GeOnG 2020

The GeOnG is back!

Message posted on September 4th, 2020

We're going virtual this year!

Given the situation and the level of uncertainty that still remains, we felt that this was the best solution.

Our team is currently working on redesigning the format of the event as well as its program. This move to an online format offers a great opportunity to make the forum more inclusive, with broader access to the event :)

More information will be communicated in the near future via our newsletter. Sign-up to stay informed!

Registration will open on October 1st! Save the date!

Main Theme

After editions tackling the role of these tools in decision-making processes (2008), new data collection technologies (2010), cloud-computing-related challenges (2012), operational data analysis (2014), the impact of humanitarian information management (2016), and the debate around Perfection versus Good enough in Information Management (2018), CartONG has decided to focus the 2020 edition on:

People at the heart of Information Management: promoting responsible and inclusive practices

Learn more about the main theme of the 2020 edition of the GeOnG by reading our short editorial here!

Background on the GeOnG

Organized by CartONG every two years since 2008, the GeOnG forum gathers humanitarian and development actors and professionals specialized in information management. The GeOnG is dedicated to addressing issues related to data in the humanitarian and development sectors, including topics related to mapping, GIS, data collection & information management. To this end, the forum is designed to allow participants to debate current and future stakes, introduce relevant and innovative solutions and share experience and best practices.

The GeOnG is one of the biggest independent forum on the topic in Europe, with an average of 180 participants from 90 organizations in the last three editions. In the last ten years, it has become a major event on issues related to mapping, mobile technology, information management and, more generally, on the use of new technologies in the humanitarian and development sectors.

If you want to know more about the GeOnG, have a look at the after-movie of the last edition as well as the videos of the 2016 and 2018 GeOnG roundtables available on Youtube.

A Variety of Sessions

The GeOnG traditionally opens with a plenary session about the main theme of the conference in order to build a general framework for debate for the whole event. During the three-day event, the participants can then take part in roundtables to discuss current stakes in the sector, in workshops enabling them to get trained in the use of new tools, and in short-length sessions serving as platforms for project initiators to present their ideas and share best practices. In 2020, we also intend to repeat the experience of the Fail Fest session - a format first introduced at the GeOnG in 2018 - with the understanding that if not all failures are good to share, some should actually be put forward and discussed so all humanitarian and development actors can learn from them and find their own path to successful solutions and adequate practices.

Open Call for Suggestions

As for the last 2 editions, we have decided to open a Call for Suggestions to encourage interested actors to submit their ideas and recommendations. Please note that the Open Call is now closed. Thanks for taking part.