Access, distribution and processing of Geographic Information (GI) are basic preconditions to the support of strategic environmental decision-making. The heterogeneity of information on the environment today available is driving a wide number of initiatives, on both sides of the Atlantic, which advocate the strategic role of proper management and processing of environment-related data as well as the importance of harmonised IT infrastructures designed to better monitor and manage the environment.

However the extremely wide range of often multidimensional environmental information made available at the global scale poses a great challenge to technologists and scientists to find extremely sophisticated yet effective ways to provide access to very relevant data patterns within such a vast and highly dynamic information flow. In the past years the domain of 3D scientific visualization has tried to provide a viable solution to operators willing to gain insight into the simulation results in a way that eases understanding of an evolving phenomenon. However 3D data visualization alone does not provide model and hypothesis-making and validation. In order to answer to this issue, in recent years research trends have brought to an effective combination of data mining and information visualization, often referred to as Visual Analytics (VA).

Within such an articulated and fast evolving scenario the Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) will identify the wide range of implications, spanning from the regulations, technological as well as scientific point of view, involved in the access and processing of geographically-related information to increase environmental security.

The ARW will gather a selected number of experts in related disciplines ranging from:

• GIS (Geographical Information Systems),
• Visual Analytics (VA),
• disaster management,
• politics,
• computer visualization,
• environmental monitoring,
• data processing,
• remote sensing
• as well as representatives from regional and national authorities.

Specifically the ARW will be articulated across 5 days, each targeting a specific topic, thus focusing on a different specific horizontal issue of interest for the theme of environmental security:

From the scientific point of view the ARW will provide a dual approach by both presenting the current state of art in terms of information harmonization, legal issues, regulative issues, politics, technologies and by stimulating new research trends and synergies. As a result the ARW will bring to the definition of a set of guidelines aimed at the definition of a path to a new generation of computational tools capable of providing better environmental security.

Speakers as well as participants to the event will be selected on an invitation-base only. A limited number of participants from eligible NATO countries, Partner Countries or Mediterranean Dialogue countries is expected to be selected for their outstanding relevance. Selection of the most appropriate candidates will be made by the organization committee on the basis of their experience and of the position paper they will submit

To submit your paper click_here. Candidates will be asked to submit a 10 pages (max) paper together with a brief CV which illustrates their position, their activities and main expertise.

These candidates however will not receive financial support through the NATO grant and they will have to contribute, through the payment of a fee of 300 €, to the costs of the event. Their contribution will be added as part of the final proceedings volume to be edited as NATO Science for Peace Security Series, published by Springer Science and Business Media. The resulting volume is expected to set a milestone in the field of data access and processing for environmental security. It will represent a unique repository on ongoing key research trends, highlighting technological needs, recommendations or proposals for standards.

Participants from:

NATO Countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States.

NATO Partner countries: Albania, Armenia, Austria (1), Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Finland (1), Georgia, Ireland (1), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Montenegro, Russian Federation, Serbia, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (2), Sweden (1), Switzerland (1), Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

NATO Mediterranean Dialogue countries : Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

(1) Partner countries participation on a self-funding basis.
(2) Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name

Participation in ASIs and ARWs is at the discretion of the co-directors.