So… What’s WhereCampPDX?

WhereCampPDX is a free unconference focusing on all things geographical. The best way to describe it is as a geo-happening where all types of geo-locative enthusiasts come together and have informal discussions on what interests them. An unconference is a conference planned by the participants and created on the spot. It’s about having a low threshold for participation, bringing ideas into the open, and hearing all voices. It is like the 20% of a traditional conference where the best parts happen. You meet people, make relationships, and get down to what’s important to you. It all just happens.

What happened at the last one?

Last year we had people come from as far away as Africa and a good number of attendees from all over North America. Session topics included OpenStreetMap, Portland’s open data initiative, post digital mapping, using geolocation to survive the zombie apocalypse, and harnessing crowd sourced traffic data. Geoblogger James Fee gave a keynote on “Data Interoperability on the GeoWeb.” Sunday saw a rousing game of Pac-Manhattan in the streets of downtown Portland.

“Location games were a great followup to the hacking and sessions of the day before. WhereCampPDX was one of the best unconferences I’ve ever attended. It was well organized without being too controlled with a great a mix of people. Thanks everyone who organized as well as attended, it was an enjoyable time.” – Kate Chapman

The Main Ingredient is You

Sign up here and come to WhereCampPDX 2010! You made this a great event last year, and we want to see everyone again. If you are new to WhereCampPDX or have never attended an unconference, it’s time to make the jump.

There are so many ways to get involved and be part of creating WhereCampPDX. Help us get the word out on your blog or using Twitter. Tell your friends at the local hackathon. Come meet the organizers for happy hour and brainstorming every Thursday night at Produce Row. All are welcome!

Do you work for a company that could potentially be a sponsor? Tell them about the event. Check out the list of past sponsors on the blog and find out how your organization can get involved.

Remember, we need your help to make this another great event.

Writing credit goes to Justin Houk.

The unconference has moved to Old Town Pizza for food and hacking. We will be back at SOUK tomorrow for more sessions, PACMANhattan and Cruel 2B Kind. See you there!!

Join us there to get a whole new perspective on the four Ms of humanity: Momentum, Maintenance, Multiplicity and Mobility.

Irene

Aside from the ‘meat’ of the event, though, we’re also getting into the homestretch on the logistical details, and that’s where we’d sure like to hear from our loyal fans. We need to know how many people are coming, so we can be certain to have enough meeting space, food, t-shirts, etc., etc. So, it would help us out if all you locative-services devotees could let us know you’re coming.

Also, we want to hear from you. What do you think about t-shirts, food, other conference swag? Should we have them? Would you pay for them?  The comments section of this blog is your chance to let us know your opinions. So drop us a line, and we will see what we can do to accomodate you.

Looking forward to seeing you WHERE!

Irene

And my answer to him, in all seriousness, is, “Yes.”

It’s no secret right now that the US economy is in pretty serious trouble. The reasons behind this are many and complex, but the situation as it stands is that many banks and other lending institutions are freezing their funds. Money that used to be available as loans or grants to help small companies grow or survive isn’t there any more. The trickle-down effect of this financial meltdown could be catastrophic collapse, as those small businesses that are dependent on external funding are unable to meet their operating budgets. Any way you look at it, the situation is grim, especially for small, young, and start-up businesses.

But there is also potential. Strange though it may sound, I think this is an opportunity for location-based services to find their niche. After all, the one thing every business needs is customers. Much of the money that investors provide is to boost growth, which means giving these businesses ways to reach more customers. Losing those funds, for many businesses, means that they’re going to have to find new ways to engage with their customers. New ways to do their transactions directly with the people who want to purchase their goods or services.

And guess what? Those people, without exception, have one thing in common. Every single one of them has a location. Has friends, neighborhoods, routes, and other businesses that they frequent in the course of their daily lives. Locative services, in all their myriad flavors, have enormous potential to benefit many businesses that are seeking new ways to get together with their customers. They can help business learn their customers’ needs and desires and to integrate their products and services into their users’ lifestyles. That’s how I’d answer my friend… bring your business to your customers, on their real estate!

So there’s the challenge for anyone and everyone in business who’s looking to grow their customer base: start thinking outside the box. Instead of mainstream, old-fashioned marketing and business development, start thinking about how you can relate to your customers directly, on location. Think about how you can bring your products or services to your users, where and when they really need them. And then come to WhereCamp PDX and see how many locative-services experts are ready to help you do just that! 

“Society is being transformed by new maps and new mapping technology.  Our mission is to help create a free forum for people to talk about, present, explore, and learn about projects that involve place.”

What is WhereCamp PDX?

WhereCampPDX is a free unconference focusing on all things geographical. This informal meeting of minds welcomes all geo-locative enthusiasts, anyone who asks “where am I” or feels the need to “know their place”.

We share a vision of a fully transparent world where data is geographically relevant and just in time.

An unconference is a conference planned by the participants, we all convene together, plan sessions, and have break-outs into sessions.  This gives everybody an opportunity to bring to the table the things that interest them the most and lets us talk about new topics that are still new and exploratory.  Part of what is important to hearing new voices and getting new ideas is lowering barriers to participation – this event is free and it is driven by the participants.

What kinds of people and topics will be discussed?

This event is community driven and is what you make it.  It provide cross pollination between many different kinds of folks from all walks of life.  Topics may include remote sensing, geoinformatics, forestry and agriculture, food chain transparency, civil engineering, emergency disaster relief, urban planning, local search, context awareness, place hacking, social cartography, citizen journalism, locative gaming, psychogeography, locative art, and beyond. Expect to participate in conversations on the nature of place as described in pixels, with rays, on paper, and by social practice!

When and Where?

WhereCamp PDX will be happening Oct. 17-19 at Souk. We’ll be having a kick-off party on the 17th at a to be determined location, sessions all day on the 18th at Souk, and then more sessions and locative games on the 19th. You can join the mailing list to be involved in the planning process.