GeoRabble heads to Parramatta on GIS Day, with Melbourne session at Locate26

GeoRabble, the informal, volunteer-run meet-up for geospatial professionals, has two events in Australia this November.

Its first Parramatta event takes place on the evening of 18 November, World GIS Day, at the General Bourke Hotel, 74 Church St. Registration will be required, but details had not been published when the announcement ran. Organisers are seeking speakers and sponsors, and GIS Jobs is already sponsoring.

GeoRabble Melbourne is held alongside the Locate26 conference on Tuesday 24 November at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, from 5:45pm to 7:00pm. Locate26 is providing pizza and drinks. Free registration is required because the venue is inside the conference.

GeoRabble is in its 13th year. It has no membership or formal structure, is free to attend and usually features short talks from local experts.

Why it matters: Grassroots, vendor-neutral meet-ups like GeoRabble offer a low-cost model for building local geospatial communities and networking, one that user groups and chapters elsewhere, including in Africa, could adapt.