GDEST 2008, Cape Town, South Africa, March 2008

14 November 2007, 7:50pm

The conference on “Geospatial Sciences for Sustainable Development in Africa” - Global
Dialogue on Emerging Science and Technology (GDEST) 2008, will be held in Cape Town, South Africa from 17 to 19 March, 2008.

This is an announcement and Call for Expressions of Interest. The deadline is 15 December 2007.

For further information contact Mr. Paul Bartel – E-mail bartelpp@state.gov.

The aim of the Global Dialogues on Emerging Science and Technology (GDEST) is to increase partnerships and networking among scientists and experts in the United States and across
other world regions by building upon and reinforcing existing networks among international partner scientists and governments. The conference will highlight challenges, opportunities, and potential
steps toward the effective use of geospatial science for sustainable development in Africa.
Research papers and posters will be considered for presentation by specialists in the field of
geospatial sciences.

All participants selected will be reimbursed for their travel, lodging, and meals
associated with the GDEST Africa Conference.

The Conference will address three broad conference themes, listed below. Workshops on various conference sub-themes will also be offered as part of conference participation. The conference papers and proceedings are planned to be published following the meeting.

Conference Themes:

(1) Observing Africa, including examining trends and opportunities in monitoring the environment and sustainability issues;

(2) Analysis of regional challenges to Africa, how decisions and policies have been directly influenced by modeling, analysis, and visualization tools; and

(3) The African data stream, constraints and approaches for getting valid data in a timely and affordable manner in a useful format, and how it can be shared among collaborators.

What is GDEST?

The U.S. Department of State, under the leadership of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary, has conducted a series of bi- and multilateral visits and conferences that have examined advanced and advancing science and technology in the various host country or countries. This initiative, called the Global Dialogues on Emerging Science and Technology (GDEST), has focused on specific areas of emerging interest in different regions of the world. The GDEST activities are intended to contribute to global security, to address human aspects of sustainability, and to advance opportunities for shared knowledge on emerging science and technology (S&T). They facilitate interactions between leading U.S. scientists and engineers and their foreign peers, with a special emphasis on involving young investigators.

Geo: International