The 9th conference on Spatial Knowledge and Information (SKI) Canada will take place February 19-22, 2026, in Banff, Alberta. Since 2008, SKI has been the pre-eminent Canada-centric conference for geographic information science (and systems), spatial data science, remote sensing, geomatics and the geoweb research. The conference is aimed at researchers at all stages, from undergraduates to retired faculty and all types of educational institutions, from community colleges to universities and research institutes. SKI has been important to researchers, allowing them to share their research ideas and identify potential graduate students. This has been a great place to highlight your research and perhaps ski as well.

This year, as in previous years, we are inviting submissions on a range of topics such as papers and abstracts for peer-review and publication. Early career researchers and graduate students in particular are encouraged to apply.

The conference mixes practical and theoretical aspects of geographic information science. Come share your experiences in using GIS in academia in Canada and around the world. Learn from others on best practices and ways of accommodating different domains of knowledge.

We invite submissions on a range of topics including (but not limited to):

• GIScience
• Remote sensing
• Spatial Data Science
• Geomatics and Geomatics Engineering
• GeoAI, spatial big data, and machine learning
• Participatory GIS
• Spatial qualitative and mixed methods
• GIS in health and epidemiology
• GIS in transportation
• GIS in hydrology
• Geoprivacy
• Planning Support Systems and land-use planning
• Digital Earth and the Geospatial Web 2.0 (geoweb) (e.g., Google Earth, Virtual Earth, Google Maps) Research
• Neogeography, Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) and crowdsourcing
• Geovisualization and cybercartography
• Spatial Business applications
• Spatial statistics
• Location based services
• GIS and spatial modeling in Earth Sciences
• Urban simulation and modelling
• Computer dimensions of GIS (e.g., data modelling)
• Big Data, machine learning, Geo AI
• Smart Cities & Artificial Intelligence

Who should attend?

Students of all levels (undergraduate, masters, and PhD) and researchers who identify as GIScientists, Spatial Data Scientists, Remote Sensors, Geomatics Researchers or GIS Applications users from across Canada. We invite participants from academia, industry, and government. We are particularly interested in students attending the conference so please share this call for papers within your departments.

How to participate

There are three main avenues for researchers to contribute to the SKI 2026 conference: i) full paper submissions, ii) abstract submissions for early-stage students, and iii) faculty research synopses.

Paper Submissions

Papers can be up to 2000 words in length and a maximum of 10 pages (including figures and references). Each paper will be reviewed by the Program Committee and feedback will be provided to the authors. Accepted papers will be published in the SKI conference proceedings via Zenodo. In addition to gaining experience with the review process, students should be aware that each paper is given a persistent identifier (DOI) and indexed, which may be useful for their CV.
Download the paper template here
Submission will open shortly

Abstract Submissions

For students who have been registered in their programs for less than six months (as of the deadline of abstract submission), we invite submission of a short abstract (200–300 words). Short abstracts will not be included in proceedings but are an opportunity to discuss and receive feedback from your peers. Short abstracts should include the research context, goal, methods, anticipated results, and expected impacts. Short abstract submissions must be accompanied by an email or letter from the student’s supervisor indicating they have reviewed and approved the submission and confirmation that the student has been in their program of study for less than six months. If new students have sufficient results, a comprehensive literature review or a well-developed methodology, we encourage them to submit to the paper stream.
Download the abstract template here
Submission will open shortly

Research Synopsis

Faculty are alternatively invited to participate by providing a short research synopsis and a written summary of their research program. During the conference, each faculty will give a 2-minute elevator pitch highlighting the general scope of their research and submit a 300-word summary that will be posted on the conference website (note: summaries will not be part of the peer-reviewed proceedings).
Submit synopsis here

Schedule

The full conference event will be held from Thursday, February 19 to Sunday, February 22, 2026. The conference begins with an icebreaker and social on Thursday night, with paper presentations commencing Friday, February 20 and continuing Saturday, February 21. Further details will be posted following the submission deadline.

Structure

The conference will be structured as a series of plenary sessions: each hosted by a moderator. Conference sessions will be designed around a rapid-communication format successfully used in medicine, neuroscience, and other disciplines. Each presentation will be 5-10 minutes (depending on paper format) with a short, shared opportunity for public questions. Additionally, each evening of the conference will include a dinner reception offering ample time for interaction and discussion. The two dinner receptions will also include a keynote address (Friday) and a Conference photo “competition.”