GHTC 2021 Virtual Program – see links in sidebar
View Program Presentation Schedule in EDAS
Program Guide Posted
Welcome Session Recording
Welcome from Chair
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2021 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC). GHTC has become a flagship annual venue for academics, for-profit and non-profit businesses, and governmental and non-governmental organizations to identify the present and future humanitarian needs and present their work to create influential, novel, and accessible humanitarian technologies. GHTC is an excellent opportunity to network, share, learn, and establish collaborations to build innovative and accessible humanitarian technologies.
GHTC 2021 aims to:
- Foster exchange of information, networking, and cooperation in Sustainable Development, Humanitarian Technology, ICT4D (Information and Communication Technologies for Development), and Disaster Recovery spaces.
- Focus attention on organizations that enable or leverage technologies and engineering expertise in support of Sustainable Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Provide a forum where practitioners can share solutions or identify solutions or potential partners when addressing specific societal challenges
- Impact in positive and meaningful ways the lives of disadvantaged billions of people around the world
- Attract young people to these professional fields by exploring Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM) solutions addressing the world’s vulnerable communities
The Technical Program Committee has prepared an excellent program to cover a wide range of topics related to humanitarian needs and technologies. These sessions include topics such as Medical Technologies, Role of Web-based Services and Social Media Channels During Global Pandemics, Supporting Stakeholder Engagement in Healthcare Applications, Data Transmission and Communication during Disasters, Off-grid Electrification, Sustainable Grid Technologies, Human-centered Design of Energy Applications, Energy Conversion and Storage for Humanitarian Applications, Technology Adoption in Agriculture, Online Service Learning, Professional Preparation of Social Entrepreneurs.
We will have multiple plenary panels on topics related to technologies for healthy aging, sustainable development, and the impact of social media on public health. We also host multiple plenary talks that highlight practical development approaches and present directions to develop technologies for the benefit of humanity. Our speakers are Dr. Deborah Estrin (Cornell Tech), Dr. Elizabeth Belding (University of California, Santa Barbara), Dr. Octav Chipara (The University of Iowa), Dr. Anna Forster (University of Bremen), Dr. Farid Farahmand (Sonoma State University), Aline McNaull (IEEE-USA), and Grayson Randall (IEEE MOVE Operations Lead). There will be four workshops during the first day of the conference. Well-established professionals will instruct these workshops in the fields of humanitarian technologies.
I want to thank:
- the authors for submitting their influential papers,
- speakers and panelists for accepting our invitation to participate and present at this venue,
- the Technical Program Committee and track chairs for their excellent job on reviewing the papers and preparing the scientific program,
- the publication team for preparing the conference proceedings, and
- the program team and steering committee for their sustained support and orchestrating this year’s events.
Behnam Dezfouli
General Chair, 2021 GHTC