Diversity and inclusion are key to the continued growth of the geospatial industry. As part of its broader commitment to gender balance, the Working Group EUROGI Women in Geospatial established a national chapter in Ireland in 2023, led by Marion Murphy,Managing Director at Mallon.
Affiliated with IRLOGI, the Irish Organisation for Geographic Information, the Irish chapter gathers GIS professionals dedicated to empowering individuals across the sector, regardless of gender, to achieve their personal and professional ambitions.
Since its inception, the chapter has been actively working on initiatives that enhance visibility, create networking opportunities, and promote knowledge sharing. A key initiative has been the launch in early 2024 of a monthly webinar series on Earth Observation (EO), providing a platform for women working in EO-related fields in Ireland to share insights and experiences. In addition, the chapter conducted a survey to assess the status of the geospatial industry in Ireland,
particularly focusing on gender representation.
Earth Observation Webinar Series
The EUROGI Women in Geospatial Irish Chapter webinar series has brought together professionals from various backgrounds to discuss the applications of Earth Observation in diverse sectors. Below are the details and links to past sessions:
| Session | Host | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Session 1: 10th January 2024 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Michelle McKee (KOREC Group) – Mobile Mapping: A solution for industry to measure, map, and manage infrastructure remotely. • Sita Karki, PhD (Mallon) – Application of EO for Agricultural Monitoring. |
| Session 2: 7th February 2024 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Eve Daly, PhD (NUI Galway) – Soil to Life – Remote Sensing the Critical Zone. • Gema Casal, PhD (Maynooth University) – Optical Earth Observation in Marine and Coastal Applications. |
| Session 3: 6th March 2024 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Sinead McGlynn, PhD (TechWorks Marine) – Using EO for Global Marine Monitoring. • Indiana Olbert, PhD (University of Galway) – Using Earth Observation and Machine Learning for Flood Forecasting and Modelling. |
| Session 4: 3rd April 2024 | Host: Marion Murphy |
• Edell Cashin (Dublin City Council) – The Role of IoT in the Movement of People and Goods. • Mohana Logakrishnan, PhD (Teagasc) – Identification of Farms That Do Not Grow Winter Cover Crops in Ireland Using Sentinel-1 Time Series Data. |
| Session 5: 1st May 2024 | Host: Sita Karki, PhD | • Jenny Hanafin, PhD (ICHEC) – Earth Observation Data Cube for Ireland. |
| Session 6: 5th June 2024 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Jessica Hicks (FARMEYE) – Purlieu: A Novel Solution to Hedgerow Mapping. • Vivienne Kelly (COMPASS INFORMATICS & TRACSIS GEOINTELLIGENCE) – Geospatial Data Science – Improving Public Services. |
| Session 7: 4th September 2024 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD | • Gemma Weir & Michelle Mulomby (National Parks and Wildlife Service, Ireland) – Geospatial Data in NPWS. |
| Session 8: 17th October 2024 | Host: Sita Karki, PhD |
• Rebecca Cachia (Codema, Dublin’s Energy Agency) – Geospatial Data and Spatial Energy Planning. • Fiona Cawkwell (University College Cork) – The Spatial, Temporal, and Spectral Resolution of My Geoinformatics Career to Date. |
| Session 9: 6th November 2024 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Sinead Duffy (Met Éireann) – An overview of the Irish Weather Radar Network, and the geospatial data it produces [not included in the video registration]. • Susan Heaney (Northern Ireland Space Office – NISO) – Investigating the Potential for Satellite Solutions to Improve the Efficiencies and Effectiveness of NI Public Sector. |
| Session 10: 7th February 2025 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Michelle Cassidy (Northern Ireland Water) • Christine Armour (LandClan) |
| Session 11: 5th March 2025 | Host: Jenny Hanafin, PhD |
• Joanna Chrachol (Tailte Éireann) • Lorraine Barry (Department for Infrastructure) |
