Program

The detailed program will be announced closer to the conference

Monday May 8th

• Pre-conference workshop (full day) –  “3D underwater mapping of habitats and biological communities” – Sorry the workshop is now FULL
  

This workshop will provide a thorough overview of using cameras to recreate underwater scenes in 3D, using Structure from Motion. It aims to both introduce novices to this approach and involve specialists to discuss more sophisticated ways that we might use this technology to study different marine habitats, from the shallow sub-tidal to the deep-sea environments. The workshop’s main objective is to give participants a comprehensive grasp of the different research opportunities made possible by this technology through a series of talks, debates, and hands-on activities. Experts will be on hand to talk about particular projects and resolve any potential methodological issues that guests may raise.

Session topics include (to be confirmed), but not limited to:

• Theoretical introduction (a wide ranging session to discuss the basic methodology and suitable platforms)
• Software demonstrations
• Hands on sessions (including OpenDroneMap)
• End use case studies from industry and academia
• Group discussion about the future of this method and how we can foster collaborations

This workshop open to anyone requires a separate registration and fee (see Registration section of this Website). Note that you can register to this workshop independantly from the rest of the main event.

• Ice-breaker (evening)

This ice-breaker opening the conference will take in one of the trendiest places of Saint-Gilles, the Outside, a bar overlooking Saint-Gilles harbor that may offer a beautiful sunset on the ocean if the weather cooperates. This event included in the main conference registration will allow you to meet GeoHab participants in a more informal setting. The Outside is located at about 15 minutes walk from the conference hotel (Hotel Le Récif), near the heart of Saint-Gilles – click here for the location. The event starts at 18:30 and the place is ours until you feel coming back… The restaurant Chef will be joining us in the main area to prepare various finger food during the evening.

Tuesday to Thursday May 9-11th

Main event (details to be announced)

Friday May 12th

• Field excursion
  

This full-day field excursion will bring you to one of the most active volcanoes in the world, the Piton de la Fournaise. Surrounded by spectacular landscapes, you may feel at times that you have set foot on the planet Mars! Be ready for a long day… An early departure from the hotel (around 6:30 AM) will give us the best chance to reach the volcano area before the clouds cover it. The bus will take about two hours to get to the site, doing several stops on the way at interesting sites/viewpoints. Two staff from the “Cité du Volcan” will be our guides for the day. They will give us an overview of the island’s geological history and comment on the geology of different sites we’ll see on the way to the volcano. At the last stop, the group will continue on foot for about 25 minutes to reach a small crater (unfortunately, this excursion will not include the main crater, which would require a full day of hiking). Most of the hike is easy, although walking on lava may require a steady foot, and you will need to walk down some steep steps. The return journey will be more physical though, as it will involve walking up these steps for about 15 to 30 minutes. Participants who prefer not to walk are welcome to wait for the group near the bus, where you should get a beautiful view of the entire area from above. A lunch bag will be provided to each participant and lunch will be taken before or after this hike, depending on the time. Note that while the conference hotel is located by the sea, where the temperature may be lovely, the bus will bring you to a height of more than 2,300 meters, where the temperature will be much cooler (possibly around 10-12 Celsius/50 – 54 Fahrenheit). Please make sure you bring warm clothes, suitable walking/hiking shoes, a rain jacket, a hat, and a lot of strong sunscreen. On our way back, we will visit the Cité du Volcan (the volcano museum), before returning to the hotel. We expect to return to the hotel around 7 PM (possibly a bit later). Note that this tour could be replaced at the last minute by another one if weather conditions or volcano activity do not allow it. Participation to this event is not included in the main registration and requires a separate registration.

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