Government Geography Profession conference 2024
Summary of the Government Geography Profession annual conference held on Tuesday 19 November and Wednesday 20 November 2024.
We were delighted to welcome members of the Geography in Government Profession (GGP) to our sixth annual conference at the Ordnance Survey HQ in Southampton on 19 to 20 November 2024. This was the first time that the GGP annual conference was held over two days, allowing members to engage in more in-depth technical sessions on the first day.
The first day of the conference focussed on innovations in geography and was opened by David Wood (Head of Profession) and John Kimmance, Chief Customer Officer (Ordnance Survey).
There were a variety of technical sessions throughout the day covering a wide range of topics, from innovative applications of artificial intelligence in government to the critical role of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) in our daily lives. These sessions highlighted the diverse work being done across the public sector.
The second day began with an overview of the Geospatial Commission by Sarah Hodgetts, Director at the Geospatial Commission who are the departmental sponsors of the GGP. We also heard from David Henderson, Chief Geospatial Officer at the Ordnance Survey, who provided an overview of the importance of geospatial information in decision-making.
We then had an informative presentation from Laura Pullen and Mick Dunn (Nottingham City Council) on the city-scale 3D digital twin for Nottingham City, which has been crucial for the planning of major developments within the city. This project was the winner of the Innovation category in the Geography in Government Awards 2024, and also went on to win the award for 2024.
The middle part of the day provided networking opportunities for attendees as well as opportunities to attend parallel sessions with a variety of presentations from GGP members showcasing their work. It was great to see the breadth of work across the public sector, from the development of a national nature park programme aimed at encouraging young people to adopt pro-environmental behaviours, to the use of geovisualisation for enhancing decision-making across local and central government departments. Alongside these presentations, there were opportunities for members to have drop-in sessions for Ordnance Survey queries, Royal Geographical Society Chartered Geographer questions, and GGP Awards advice.
David Wood, Head of GGP reflected on the conference that
It was wonderful to be at the Ordnance Survey HQ - the home of the national mapping agency, for the professions first two-day conference. The energy and passion in the rooms from our members and presenters was clear to see throughout the event. The event highlighted the fantastic work that geographers are doing across government and the wider public sector.
If you are a crown, civil or public servant applying geographic principles in your work and would like to become a member of the Government Geography Profession, you can join via our members site.