JOIN US AT DESCON 8.0

We live in a world fueled by data. But are we collecting too much? Massive datasets power everything from energy grids to social media, but they also demand immense energy, threaten privacy, and often contain unnecessary information.

This year at DESCON we’re exploring Minimum {Sustainable} Data Sets. These lean datasets prioritise essential information, leading to:

  • Reduced environmental impact: Smaller datasets require less processing power, significantly cutting energy consumption.
  • Enhanced privacy: By collecting only necessary data, we minimise risks and protect sensitive information.
  • Improved efficiency: Focused data sets are easier to analyse, leading to faster, more effective decision-making.

This is a chance to rethink our approach to data and build a more sustainable, secure, and efficient digital future. Join us at DESCON 8.0 to hear from leading experts, engage in critical discussions, and participate in a hackathon tackling climate change and air pollution through the lens of minimal data.

Impact Hub Belgrade
Makedonska 21, 11103 Belgrade
Fri, 13 Sep | 12:30 – 18:30
Sat, 14 Sep | 10:30 – 18:30

DESCON is a free event.
Donations are welcome.

WATCH THE PRESENTATIONS


2024 HACKATHON

Join the Challenge!

  • Capture the Flag Competition: Test your problem-solving skills in this open challenge for individuals and teams.
  • Klimerko.org Enhancement: Contribute to our open-source air monitoring device and network by bringing additional sensors and improving its functionality.
  • Creative Data Applications: Develop innovative ways to utilise environmental data sets like Copernicus dataset used in digitalplatformsrbije.rs

Projects like Klimerko.org, launched as the “Air to the People” (Vazduh Građanima) initiative, demonstrate how open environmental data and collaborative citizen measurement networks can benefit society by democratising information. Broad use of such data not only improves decision-making in sectors like energy but can also play a crucial role in early detection of environmental disasters.

Teams are welcome to participate in a hybrid format.

Hackathon Prizes: Coming Soon!


CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS / CALL FOR PAPERS

Got an interesting project related to information technology, ecology, or climate change? We’d love to hear about it at DESCON 8.0!

Whether it’s a quick 10-min lightning talk or a more in-depth 20-min presentation, send us your proposal by Fri, 30th Aug.

SEE YOU IN

Expand All +

  • Day 1

    Fri, 13 Sep (CEST)

  • We're excited to kick off another in-person DESCON!
    Where
    Square

  • - Takmičenje „Capture the Flag“: Testirajte svoje veštine rešavanja problema u ovom otvorenom izazovu za pojedince i timove.
    - Poboljšanje Klimerko.org platforme: Doprinesite našem uređaju za monitoring vazduha otvorenog koda i mreži dodavanjem dodatnih senzora i poboljšanjem njegove funkcionalnosti.
    - Kreativne aplikacije za podatke: Razvijte inovativne načine za korišćenje skupova podataka o životnoj sredini kao što je Copernicus dataset korišćen na digitalplatformsrbije.rs

    Timovi su dobrodošli da učestvuju u hibridnom formatu.
    _____

    - Capture the Flag Competition: Test your problem-solving skills in this open challenge for individuals and teams.
    - Klimerko.org Enhancement: Contribute to our open-source air monitoring device and network by bringing additional sensors and improving its functionality.
    - Creative Data Applications: Develop innovative ways to utilise environmental data sets like Copernicus dataset used in digitalplatformsrbije.rs

    Teams are welcome to participate in a hybrid format.
    Hackathon
    Where
    Gallery

  • Dark data does not stem from the dark web, but it seems just as opaque: it is data that is undocumented, uncurated, unstructured, hidden, or biased, for example. According to recent estimates, more than 50% of all data is dark data—that's almost 100 zetta bytes. This data has serious implications, such as ecological, epistemic, or responsibility issues. This talk will introduce the topic and discuss the challenges and implications of dark data.
    _____

    Tamni podaci ne potiču sa mračnog weba, ali deluju isto tako neprozirni: to su podaci koji su nedokumentovani, nekuratirani, nestrukturirani, skriveni ili pristrasni, na primer. Prema nedavnim procenama, više od 50% svih podataka su tamni podaci - to je skoro 100 zetabajta. Ovi podaci imaju ozbiljne implikacije, kao što su ekološki, epistemički ili problemi odgovornosti. Ovo predavanje će predstaviti temu i diskutovati o izazovima i implikacijama tamnih podataka.
    Talk

  • From the logic of form to the logic of emergence in art and language: Typoaction, by Hansjörg Mayer (early 1960s)
    _____

    Od logike oblika do logike razvoja u umetnosti i jeziku: Typoaction, by Hansjörg Mayer (early 1960s)
    Talk

  • In this talk, Jan will reflect upon the relation between the research data infrastructures, application of various LLMs on historical data, and making accessible the old historical records to the contemporary interested communities. He will discuss technical requirements of realizing such a project, but will also focus on ethical, legal, and other relevant issues. The ethical issues are especially problematic, as there are various ethical sets of principles that advocate for opposite approaches within this problem.
    _________

    U ovom predavanju, Jan će razmatrati odnos između infrastruktura za istraživanje podataka, primene različitih LLM-ova na istorijske podatke i omogućavanja pristupa starim istorijskim zapisima savremenim zainteresovanim zajednicama. Diskutovaće o tehničkim zahtevima za realizaciju takvog projekta, ali će se fokusirati i na etička, pravna i druga relevantna pitanja. Etička pitanja su posebno problematična, jer postoje različiti etički skupovi principa koji zagovaraju suprotne pristupe unutar ovog problema.
    Talk

  • Sergio will explore the ethical and practical challenges of certifying AI-generated data within the context of environmental technology and policy. He will discuss how issues of data trustworthiness, privacy, and sustainability intersect, offering insights into ensuring reliable and ethical AI applications.
    _____

    Sergio će istražiti etičke i praktične izazove sertifikacije podataka generisanih veštačkom inteligencijom u kontekstu tehnologije i politike zaštite životne sredine. Razmotriće kako se pitanja pouzdanosti podataka, privatnosti i održivosti prepliću, nudeći uvide u osiguranje pouzdanih i etičkih primena veštačke inteligencije.
    Talk

  • In this talk, Goran will demystify the concept of Information Entropy and explore its impact on our daily digital experiences. By examining how it shapes user expectations and anxiety, he'll also discuss the role of AI-generated content in increasing overall information entropy, offering insights into its implications for digital media audiences.
    _____

    Na ovom predavanju, Goran će razjasniti koncept Informacione Entropije i istražiti njen uticaj na naše svakodnevne digitalne iskustva. Proučavajući kako oblikuje očekivanja i anksioznost korisnika, takođe će raspraviti ulogu sadržaja generisanog veštačkom inteligencijom u povećanju ukupne informacione entropije, nudeći uvide u njene posledice za publiku digitalnih medija.
    Talk

  • Can datasets ever be free from bias? Is it an issue of scale or something else? And what are the related ecological, ethical, political and technical challenges of large and smaller datasets now and in the future?
    _____

    Da li skupovi podataka ikada mogu biti slobodni od pristrasnosti? Da li je to pitanje obima ili nečeg drugog? Koji su ekološki, etički, politički i tehnički izazovi velikih i manjih skupova podataka danas i u budućnosti?
    Panel

  • The hackathon will move to Hacklab Belgrade for those who want to keep working. Pizzas are on us!
    Hackathon
    Where
    Hacklab Belgrade, Daničareva 23

  • Day 2

    Sat, 14 Sep (CEST)

  • We're excited to kick off another in-person DESCON!
    Where
    Gallery

  • - Takmičenje „Capture the Flag“: Testirajte svoje veštine rešavanja problema u ovom otvorenom izazovu za pojedince i timove.
    - Poboljšanje Klimerko.org platforme: Doprinesite našem uređaju za monitoring vazduha otvorenog koda i mreži dodavanjem dodatnih senzora i poboljšanjem njegove funkcionalnosti.
    - Kreativne aplikacije za podatke: Razvijte inovativne načine za korišćenje skupova podataka o životnoj sredini kao što je Copernicus dataset korišćen na digitalplatformsrbije.rs

    Timovi su dobrodošli da učestvuju u hibridnom formatu.
    _____

    - Capture the Flag Competition: Test your problem-solving skills in this open challenge for individuals and teams.
    - Klimerko.org Enhancement: Contribute to our open-source air monitoring device and network by bringing additional sensors and improving its functionality.
    - Creative Data Applications: Develop innovative ways to utilise environmental data sets like Copernicus dataset used in digitalplatformsrbije.rs

    Teams are welcome to participate in a hybrid format.
    Hackathon
    Where
    Square

  • Over the past year, much talk has been about AI and its impact on society. However, one thing that hasn't received much attention is the datasets used to teach these AI systems. LAION5B is an open-source dataset comprising 5.8 billion image and text pairs. It trains various generative AI systems. The next version containing 12 Billion image and text pairs is just around the corner. However, the dataset is hard to understand, and nobody knows exactly what it contains.

    In this talk, Christo will trace the construction of the dataset to better understand its contents, implications, and entanglements. He will show the curatorial mechanisms chosen to construct the dataset and how those mechanisms propagate biases of other machine learning models and datasets and structural biases of the AI field itself.

    Investments in AI systems are in the trillions, and those systems are deployed at a neck-break speed. Christo proposes “Investigating datasets” as an essential tool to holistically interrogate AI systems—the data, the models, and the emerging effects of AI.
    _____

    Tokom prošle godine, mnogo se govorilo o veštačkoj inteligenciji i njenom uticaju na društvo. Međutim, jedna stvar koja nije dobila mnogo pažnje su skupovi podataka koji se koriste za obuku ovih AI sistema. LAION5B je otvoreni skup podataka koji sadrži 5,8 milijardi parova slika i teksta. Ovaj skup podataka obučava različite generativne AI sisteme. Sledeća verzija sa 12 milijardi parova slika i teksta je skoro tu. Međutim, skup podataka je teško razumeti i niko tačno ne zna šta sadrži.

    U ovom govoru, Christo prati konstrukciju skupa podataka kako bi bolje razumeo njegov sadržaj, posledice i međusobne veze. On pokazuje kuratorske mehanizme koji su odabrani za konstrukciju skupa podataka i kako ti mehanizmi prenose pristrasnosti drugih modela mašinskog učenja i skupova podataka, kao i strukturalne pristrasnosti samog polja veštačke inteligencije.

    Investicije u AI sisteme su u trilionima, a ti sistemi se implementiraju neverovatnom brzinom. Christo predlaže "Istraživanje skupova podataka" kao ključni alat za sveobuhvatno ispitivanje AI sistema—podataka, modela i nastajućih efekata veštačke inteligencije.
    Keynote
    Talk

  • Learn how to make your own air-quality measuring device, Klimerko.

    3-9 participants
    Workshop

  • Join Vladan as he explores the intricate relationship between technology, power, and society over the past 500 years. Through detailed maps and critical cartography, “Calculating Empires” visualises the evolution of communication and computation technologies and their impact on social systems.
    _____

    Pridružite se Vladanu dok istražuje složene odnose između tehnologije, moći i društva tokom poslednjih 500 godina. Kroz detaljne mape i kritičku kartografiju, „Calculating Empires“ vizualizuje evoluciju komunikacionih i računarskih tehnologija i njihov uticaj na društvene sisteme.
    Talk

  • This talk discusses the ways in which networking impacts the environment - either positively or negatively, and directions for making improvements.
    _____

    Ovaj govor razmatra načine na koje umrežavanje utiče na životnu sredinu - bilo pozitivno ili negativno, kao i pravce za unapređenje.
    Talk

  • The EcoInternet Index (EII) is a composite indicator for measuring and comparing the eco-friendliness of Internet infrastructures across jurisdictions. The EII methodology balances between the constructive aspects of digital transformation and the negative drawback on power consumption. Officially launched at IGF2023 in Kyoto, this presentation provides an update on the project highlighting a couple of key narratives regarding the interrelationship with digital inclusion and sustainability, data sovereignty and personal digital sovereignty, as well as the importance of multistakeholder collaboration.
    Talk

  • Join us to streamline and improve the user experience of the Copernicus database, addressing the current clunkiness to make environmental data more accessible and user-friendly.

    Up to 10 participants
    _____

    Pridružite nam se u unapređenju korisničkog iskustva sa Copernikove baze podataka, rešavajući trenutne nedostatke kako bismo učinili ekološke podatke pristupačnijim i korisnijim.
    Workshop

  • As the number of internet-connected devices grows, IoT security is becoming increasingly crucial. In this talk, Petar will introduce several open-source tools and methods for protecting your own fleet of IoT devices.
    _____

    IoT security polako postaje sve potrebniji kako se broj uređaja povezanih na internet povećava. Zbog toga će Petar predstaviti nekoliko open-source alata i metoda za zaštitu sopstvene flote IoT uređaja.
    Talk

  • Discover the project 'Digital Climate Atlas of Serbia', which uses satellite data to provide comprehensive climate insights.
    _____

    Saznajte više o projektu 'Digitalni atlas klime Srbije', koji koristi satelitske podatke za pružanje sveobuhvatnih uvida u klimu.
    Talk

  • In this panel, we'll explore how technology can empower citizens to tackle environmental issues. We’ll discuss essential tech tools and insights from leading scientific institutions on making environmental monitoring accessible and affordable, especially for those concerned about air pollution and environmental health.

    Key discussion points:

    - Essential Tech Tools: Latest technologies for affordable and accessible environmental monitoring.
    - Expert Insights: Best practices and reliable data sources from top scientific institutions.
    - Citizen Science in Action: How individuals can use technology to measure pollution, collect credible data, and drive environmental change.

    Our focus will be on accessibility, affordability, and credibility, ensuring effective citizen engagement in building a sustainable future by empowering communities to take action. Join us to learn how technology can empower you to make a difference in your community.
    _____

    Na ovom panelu, istražićemo kako tehnologija može osnažiti građane da se suoče sa ekološkim problemima. Razgovaraćemo o ključnim tehnološkim alatima i uvidima vodećih naučnih institucija o tome kako učiniti praćenje životne sredine pristupačnim i povoljnim, posebno za one koji su zabrinuti zbog zagađenja vazduha i zdravlja životne sredine.

    Ključne tačke diskusije:

    - Ključni Tehnički Alati: Najnovije tehnologije za pristupačno i efikasno praćenje životne sredine.
    - Uvidi Stručnjaka: Najbolje prakse i pouzdani izvori podataka iz vrhunskih naučnih institucija.
    - Građanska Nauka u Akciji: Kako pojedinci mogu koristiti tehnologiju za merenje zagađenja, prikupljanje verodostojnih podataka i podsticanje ekoloških promena.

    Naš fokus biće na pristupačnosti, povoljnosti i kredibilitetu, kako bismo obezbedili efikasno uključivanje građana u izgradnju održive budućnosti osnaživanjem zajednica da preduzmu akciju. Pridružite nam se da saznate kako tehnologija može osnažiti vas da napravite razliku u vašoj zajednici.
    Panel

  • Join us for a collaborative session to shape the future of data. Building on insights from our event, especially the MDS panel from Friday, we’ll draft a manifesto outlining key principles for sustainable, ethical, and efficient data practices. Let’s shape the future of data together!

    Up to 10 participants
    _____

    Priključite se nam na kolaborativnoj sesiji kako bismo oblikovali budućnost podataka. Izgrađujući na uvidima iz našeg događaja, posebno MDS panela u petak, nacrtaćemo manifest koji izlaže ključne principe za održive, etičke i efikasne prakse podataka. Hajde da zajedno oblikujemo budućnost podataka!
    Workshop

  • Join us as our datathon teams and participants will present their projects, and the Capture the Flag winners are announced.
    Talk
    Where
    Gallery

We’re a non-profit hackathon dedicated to making our event open to everyone, especially students, by not charging an entry fee. Run primarily by volunteers, we lean on support from our community and sponsors. Every donation, small or big, helps us cover essential costs and ensure the event’s success. We can’t thank you enough for your support.

[Donate to DESCON]

WITH THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS

13-14 Sep, 2024 | Impact Hub Belgrade