Expert Meeting: Crowdsource Mapping for Preparedness and Emergency Response, 5-6 July 2011

This is a final call for all those interested in applying to be invited to this first expert meeting. Deadline for application is 31st May 2011.

Information can be found at http://www.un-spider.org/crowdsource-mapping. We are looking for very specifc profiles to bring together for this first discussion: more specifically we are aiming at bringing together 30 leading experts representing crowd-sourcing communities, space agencies, disaster management and civil protection agencies, NGOs, private companies, and regional and international organizations. If you are an expert currently working in any of the relevant areas (disasters, crowd-source mapping, space-based information) and would like to participate in the meeting please consider applying. We are looking for experts that either already work with crowdsource mapping or have been considering how their work could leverage on this opportunity (specifically for disaster risk reduction and emergency and humanitarian response).

For this first expert meeting we will be focusing on getting a feedback from experts from the disaster management community regarding 1. how information has to be generated and/or tailored to ensure that it can be used effectively, 2. on novel potential applications and products which could be elaborated by the crowd-sourcing communities that can support preparedness and emergency response, and 3. how to build upon existing solutions to facilitate the sharing of information to the emergency management community. Additionally, we will also be discussing strategies on how to adequately address intellectual property and copyright concerns.

The programme is still being elaborated and if you would like contribute your thoughts please join us at the following Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/space-based-information-for-crowdsource-mapping

We thank you for your interest in this event and we are sure the end result will benefit the work we all carry out together.