What are Lightning Talks?

Lightning Talks are an opportunity to share with and educate colleagues on topics relevant to the GEOINT 2021 theme: “Discovery and Connections.” 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 demonstration. These talks are an opportunity for valuable information and creative ideas to get the attention they deserve, within a maximum of 5 minutes. The clock will be ticking, so get prepared! We are seeking thought-provoking, high-energy topics that challenge attendees to think, learn…and hopefully take it to the next level! Lightning Talks are 5 minutes in length, and will be scheduled between 12:45 and 3:30 p.m., October 6 and 7 in the Innovation Hub in the Symposium Exhibit Hall.

We invite USGIF Organizational Members, Individual Members, and Academic Partners/Accredited School representatives to submit Lightning Talk proposals. Presenters will be expected to register for the Symposium. Submissions imply a commitment to attend the GEOINT Symposium if selected. Sales pitches are not acceptable and will be disregarded during the proposal review process.

A USGIF review committee will consider all proposals and accept a limited number for the event, with priority given to interesting, creative, and practical ideas directly related to the main theme of the Symposium.

Suggested Topic Areas

Lightning Talk concepts should add an important voice to the GEOINT Symposium theme, showcasing latest discoveries and innovation resulting from regional, national or global collaborations (“connections”) further accelerated by COVID-19. Presenters should consider how GEOINTers contribute to the greater geospatial community and society overall.

Topics of interest may include but are not limited to:

• 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 Modelling, Analysis and Visualization
• Model Web, Geospatial Workflows and Service Composition
• Spatiotemporal Data Acquisition, Modelling, and Analysis
• Earth Observation Systems
• Miniaturization of sensors
• Geospatial policies, law & ethics

Onsite Presentation Guidelines

• Your PowerPoint should have a maximum of 10 slides. Demos (if any) should be embedded. Videos will need to be submitted as .mp4.
• Presentations will be cut off 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).

Use this space to tell us about your proposed Lightning Talk (what is it, how does it work, who is or should get involved, and its broader impact). Write a concise description of your key point, process, and outcome(s). This summary may be used in symposium or post-symposium marketing materials. Please write it so that it accurately describes what attendees can expect by attending your talk, and to entice people to attend.

While not required, presentations that highlight ongoing collaboration with academic institutions and/or who call out a specific need for academic partnerships are strongly preferred. Visuals, demos, and graphics are strongly encouraged, but avoid long narratives and/or charts that contain so much information that the type font has to be very small.

All submissions must be emailed to ets@usgif.org no later than 5 p.m. EST May 28.

Next Steps

A USGIF-appointed committee will conduct peer-review, select the most innovative proposals, and notify applicants of their decisions by mid-June. Selected presenters will be responsible for their own Symposium registration, travel, and housing. If selected to present at GEOINT 2021, a final draft of your presentation slides must be submitted to ets@usgif.org by August 30 the latest. Instructions on scheduling your Lightning Talk will accompany selection notification.