Proposals are invited for sessions at SciDataCon 2018: The Digital Frontiers of Global Science.
SciDataCon 2018 will take place as an integrated part of International Data Week, 5-8 November 2018, in Gaborone, Botswana.
Session proposals should be made at: http://www.scidatacon.org/IDW2018/ – the deadline for proposals is midnight UTC on 2 February 2018.
If you have not already done so, you need to sign up and create an account on the SciDataCon site. – this is not, of course the same as registering for the conference. Conference registration will be available in due course at http://internationaldataweek.org/
The Digital Frontiers of Global Science
SciDataCon 2018 will address the theme of ‘The Digital Frontiers of Global Science’. In a hyperconnected world where the internet is pervasive and web technologies are driving major changes in our lives, research has become more than ever before digital and international. Furthermore, the major societal and scientific challenges facing humanity in this digital age are profoundly global in character, requiring the participation of researchers from all countries and disciplines. The data revolution is also a major source of the scientific opportunities to address these issues but to realise these potentials the frontiers of science, data analysis and stewardship must be advanced. Likewise, the data revolution must be inclusive, benefitting all, and harnessing all energies: no parts of the world and no disciplines should be left behind.
SciDataCon 2018 seeks to explore the digital frontiers of global science by bringing together research and practice papers from a wide range of perspectives. The scope is explicitly broad and inclusive, addressing all aspects of the role of data in research.
The high-level themes of the 2018 edition are:
- the digital frontiers of global science;
- a global and inclusive data revolution;
- applications, progress and challenges of data intensive research;
- data infrastructure and enabling practices for international and collaborative research.
An expanded overview of these themes is provided here http://www.scidatacon.org/conference/IDW2018/conference_themes_and_scope/.
Proposing a Session
Please consider the following issues when making your proposal for a SciDataCon 2018 session.
- Sessions will be 90 minutes in duration.
- Sessions should correspond to one or more of the conference themes outlined at http://www.scidatacon.org/conference/IDW2018/conference_themes_and_scope. Proposals should indicate which theme(s) the session addresses.
- Session proposals should indicate the format and ‘type’ of the session: see ‘Session Types’ http://www.scidatacon.org/conference/IDW2018/session-types/ for information about the different formats of sessions that are invited.
- The proposed session structure should allow sufficient time for interaction and discussion with participants and audience.
Your proposal should:
- provide a clear description of the approach and structure of the session;
- explain the significance of the research questions to be tackled in the session;
- provide as much information as possible about proposed speakers and the subject of their papers;
- indicate clearly the format of the session;
- indicate clearly which conference theme or themes will be addressed;
- be no shorter than 300 words and no longer than 600 words.
Next Steps and Timescales
Selected sessions will be notified by 28 February 2018.
The Call for Sessions will be followed by a general Call for Papers which will open on 28 February 2018 with a deadline of midnight UTC on 30 April 2018.
The Call for Papers will invite:
- papers specifically for sessions approved from the current call; or,
- papers submitted independent of approved sessions (which if selected will be organised into thematic sessions by the conference committee).
All speakers wishing to present research papers, practice papers, posters and panel contributions, whether identified in session proposals or not, will be required to submit abstracts by midnight UTC on 30 April 2018.
It is the responsibility of the organisers of accepted sessions to ensure that invited speakers for their sessions submit abstracts for their contributions by this deadline.
The International Scientific Programme Committee may allocate paper(s) from the general a call for papers to a session if appropriate and with the agreement of the session organisers.
Selected papers will be notified by 31 May 2018 when we hope also to publish an outline programme.
Summary of Key Dates
- Deadline for session proposals: 02 February 2018
- Selected sessions will be notified by 28 February 2018.
- Call for abstracts will be released c. 28 February 2018
- Deadline for abstracts submission: 30 April 2018
- Target for confirmation of accepted abstracts, 31 May 2018.