20th INTERGEO opens in Berlin!

Berlin, 7 October 2014. As the host of INTERGEO, the DVW e.V. – the German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management – is looking forward to three intensive days of information, discussions and networking in Berlin. At the opening event yesterday, DVW President Prof.  Karl-Friedrich Thöne strongly backed the competitiveness of Germany as a geoinformation hub.

DVW President Thöne: “Activating market potential must be the primary objective of a national geoinformation strategy”

Last night, the Spandau Citadel was the site of celebrations to mark the opening of the 20th INTERGEO, the world’s leading conference trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. Speaking in front of an audience of invited guests, Prof. Karl-Friedrich Thöne launched three busy days of INTERGEO. He called uncompromisingly for a consistent national geoinformation and proactive communication strategy. “The core challenge lies in getting important, groundbreaking applications on the market, both in the business sector and in public administration. Access to public data and the cooperation of those in business and administration are a prerequisite for this.” He spoke out in favour of having a clear, common objective and consciously defining roles.  He also said that activating market potential was the top priority in any such considerations. Prof. Thöne described INTERGEO as an event that brings together players from the administration and business sectors, making it of crucial importance for sustainable development in the field of geoinformation.

“Geoinformation and ICT are fundamental elements and core components of the digital future. The need for close collaboration between both these constituent parts is one example of a human-centric intelligent society,” said Andreas Kleinknecht, member of the management team of Fujitsu Germany, in his opening address.

Launch of three days of information and discussion 
From today, the programme at the 20th INTERGEO in Berlin will be focusing on discussions about society and the environment, technological trends and product innovations. The team behind the INTERGEO conference is expecting around 1,500 visitors who will use keynote speeches, specialist talks, panel discussions and product presentations to find out about the current status of geoinformation in business, science and administration.

Today (Tuesday), the 3rd national INSPIRE Conference held under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior will be opened by the Ministry’s State Secretary Cornelia Rogall-Grothe. The conference turns the spotlight on the topic of geoinformation as a catalyst for the information society. Following this, German Federal Environment Minister Dr. Barbara Hendricks will highlight the role geoinformation plays in tackling climate change.

On Wednesday, members of the INTERGEO Advisory Board will explore the discussion around ongoing developments in geoinformation as part of the English-language plenary talk “Mobile Future Now”.

The key topics of the INTERGEO conference are shaped by current trends that are influencing society, with presentations and discussions focusing on subjects such as mobility, energy, and land and urban development. As an up-and-coming technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be a particular point of interest. The UAV Flightzone in the outdoor area at INTERGEO provides a showcase for these flying surveying devices whose main purpose is to supply current geographical image information to assist the decision-making process. On Thursday 9 October, the GeoBusiness Commission of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology will host presentations and discussions on creating value from and making sustainable use of public geodata.

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel is patron of the imaGIne-2 conference being held on 8 and 9 October as part of INTERGEO. At this event, the European Umbrella Organisation for Geographic Information EUROGI will showcase the standard of the European geoinformation industry under the slogan “GI-Expertise made in Europe”.

About INTERGEO                                                                               
In its 20th year, over 500 German and international exhibitors are at INTERGEO to display their products and solutions in the field of geodesy, geoinformation and land management. INTERGEO is the biggest industry event worldwide and the top meeting place for the who’s who of the geoinformation community. Over 17,000 visitors are expected to attend the event in this anniversary year.

Programme, tickets, travel options  and other information are available at www.intergeo.de. 
Visit the 20th INTERGEO in Berlin!
DVW e.V. – German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management e.V. is the host of INTERGEO.