INTERGEO 2008: Coastlines, hillsides, the sea

28 August 2008, 2:46pm

Bremen/Karlsruhe - As the patron of INTERGEO 2008 in Bremen, Sigmar Gabriel, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, hopes to highlight the close links between geoinformation and environmental/climate protection and promote greater interdisciplinary cooperation. Between 30 September and 2 October, around 1,500 international experts are expected to attend the INTERGEO congress - the world's leading congress trade fair for geodesy, land management and geoinformation. During the event, they will address a range of key topics including many of particular interest to the host city, Bremen. "Geodata and geoinformation provide, and will continue to provide, a sound basis for making strategic and political decisions if we intend to take environmental protection, environmental policy, climate change and climate protection seriously," explains Hagen Graeff, President of the German Association of Surveying - Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management (DVW). What's more, the comprehensive package of excursions on offer at INTERGEO 2008 has something for everyone.

More than 60 high-profile speakers: The congress

This year's event places issues such as coastal protection and flood risk management on an equal footing to e.g. maritime topics and the intensive polar research being conducted at the Alfred-Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven. The opening day, including the inaugural speech by Prof. Heinz-Otto Peitgen, Mathematician and Scientist of the Year 2005, is dedicated to the subject of environmental monitoring and strategies for alternative energy sources. Other topics that will be addressed by congress participants at the 14th INTERGEO include the INSPIRE guidelines, the geodata infrastructure in Germany, geomarketing, property valuation, urban development and land policy, 3D city models and laser scanning. More than 60 high-profile speakers and hosts with backgrounds in business and science are expected to take part in the three-day event. "The congress programme at the Bremen Exhibition Centre focuses on the interfaces between geoinformation and environmental protection. However, it also picks up on a range of other current topics, which means that this year's event is, yet again, set to be the highlight of the geodetic calendar," emphasizes Hagen Graeff.

The consequences of potential climate change are becoming increasingly relevant to geodesy, geoinformation and land management, and there is an urgent need to develop appropriate responses to crisis situations and environmental changes in general. Experts from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen and the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam have therefore been invited to speak on the subject of environmental monitoring. During the first and second days of the congress, environmental specialists from Bremen will also be looking at the city's flood defences and "tiers of action for climate protection". The regional peculiarities of the host city for this year's INTERGEO are addressed in even greater detail when the focus shifts to urban development and 3D city models.

24 fascinating excursions: The supporting programme

An excursion to the Mercedes-Benz assembly plant and the EADS-Bremenhalle aerospace museum, a visit to the 120-metre-high drop tower at the University of Bremen and a guided tour of the artists' colony in Worpswede - the programme of excursions at this year's INTERGEO is as varied as it is fascinating.

The complete congress programme can be found at www.intergeo.de, where visitors can also register online to take part in the presentations or the varied programme of excursions.

Growing international importance: The trade fair

Like the congress, the trade fair also acts as an international driving force for the industry. All the halls - an area amounting to 12,000 square meters of exhibition space - are now fully booked. What's more, almost 50 percent of all exhibitors are based outside Germany, a fact that reflects the growing international importance of INTERGEO. Companies from Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, the U.K., the U.S. and many more countries besides will be using INTERGEO as a platform for showcasing their products, solutions and services.


By plane, train or automobile - Bremen is within easy reach

Bremen can be reached by plane, train or car easily, quickly and - with the INTERGEO special offer from Deutsche Bahn AG - cheaply from Germany and beyond. INTERGEO tickets are valid from 28 September to 4 October. The special offer can be booked online www.intergeo.de or by phoning the hotline on +49 (0)1805 311153 and mentioning INTERGEO.

INTERGEO 2008

Geo: International