The annual GIS-forum in Kharkiv: tasks, thematics and indicators of development in 2012-2017

The article represents the experience of organizing the international conference “GIS-forum”, which is annually held at V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The main purpose of GIS-forum in 2012-2017 was to establish a constructive dialogue between distributors of software, geodata and GIS-services, providers of the equipment used in the GIS-industry, potential consumers of products, scientists, academicians who work in the field of GIS technologies, and future GIS specialists. The format of GIS-forum includes different types of events (reports, equipment exhibition, master classes, seminars, round tables, student projects contest) which gives the opportunities to different specialists in geoinformatics, remote sensing, geodesy and related industries to present their interests, to discuss current state and prospects of geoinformatics development in Ukraine and the world, to assess the state of geoinformation services market, as well as the need for specialists and the requirements for their training. An important aspect of the forum is the possibility to participate both full-time, and in a remote form, which is provided by webinar broadcasting. This makes it possible to significantly expand geography of the participants. The forum was attended by representatives from the USA, Spain, Portugal, Slovakia, Estonia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and of course - from different cities of Ukraine (in different years), which took part in the forum either in full-time or a distance form. The key modern principles of GIS-forum organization are: integration of education, science and production in GIS-industry for the solution of common problems; democratic and flexible financial policies of the event; modernity, innovation, interdisciplinarity; teamwork to achieve goals. The expediency and success of such events are determined by the ever-growing need for training highly qualified GIS specialists, in which all participants in the process (universities, scientists, businessmen) are interested, and which should be effective and relevant, considering the dynamic development of the industry. The presented trends of changing the subject, the contingent of participants, the types of events at the GIS forums in different years illustrate the changes that take place in the GIS-business and labor market in Ukraine, and accordingly - enable us to understand what changes should be introduced into the training of specialists by higher education institutions. The next GIS-forum will be held on February 21-23, 2018. All news and details of the event are published on the website of the event http://gis-forum.org.ua.