PyCon AU 2023
This August, I had the incredible opportunity to attend PyCon AU 2023, held at the picturesque Adelaide Convention Centre, right on the bank of the Torrens River. It was my first tech conference in Australia, and the excitement of sharing this experience with my colleagues made it even more memorable.
The conference kicked off on a powerful note with J. Rosenbaum, a Melbourne-based AI artist and researcher, delivering the opening keynote titled “Roll for Initiative: how to make the world of AI a more ethical place.” The talk was a compelling dive into the ethical considerations surrounding artificial intelligence, urging the tech community to think deeply about the systems we build and the values we encode into them.
As the conference unfolded over three packed days (18–20 August), I found myself gravitating toward a fascinating stream of talks focused on geospatial engineering — an area that’s gaining serious momentum in the Python ecosystem. Some standout sessions I attended included:
Unpacking the Geospatial Engineering Toolbox: A sweeping overview of data science techniques for spatial data.
Real-time Map Imagery Manipulation: A hands-on look at building dynamic, interactive maps using Python, Flask, Slippy Maps, and Pillow.
OpenDataCube: Showcasing petabyte-scale satellite imagery processing in Python — a massive feat for remote sensing and environmental monitoring.
Controlling Antennae for the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope: How Python and low-bandwidth serial links are used in cutting-edge astronomy.
From Data to Decision: A deep dive into how AI/ML is being used to monitor and improve water network systems — a true intersection of data science and public infrastructure.
In between those, I also caught talks like HttpRequest: An Unsung Hero of Django by Curtis Maloney, An Introduction to PySpark, and Designing Effective Load Tests — all incredibly useful for everyday development work.
One of the best parts of PyCon is how it recharges your technical batteries. The diversity of topics, the enthusiasm of speakers and attendees, and the sheer volume of shared knowledge is both humbling and inspiring. I walked away with a list of new tools and frameworks to try, ideas for side projects, and even a few open-source repositories I’m excited to contribute to.
Whether you’re a seasoned Pythonista or just beginning your journey, PyCon has something for everyone — and this year’s event in Adelaide proved just how dynamic and far-reaching the Python community really is.