Welcome to GHTC 2019

Welcome from the Chair

A Cairde,

Céad Míle Fáilte romhaibh go léir to the 9th annual IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference hosted by IEEE Region 6, Seattle Section and IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology, Technical Co-Sponsored by IEEE-USA, IEEE Consumer Electronics Society, IEEE Engineering Medicine and Biology Society, IEEE Microwave Theory and Techniques Society, IEEE Power and Energy Society and IEEE Smart Village, with Global Good and IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee as Patrons.

IEEE GHTC brings together stakeholders from around the world sharing a common interest in addressing societal challenges at home and abroad. Supporting achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), GHTC provides a platform for researchers, technologists, engineers, policy makers and practitioners to share knowledge and experiences, build capacity and facilitate relationship building.

This year’s program features plenary panels focused on “Disaster Recovery, Disadvantaged Communities and Displaced People” and “Health-Related Issues in Resource Constrained Environments”. This is complemented by parallel tracks showcasing activities in Energy, Health, Agriculture, Connectivity, Education, Disaster Mitigation, Water and Sustainable Development.

We have extended the duration of the Plenary Panels, not just to allow more time for discussion but also for delegates to share personal experiences and insight. We are building on the participatory workshop sessions introduced last year through the introduction of a number of Unconference Sessions in the program, allowing delegates to influence topics and issues to be discussed, and share expertise.

Lunches and social events will provide opportunities for delegates and presenters to cluster at specific tables dedicated to discussion and knowledge sharing in specific thematic areas. Please take advantage of these opportunities – all of us have knowledge and experiences to share as well as lessons to learn.

Keynote speakers this year include Neil Sahota, Chief Innovation Officer, University of California (Emerging Technologies Research & Policy Institute), Irvine; Tom Coughlin, IEEE-USA President; and Tess Russo, Portfolio Lead and Research Scientist at Global Good.

On Thursday, there are several special events open to all conference delegates:

• Half-day Workshops (IoT and AI architecture for humanitarian services, Applied Machine Learning for Social Good and Fundamentals of Off-Grid Electrical Systems)
• Student Poster Competition
• Young Professionals Reception

On behalf of the Conference Committee I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this year’s conference – in particular the experts who volunteered their time to provide constructive, actionable feedback to improve the quality and impact of papers in the conference proceedings. Please take the opportunity during and after the conference to share your ideas of how we should continue to innovate as we start preparing for the 10^th anniversary of GHTC in 2020.

Prof. Paul M Cunningham
Chair, IEEE GHTC 2019
Dublin, Ireland