We are pleased to announce that the 1st International Conference of the Global Partnership for Smart Informatics and Multi-hazard Reduction (SIMR 2024) will be held in Loughborough, the United Kingdom, September 16 – 20, 2024.

SIMR 2024 will create a multi-disciplinary forum for academic researchers and professionals to share research developments and practical experiences in developing and implementing multi-faceted approaches to address the global challenges created by increasing multi-hazard risk and climate change in a fast-changing world. It aims to foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration to advance scientific research and practice in harnessing emerging informatics technologies for effective hazard risk assessment and disaster reduction to achieve long-term resilience. This first SIMR conference will provide opportunities for researchers and professionals interested in disaster risk reduction research and practice to network, develop new skills and partnerships, exchange information, and shape the further development of SIMR.

In addition to scientific sessions, SIMR 2024 will offer training courses where participants can learn the latest high-performance hazard modelling and risk assessment skills. The conference will also include a field trip to the Peak District and enjoy the English countryside scenery.

Loughborough is a thriving market town with a rich history in central England and is the home of Loughborough University. It is 11.2km away from East Midlands Airport, 18.9km from Nottingham Airport and 50.8km from Birmingham Airport. Regular trains between Loughborough and central London take only about 1.5 hours.

Conference Schedule

  • September 16: Registration and training courses
  • September 17: Opening ceremony and sessions
  • September 18: Sessions
  • September 19: Sessions
  • September 20: Field trip

Call for abstracts

Prospective authors are invited to attend this conference and submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations around the overarching conference theme ‘Towards A Sustainable Future: Developing Climate and Disaster Resilience in the New Digital Era’. Interdisciplinary research widely from natural science, engineering and social science fields to address multi-hazard systemic risk is welcome. The sub-themes are:

  • Understanding and characterisation of disaster risk
  • Hazard monitoring & modelling
  • Disaster risk management & resilience

The main text of the abstract should be less than 300 words. Additionally, the abstract should include the full names, affiliations, and emails of all authors. The presenting author should be indicated and will serve as the primary contact for all following correspondence.

Please submit your abstract using the online form. The deadline for abstract submissions is 20 May 2024. All abstracts will be reviewed by the conference scientific committee, and authors will be notified of the acceptance of their abstracts for oral or poster presentation by June 15, 2024. Selected abstracts may be invited to submit a full paper for publication in an SCI-indexed journal after further peer review.

Call for Special Sessions

The organising committee would like to invite special session proposals on topics related to disaster risk reduction and resilience. Special sessions will be directly organised by the convener(s), who will propose topics, invite speakers, and manage abstracts. Each special session will consist of at least 5 to 6 oral presentations. To propose a special session, please include the following information in your session proposal:

  • Name(s) and institutional affiliation(s) of the convener(s)
  • Email address of the session convener(s)
  • Title of the session
  • Short description of the session
  • List of potential participants

Please submit your session proposal to unesco.imrr@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk with the subject line 'Special Session Proposal' by May 20, 2024.

Registration

Registration types Early bird registration (on or before 15 July 2024) (GBP) Regular registration fee (After 15 July 2024) (GBP)
Regular £550 £650
Student £400 £500

Registration fee includes:

  • Access to all scientific sessions 
  • Coffee breaks for 3 days of the conference
  • Conference lunch for 3 days
  • Certificate of attendance (electronic version)

Key dates

  • Abstract and session proposal submission deadline: 20 May 2024
  • Abstract notification deadline: 15 June 2024
  • Early bird registration deadline: 15 July 2024
  • Registration deadline: 15 August 2024

Organisers

  • UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Reduction (IMRR), Loughborough University, UK
  • State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, China
  • School of Water Conservancy and Transportation, Zhengzhou University, China

Organising Committee

  • Chair: Qiuhua Liang
  • Co-chairs: Shaowei Hu, Qiang Xu, Xuanmei Fan, Jinjun Guo, Tom Dijkstra
  • Members: Huili Chen, Bin Guo, Jinghua Jiang, Xuejing Li, Xiuchun Liang, Lin Lin, Jie Liu, Haoyang Qin, Alister Smith, Chengguo Su, Xue Tong, Huiliang Wang, Zhenlei Wei, Jingxiao Wu, Hongshi Xu, Peng Zhang

Contact Information

For any enquiries, please email the SIMR Secretariat at unesco.imrr@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk