What are Lightning Talks?

Lightning Talks are an opportunity to share with and educate colleagues on topics relevant to the GEOINT 2022 theme: The Foundation of Intelligence. They focus on one key point–this can be an idea, a successful project, a cautionary story, a collaboration invitation on an ongoing project, a quick tip, or a demonstration. These talks are an opportunity for valuable information and creative ideas to get the attention they deserve. The clock will be ticking, so get prepared! We seek thought-provoking, high-energy topics that challenge attendees to think, learn, and hopefully take it to the next level! Lightning Talks are 5 minutes at most and slated between 1 and 4 p.m., April 25 and 26 in the Innovation Hub of the Symposium Exhibit Hall.

We invite USGIF Organizational Members, Individual Members, and Academic Partners/Accredited Schools to submit Lightning Talk proposals. We expect presenters to register for the GEOINT Symposium (registration opens mid-January). Submissions imply a commitment to attend if selected. We will not accept sales pitches and disregard them during the proposal review process.

A USGIF review committee will consider all proposals and accept a limited number for the event. The committee will prioritize interesting, creative, and practical ideas directly related to the Symposium’s main theme: The Foundation of Intelligence.

Suggested Topic Areas

Lightning Talk concepts should add an important voice to the GEOINT Symposium theme, showcasing intelligent capabilities and innovation built upon theoretical and algorithmic foundations. Presentations should consider how GEOINTers contribute to the greater geospatial community and society overall.

Topics of interest may include but are not limited to:

• Real-World Intelligence
• Spatial Data Discovery
• Cognitive Aspects of Human-Computer Interaction for GEOINT
• Digital Twins
• Future Workplace Technology
• Supply Chain Management
• Quantum Computing
• Digital Earth, Virtual Globes and Spatial-oriented Augmented Reality
• Geospatial AI
• Integrated BIM and GIS
• Cloud Computing
• Disaster and Risk Management
• Unmanned Platforms
• 3D Modeling, Analysis, and Visualization
• Model Web, Geospatial Workflows and Service Composition
• Spatiotemporal Data Acquisition, Modeling, and Analysis
• Earth Observation Systems
• Miniaturization of sensors
• Geospatial policies, law & ethics

Onsite Presentation Guidelines

• Your PowerPoint should have a maximum of 10 slides. Embed demos into the presentation, if any. Submit videos as .mp4.
• We will cut off the presentations at 5 minutes.

How to Apply

Please submit a Word document describing your project. Use guidelines below.

Please include:

• Title of the presentation (make it short, relevant, and enticing)
• Name(s) of presenter(s) and institution(s), contact information, and very short biographical sketch(es)
• Description (up to 250 words).

Tell us about your proposed Lightning Talk (what it is, how it works, who is or should get involved, and its broader impact). Write a concise description of your key point, process, and outcome(s). We may use your summary in Symposium or post-Symposium marketing materials. Please write it to accurately describe what attendees can expect from your talk and entice people to attend.

While not required, we prefer presentations that highlight ongoing collaboration with academic institutions and/or call out a specific need for academic partnerships. We also encourage visuals, demos, and graphics, but please avoid long narratives or charts containing so much information that the font is tiny.

Email your submission to ets@usgif.org by no later than 5 p.m. EST on February 16.

Next Steps

A USGIF-appointed committee will conduct peer-review, select the most innovative proposals, and notify applicants of their decisions by March 7. If selected, you will be responsible for your Symposium registration, travel, and housing. You must submit your final draft of your presentation slides to ets@usgif.org by March 31 at the latest. We will provide instructions on scheduling your Lightning Talk upon selection notification.