a range of international leaders
in the field. Papers will explore issues at a number of different scales
using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. At its core, the
session is exploring new approaches to analysing change over time and
space and it thus fits well with the conference theme of "Flows and spaces
in a globalised world."
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3. [BRG & GISRG] Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing and GIS: Monitoring
Ecosystem Responses to Landscape Change
Session Convenors: Dr Jenny Hill <[log in to unmask]>, Dr Robert
Abrahart <[log in to unmask]>
This session aims to examine dynamic flows and spaces in a globalised
world with specific reference to ecological landscapes and the utility of
remote sensing and GIS technologies. Ecological landscapes are evolving
under increasingly prominent global socio-demographic and
politico-economic forces. This can be witnessed in
intensification/de-intensification of agricultural landscapes,
fragmentation of tropical forest, rangeland degradation, alien species
invasion, species over-exploitation and altered animal range
distributions. Landscape change is manifest within all ecosystems, from
tropical rainforests and arid deserts, through temperate wetlands, to
montane and Arctic/Antarctic environments. Many of these changes are
confounded by the potential impacts of future climate change.
Landscape ecology examines the relationships between pattern and process
at the synoptic scale. Remote sensing offers capabilities of land cover
(habitat) and species assemblage mapping, and quantitative estimates of
land surface biophysical properties. GIS is used to capture, store,
analyse and model data spatially, with the inherent capability of scale
manipulation. Thus, integrating theoretical concepts and findings of
landscape ecology with the capabilities of synoptic level technology
offers a means of monitoring/modeling ecosystem responses to landscape
change. Together, the concepts and technologies can enhance evaluation for
nature conservation, including prioritizing protected areas and informing
policy guidelines.
The session convenors invite research that examines ecological processes
at the landscape level or combines a landscape ecological approach with
the use of remote sensing and GIS technologies. Research might focus, for
example, on how forces of development have fragmented ecosystems, thereby
altering landscape spatial geometry and meta-population dynamics, or it
may define the difficulties and opportunities of monitoring habitats in a
dynamic landscape. We welcome remote sensing/GIS technical papers, in
addition to those concentrating on ecological processes/concepts or
application of the technologies to landscape studies and biological
conservation.
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4. [GHRG, AGI Health SIG & GIScRG] GIS and Health
Session Convenors: Andrew Lovett < [log in to unmask]> University of East
Anglia (on behalf of the GHRG)
and Bob Abrahart <[log in to unmask]> University of Nottingham
(on behalf of the GIScRG and AGI Health SIG)
The Geography of Health and GI Science Research Groups are collaborating
with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) Health Special
Interest Group to organise a session on the theme of GIS and Health at the
RGS/IBG Annual Conference in 2005. As the use of GIS in public health
matures, it is hoped that this session will provide insights into the
current state of applications, new initiatives and continuing challenges
for practitioners. Papers that discuss the use of GIS in either health
care planning or epidemiological research are welcome, as well as those
that consider developments in data sources, analytical or presentational
techniques and the institutional context of GIS use.
If you are interested in presenting a paper in this session please
complete the attached abstract form and email it to either Andrew Lovett
([log in to unmask]) or Bob Abrahart ([log in to unmask]) by
Friday 21st January.
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5. [GISc and PGF] Postgraduate Research in Geographical Information
Science
Session Convenor: Dr Nick Tate <[log in to unmask]> Department of
Geography, University of Leicester
The purpose of this session is to provide a forum for postgraduate
research in the field of Geographical Information Science and GIS
applications, and to provide an opportunity for postgraduate students at
any stage of their careers (including Masters students) to present their
research. This is the second such GIS postgraduate orientated
collaboration between the GISc and PGF and follows the very successful
inaugural session held at the annual conference in 2003. The session will
be sponsored by the Ordnance Survey in the form of a prize awarded for the
best paper.
Papers are encouraged in any area of Geographical Information Systems and
Geographical Information Science and the following themes are particularly
encouraged:
- Geographical data issues
- Uncertainty and error
- GIS applications
- Advanced spatial analysis
- Visualisation
If you are interested in participating in this session, please download
and submit a proforma <
http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/RGS-PGF/downloads/GISc-PGF_submit.doc >
(abstract not exceeding 200 words) to Nick Tate <[log in to unmask]> by
21st January 2005.
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