Julie Sweetkind-Singer, Assistant Director of Geospatial, Cartographic and Scientific Data & Services, Stanford University gave the Monday keynote and this was followed by a show and tell session.  The show and tell session gave project teams an opportunity to demonstrate their deliverables and for everyone else to ask questions.  There were 5 project stations per session and three sessions.  This gave you just enough time to move round each project and to network with the other attendees.  I wasnt sure it was going to work but it did. It was informal and you could drop in and out of the session when you liked.

Below is a summary of the projects that were funded as part of the JISC Geo funding stream.

STEEV (#e3vis) - This project will produce modelled estimates of building energy use for the period 1990-2050 for a sample geographic area in Cardiff, South Wales and provide a web based application that allows researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders the facility to explore varying spatio-temporal patterns of energy efficiency outcomes.

© Crown Copyright/database right 2011. An Ordnance Survey/EDINA supplied service.

ELOGeo (#elogeo) – ELOGeo addresses the provision of infrastructure for education, transfer of knowledge and training users and researchers on the effective use of open geospatial services, by providing a set of methodologies, tools and materials. The courses target the researchers, non-geospatial experts and general public who want to use open data, standards and tools.  ELOGeo is run by CGS at the University of Nottingham in prtnership with Mimas

GEMMA (#gemmaproject) – GEMMA (Geospatial Engiene for Mass Mapping Applications) is a websitethat allows anyone to create maps and analyis base data. GEMMA allows users to select base layers from MapTube such population, education, health and transport and display a thematic map.  You can also customise the map by selecting elements from OSM and running basic spatial queries on them.  Another neat feature is that you can create surveys and analyse the results in terms of the location of the respondants.  All very neat and all very easy and intuative to use. GEMMA is run by CASA at UCL.

GeoCrimeData (#geocrimedata) GeoCrimeData has created new geo-spatial datasets that will be of direct relevance to crime analysts, the police and those involved in community safety. These data will be generated from existing publically available data but will have been attributed with additional “contextual” information. GeoCrimeData is run by the University of Leeds

GeoSciTeach (#geosciteach) – GeoSciTeach is a teacher-based geo-spatial application for orchestrating scientific fieldwork activity. It is based around the android mobile platform and allows teachers to quickly and easily create fieldwork apps that students can then follow. The project is run by the London Knowledge Lab, Institute of Education but engages with teacher training colleges.

U.Geo (#geoukda) – The project will create and provide clear information on the potential of linking national survey data in the UK Data Archive collections to readily available boundary and point geographies. Furthermore, the project will improve resource discovery of data held at the Archive suitable for geospatial analysis, by standardising and referencing spatial unit definitions within the metadata of the collections.  They’ve done great work on INSPIRE and the social sciences, they’ve really gone into the nitty gritty and what that’s involved. See also JISC GECO’s work on INSPIRE.

Halogen2 (#halogen2) – This project will significantly enhance the HALOGEN (History, Archaeology, Linguistics,Onomastics and GENetics) cross-disciplinary spatial research database established in 2010.  The cross-disciplinary Roots of the British (Wellcome Trust) collaboration between scholars in humanities and genetics seeks to interrogate the evidence for the migration and/or continuity of human populations in the British Isles in the distant past.

It is intended to: extend the coverage of existing Portable Antiquities Scheme data in the database; add three new sources of spatial data relating to surname distributions and genetics; investigate and deploy an improved ‘data extract’ tool to enable researchers easier access to data; and to undertake a feasibility study into the provision of a simple web-based enquiry tool. HALOGEN2 is run by the University of Leicester.

IGIBS (#igibs) –to improve the connection between the UK’s National Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) as manifested through the UK Location Programme and the UK’s Academic SDI.  IGIBS four main outputs resulting from this project will be:

1. Working prototype of a “WMS factory” tool
2. Simple mapping application
3. Best Practice model for using UK academic SDI at the departmental level
4. Demonstration of UK access management technology being used to secure public sector services in combination with academic sector services

IGIBS is a joint project between EDINA, Aberystwyth University and the Welsh Assembly Government and runs from April to November 2011.

IIGLU (#jiscg3) – The JISC G3 project is setting out to bridge the learning Gap between the Geoweb and GIS. It has been set up to enable users outside of the field of GIS to overcome the disconnect between :

1. Using Geoweb for day-to-day activities (eg finding the pub or hotel)
2. Using GIS as part of research or studies (eg creating a map of population characteristics or mapping land use near development sites)

IIGLU hopes to develop

• an understanding of what new learners to GIS need
• a scenario based tool for new learners to GIS
• a scneario builder tool for teachers to build their own scenarios

IIGLU is run by the University of Portsmouth.

NatureLocator (#naturelcoator) – NatureLocator is the project responsible for developing the Leaf Watch app. NatureLocator’s Leaf Watch app provides a cross-platform solution for crowd sourcing the collection of geospatially tagged, photographic data.  The project has also integrated the crowd sourcing of data validation so that the data collected can be checked and verified by the general public. The app is designed to crowd source information on the health of Conker trees. It is designed to be easy to use and there is plenty of information that means users dont have to have any knowledge of biology.

Nature Locator is run by Bristol University and has had some great exposure through the BBC and Twitter with retweets by a certain Mr Fry!

PELAGIOS (#pelagios) – PELAGIOS stands for ‘Pelagios: Enable Linked Ancient Geodata In Open Systems’ – its aim is to help introduce Linked Open Data goodness into online resources that refer to places in the Ancient World. Pelagios also means ‘of the sea’, the superhighway of the ancient world – a metaphor we consider appropriate for a digital resource that will connect references to ancient places

xEvents (#xevents) – xEvents is a JISC-funded web service to run geo-aware calendars of academic events (talks, conferences, workshops, calls for papers). It is being developed in the first instance to support the PhilEvents service, but will be made available to third parties interested in operating similar services as well.  PhilPapers is a massively successful repository and this is really about engaging people in the spatial and the time. It does a great job of identifying and gathering events for any subject discipline.

JISC GECO (#jiscgeco) – This is a special project, an umbrella project for the JISC Geo strand. The overarching purpose of GECO is to foster a community(ies) of users of geospatial resources (data, services, support). Geospatial, taken in its broadest sense underpins a vast array of academic endeavour – geography represents a fundamental organising axis for information.

JISC Geo Show and Tell

For a detailed overview of all the activities from the JISC Geo event, and a neat timelapse, please head over to the JISC GECO blog