Last updated: Monday, September 28, 2020, 14:10 CET.
Dear all,
First of all, SMAP 2020 Steering Committee members would like to express their deep concern and support for the global community and all affected by the continuous COVID-19 pandemic. The safety and well-being of all conference participants remains always a top priority!
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic, many governments have enacted travel bans and numerous state and local governments have prohibited large or even moderately-sized public gatherings. Such bans on travel and public gatherings are currently enforced and are likely to continue for the foreseeable future in Europe, in general, and in Greece, in particular.
So, after studying and evaluating all related announcements, guidance, and news released by relevant Greek and European authorities, and given the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in Greece over the last weeks, we are sorry to announce that the in-person gathering of SMAP 2020, scheduled to be held October 29-30th, has been cancelled and it will now be held as a full online event.
We feel really sad that this time we will not be able to host the conference on the beautiful island of Zakynthos, but we hope that all this will soon be a bad memory for all!
The Organizing Committee is in the process of making arrangements to convert the event into an online format. Information of the virtual event, including its programme and virtual platform to be used for accepted paper presentations will be available at the workshop’s website in the coming days.
#stayhome – #staysafe – #savelives
Update: Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 13:50 CET.
Dear all,
First of all, SMAP 2020 Steering Committee members would like to express their deep concern and support for the global community and all affected by the continuous COVID-19 pandemic. The safety and well-being of all conference participants remains always a top priority!
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic, many governments have enacted travel bans and numerous state and local governments have prohibited large or even moderately-sized public gatherings. Such bans on travel and public gatherings are likely to continue for the foreseeable future in Europe, in general, and in Greece, in particular.
Given the tendencies provided in the live analytics charts about the coronavirus cases in Greece (https://covid19.gov.gr/covid19-live-analytics/), we are starting to investigate together with IEEE the option to hold SMAP 2020 as a full virtual/online event.
More information and the final decision on the issue will be announced soon!
Update: Saturday, May 30, 2020, 23:00 CET.
SMAP 2020 is officially postponed to October 29-30, 2020!
Dear all,
- New workshop dates are officially approved by the IEEE, so SMAP 2020 will be delayed until October 2020.
- The Easychair submission system has been re-opened to welcome any new or late submission until September 1, 2020.
- A Zoom web conferencing option will be available and supported by IEEE for accepted paper presentations during the workshop in October.
- Current reviewing round of all papers already submitted to the Easychair system will proceed as planned and notifications of acceptance/rejection will be issued soon.
#staysafe
Update: Saturday, May 23, 2020, 22:10 CET.
SMAP 2020 will be postponed to October 29-30 2020!
Dear all,
Due to the present circumstances and according to the development of COVID-19 around the world that currently hinders unconditional traveling to Europe and Greece in early July, the Organizing Committee of SMAP 2020 took the difficult, but necessary, decision to postpone the workshop till October 29-30, 2020 at the same venue in Zakynthos.
It is true that this has been a very difficult decision to make, but at this point it is vital that we take appropriate steps to prioritize health and safety in accordance to the traveling guidelines set by the Greek Government, the Greek National Public Health Organization (EODY), the European CDC, and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Since SMAP was always a mater of personal commitment and its great strength has been the interaction of the built community during the events over that last 15 years, we feel that this is the best decision to make. We deeply apologize if this changes your traveling plans and we shall make sure that a virtual/online option will be available for accepted paper presentations in late October, in case someone prefers not to travel after all.
Having said that, we must also note that the participation and support from friends and researchers around the world was truly enormous so far. So, we also decided to proceed with initiating the reviewing round of all papers already submitted to the Easychair system, in order for authors to get a notification of acceptance/rejection according to the initial plan.
Once the new workshop dates get officially approved by the IEEE, the SMAP 2020 submission system will re-open to welcome any new or late submission until a meaningful new date.
#staysafe
Updated: Friday, April 24, 2020, 16:15 CET.
Dear all,
things seem to be getting better all around Europe and this is really encouraging! At the same time it also boosts our hopes to organize the SMAP 2020 workshop exactly as planed. So, for the time being, it is our determination that SMAP 2020 will occur as planned in July 2020.
We have no further news at the moment with respect to the exact format of the workshop, i.e., whether it would feature both a physical and virtual part, but as a first measure, we decided to extend the submission deadline for one last time until mid May.
We assure you that IEEE and SMAP 2020 Steering Committee are all keeping a close eye on the coronavirus impacts, current warnings and restrictions in the world and in Greece, as well as related public health recommendations.
Please keep visiting this page for further updates in the coming weeks.
#stayhome – #savelives
Update: Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 19:55 CET.
Dear all,
We hope that this message finds you healthy and that you and your families are safe and well during this difficult times!
Since Europe and Greece is still under heavy pressure from the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been some uncertainty as to whether we’ll be able to gather for the event. IEEE and SMAP 2020 Steering Committee are all keeping a close eye on the coronavirus impacts, current warnings and restrictions in the world and in Greece, as well as the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control.
For the time being it is our determination that SMAP 2020 will occur as planned in July 2020. The format of the conference will be decided in the coming weeks and most probably will contain a virtual component. There is hope that we may be able to gather in person, in some fashion. However, we are dedicated to providing the content that SMAP has become known for in a way that is deemed safe and positive for our attendees.
Please watch for updates in the weeks ahead, and also feel free to reach out to weigh in on the different options for carrying out SMAP 2020.
#stayhome – #savelives
Update: Wednesday, March 25, 2020, 13:30 CET.
Dear all,
We are still closely monitoring the situation in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential impact upon the SMAP 2020 workshop this July.
Currently, we are continuing work as planned to hold the SMAP 2020 workshop on July 1-2, 2020.
Having said that and according to the new updated data, we are also investigating the option to hold SMAP 2020 as a full online/virtual workshop. More details on this option will be provided soon.
We would like to assure you that together with IEEE we are monitoring the facts on a daily basis and we shall keep you constantly informed of any changes to the SMAP 2020 planning, as soon as possible.
#stayhome – #savelives
Update: Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 15:30 CET.
We are closely monitoring the situation in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential impact upon the SMAP 2020 workshop this July. Based on current Greek Government advice and health regulations, as well as the overall monitoring of the outbreak in Greece, at the moment we are continuing work as planned to hold the SMAP 2020 workshop on July 1-2, 2020.
We are mindful of uncertainty prompted by the outbreak and cannot predict what impact it may have in the coming weeks and months. Our primary concern is the health and safety of all involved in SMAP 2020, and we are aware of the need to ensure that the SMAP 2020 will be as safe an environment as possible for all.
Kindly note that due to the coronavirus situation (although for the time being a major decline is anticipated for the summer), for the participants who do not wish to travel, the workshop will still provide the option and the infrastructure for online (remote) presentation of their work. More details will be provided to interested parties upon acceptance notification.
We understand that many delegates may be concerned about this situation and the uncertainty as to how this many develop before July. We will keep you constantly informed of any changes to the SMAP 2020 planning as soon as possible.
Stay safe, stay informed!