Social systems refer to the patterned network of relationships constituting a coherent whole that exists between individuals, groups, and institutions. They represent an arrangement of social interactions based on shared norms and values that drive functional services around the world. Central to social systems are people, families, nations, and continents organize themselves as "groups" and institutions at various scales to facilitate the efficient delivery of services within the system and improve quality of life. Efficiency in a social system is key and largely determines the quality of life through optimal use of resources, and thus influences organizational structures within a social system. The quality of human life is largely driven by the availability of safe food and water, health care, security, housing and clothing, effective transport and communication, education, natural resources and environmental integrity, culture, land use planning, etc. The modern world is organized into systems that deliver services to meet these needs. Social systems are thus networks that reflect the essentials for a functional world around societal needs.
The theme for this year's conference is
"Earth Observation Services for Resilient Social Systems"
Based on current projections, the world population in 2020 was estimated to be 7.9 billion people, and based on those projections, the world population will increase to 8.1 billion people by 2025. The increase in population is expected to put more strain on the earth's resources, resulting in increased demand for services within social systems. Africa is now the second most populated continent in the world, with approximately 17% of the global population. Climate change is a phenomenon whose impacts continue to affect lives and livelihoods in many countries across the world, thus disrupting the "normal" social systems. Impacts are seen through weather-driven (cyclones and hurricanes) disruption of coastal ecosystems and infrastructure, increased poverty (droughts and flooding), land use conflicts due to lower productivity, urbanization and growing population, immigration stresses, gender inequalities, health care related issues, poor nutrition, and insecurity, among others. African countries also have the lowest GDPs in the world, which means they are less able to deal with external factors that affect social systems and social order, such as improving infrastructure, fighting pandemics, adapting to the effects of climate change, and so on.
Technological innovations have created remarkable efficiencies in these systems over the years, leading to better life expectancy and resource use. Unfortunately, this has also created numerous challenges that the world needs to deal with to ensure the sustainability, equity, and resilience of social systems and humanity at large. Advances in Earth observation technologies have proven key in the study of the earth from space, and thus provide "independent" data streams about various social systems and their footprint on the planet.Earth observation data enhances our understanding of human-environment interactions through the acquisition of long-term weather and climate data records; land use and land administration; monitoring of natural resources (water, forests, oceans, fisheries, minerals, etc.); and enriching social-economic data and information. This data is useful in building decision support systems and tools that facilitate transparent and objective decision making and policy formulation for more resilient social systems.
The Seven Thematic Areas are
The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) will be conducting the 5th RCMRD International Conference, on the 27th to 29th September 2022, whose theme is "Earth Observation Services for Resilient Social Systems". The RIC 2022 theme will build on the 2021 theme by exploring how Earth observation data and services can improve resilience in social systems by addressing challenges around people, their planet, and the associated policies that drive social systems. At RIC2022, RCMRD provides participants with an excellent opportunity to present their research and innovations, share experiences, ideas, methods, and technological advancements in the use of Earth observation data services for resilient social systems. The participants will also engage with key players in this industry from all over the globe. As a result, the Centre invites individuals, institutions, and the private sector to participate and contribute to finding solutions to societal challenges through the use of EO data and geo-spatial technologies that influence social systems through broad sessions defined as pro-people space policies, people and planet Earth, and planning for a resilient people.
