Wyoming Open Science Data Summit

Wyoming Open Science Data Summit

January 12–14, 2026 | University of Wyoming Conference Center | Laramie, WY

The Wyoming Open Science Data Summit convenes researchers, educators, data professionals, and policymakers to advance an open, collaborative, and AI-ready future for Wyoming’s research data ecosystem. The summit seeks to build a sustained community of practice—and a center of influence—for open science standards, governance, and capacity across the state.

Organized around three key themes—Discovery & Access | Policy & Governance | Methods & Applications—the event will explore how Wyoming can make research data more findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). As artificial intelligence and data-driven methods transform the research landscape, the summit will focus on enabling high-quality, well-curated, and ethically managed data to serve as the foundation for innovation, policy, and decision-making.

Through panels, workshops, and facilitated discussions, participants will examine strategies for breaking down data silos, improving data stewardship, and safely sharing public data for greater transparency and impact. By bringing together faculty, students, government agencies, and industry leaders, the Summit aims to align Wyoming’s open science efforts with national and global best practices—fostering collaboration, accessibility, and AI-ready research across disciplines.

A Pre-Summit Event on January 12, the Wyoming Geospatial Community Forum, hosted by WyGISC and WYGEO, will spotlight geospatial data, applications, and policy issues relevant to Wyoming’s geospatial professionals and decision makers.

Info: Dr. Jeff Hamerlinck will be providing opening remarks for the Geospatial Community Forum along with a goal for the overall day.

Info: Discussions possibly centered around: authoritative data & definitions, standards for geospatial data, data discovery and sharing, public/private partnerships, funding a geohub, real-world governance examples, support for local governments, troubleshooting roadblocks, and more.

Info: Discussions possibly centered around: authoritative data & definitions, standards for geospatial data, data discovery and sharing, public/private partnerships, funding a geohub, real-world governance examples, support for local governments, troubleshooting roadblocks, and more.

Info: Summarizing the events and discussions from the day, and a goal of providing possible recommendations for solutions.

Info: Defining the "Unconference": how to introduce your own topic(s), how to vote for topics, and what to take away from it. Submit a topic here: https://forms.office.com/r/StJ6GccdWu, then vote for your favorite(s) here: https://forms.office.com/r/Va4JBE0Kub

Info: Possible data-centered topics include: governance & compliance, methods, infrastructure, innovation, training, data readiness assessments, foundations for transformative research, enabling data-driven science, along with areas of application including: drones, sensors, AI readiness, real-world examples, and more.

Info: Possible data-centered topics include: governance & compliance, methods, infrastructure, innovation, training, data readiness assessments, foundations for transformative research, enabling data-driven science, along with areas of application including: drones, sensors, AI readiness, real-world examples, and more.

Info: Topics include: governance & compliance, methods, infrastructure, innovation, training, data readiness assessments, foundations for transformative research, enabling data-driven science, along with areas of application including: drones, sensors, AI readiness, real-world examples, and more.

Info: The top 3 topics from our poll here https://forms.office.com/r/Va4JBE0Kub will be selected and breakout sessions will occur concurrently during this session. Vote for your top 3, attend your favorite!

Info: Topics include: governance & compliance, methods, infrastructure, innovation, training, data readiness assessments, foundations for transformative research, enabling data-driven science, along with areas of application including: drones, sensors, AI readiness, real-world examples, and more.

Info: After 3 days of discussion and collaboration, what are the takeaways? What can we recommend? How can we improve the current landscape?

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

University of Wyoming Conference Center, 2221 Grand Avenue, Laramie, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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