🌍 GEO Indigenous Summit & Ltome-Katip Ethical Listening Lab 2026
📅 March 16–19, 2026 | Online
Building on the 2020 and 2023 GEO Indigenous Summits — which brought together thousands of Indigenous leaders, Earth observation (EO) experts, UN agencies, youth, and institutions to address access and governance barriers in EO data and tools — the 2026 edition turns toward the future.
This year, we go deeper into practice and policy: exploring how Indigenous-led frameworks are already guiding biodiversity monitoring, interspecies responsibility, and the ethical development of AI and environmental technologies.
From the ground to orbit, this Lab and Summit are spaces to:
-
share knowledge and fieldwork across disciplines,
-
learn from existing ethical models in action,
-
co-develop tools and approaches that serve communities, ecosystems, and future generations.
Whether you're working with EO data, biodiversity science, AI, policy, or space infrastructure — you're invited to listen, contribute, and be part of shaping more accountable and relational systems of environmental and space governance.
📝 Submit Your Abstract
We welcome contributions from Indigenous communities, scientists, students, conservationists, EO practitioners, and interdisciplinary researchers.
You can submit to:
🌱 Ltome-Katip Ethical Listening Lab (March 16–17)
🧭 GEO Indigenous Summit (March 18–19)
👉 Abstract Deadline: February 20, 2026
📤 Submit your abstract here
✅ Register to Attend
This event is free and open to all — but registration is required to access the sessions.
🔗 Click here to register your interest
Once registered, you will receive the Zoom access link.
Preliminary agenda below.
📩 For questions, contact:
Diana Mastracci Sanchez — diana@space4innovation.com
LTOME-KATIP ETHICAL LISTENING LAB DAY 1
MARCH 16
OPENING CEREMONY
13:00-13:30 Europe - CET
Introduction to the Ltome-Katip Ethical Listening Lab and to the GEO Indigenous Allianc e grounding principles, featuring keynotes from Indigenous leaders, EO scientists, and policy actors. This session will open space to reflect on the convergence of Earth observation, AI, and Indigenous governance.
CUTTING EDGE BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS
Session 1
13:30-15:00 Europe - CET
This session will feature emerging work using a range of tools and methods — including bioacoustics, camera traps, eDNA, Indigenous-led tracking, and AI — to engage with animal presence, behavior, and multispecies relationships. Projects may focus on monitoring, protection, or deeper understanding of how animals signal, move, and live within ecosystems.
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE,
INTER-SPECIES COMMUNICATION & AI
Explore the role of Indigenous knowledge in understanding and interpreting animal communication and the natural world. And, discover how Indigenous led AI technologies can enhance conservation practices.
Session 2
15:30-17:00 Europe - CET
LESSONS LEARNED IN ANIMAL MONITORING - SHARING CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
This session is a space for honest reflection on the complexities of working with animal data — from technical limitations and access issues to ethical tensions and unexpected outcomes. Contributors are invited to share both obstacles and insights from the field, across methods such as bioacoustics, camera traps, eDNA, Indigenous tracking, and AI.
LTOME-KATIP ETHICAL LISTENING LAB DAY 1
MARCH 16
Session 4
14:00-15:30 Europe - CET
PITCH YOUR PROJECT
Session 5
14:00-14:30 Europe - CET
A short session to allow participants to pitch their current or future conservation projects and seek potential collaborators/funders for future work.
ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS
Learn about the GEO Indigenous Alliance Toolkit for Interspecies Work and hear about ethical considerations in developing AI tools for animal communication and conservation, focusing on co-design processes that respect Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty.
Session 4
15:00-16:30 Europe - CET
CLOSING CEREMONY
Session 5
16:30-17:00 Europe - CET
Wrap-up and key takeaways from the Labs discussions and outcomes.
GEO INDIGENOUS SUMMIT DAY 1
MARCH 18
OPENING CEREMONY
13:00-13:30 Europe - CET
A call-in to the GEO Indigenous Summit — where Indigenous governance meets the systems shaping Earth observation and AI. Keynotes from Indigenous leaders, EO scientists, and policy actors will set the tone for two days of shared inquiry into how ethical frameworks, access, and long-term responsibility must guide environmental monitoring at scale.
INDIGENOUS DATA GOVERNANCE & ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR BIODIVERSITY
Session 1
13:30-15:00 Europe - CET
Presentations on frameworks that support Indigenous data sovereignty, environmental governance, and community-led standards. Includes reflections on protocol, policy alignment, and institutional accountability.
EO & AI IN PRACTICE - COMMUNITY-CENTERED APPLICATIONS
Session 2
15:30-17:00 Europe - CET
Real-world applications of Earth observation, AI, and environmental sensing that are designed with and for Indigenous communities. Includes satellite-based monitoring, AI-supported analysis, and relational models that move beyond extraction.
CLOSING DIALOGUE
Session 3
17:00-17:30 Europe - CET
Facilitated space to reflect, pose open questions, and connect across disciplines.
GEO INDIGENOUS SUMMIT DAY 2
MARCH 19
BARRIERS & OPPORTUNITIES IN EO ACCESS AND USE
Session 4
13:30-15:00 Europe - CET
Discussion of the practical, structural, and political barriers to EO access — and how communities are navigating and transforming them.
LONG TERM COLLABORATION
Session 5
15:30-17:00 Europe - CET
Exploring what meaningful, long-term support and collaboration actually looks like — from funding models to governance structures.
CLOSING SESSION, COMMITMENTS & NEXT STEPS
Final reflections, shared commitments, and ceremonial close to the two days.
Session 6
15:30-17:00 Europe - CET