July 2009 eNews
Highlights include: WALIS International Forum 2009 - Early Bird Special Now On; International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) Symposium: ISDE7 2011 Australian Bid Success; WA Spatial Excellence Awards (WASEA); ESRI Resources Symposium; Is Spatial Special?; A Legacy for the Next Generation; New Radar Tracks Drama of the Ionosphere; Social Networking with Your Feet; NASA, Japan Release Most Complete Topographic Map of Earth and Facebook 'Dipping' Craze Irks Pool Owners.
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
WALIS International Forum 2009 - Early Bird Special Now On
Routable Road Centreline Network Group
International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) Symposium: ISDE7 2011 Australian Bid Success
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
WA Spatial Excellence Awards (WASEA)
Rare Spiders Found on Wongan Hills Spider Hunt
OZRI 2009 - Hitting the Road in August
Some Ningaloo Reef Fish are 'Homebodies'
Census Data Website Wins Web GIS Challenge
Landgate to Standardise Charging for Survey Plans
Australian Angle
Chinese-Australian Spatial Relations
Leading Local Governments Embrace AAMHatch’s Pictometry
New Zealand Enlists GIS to Monitor Greenhouse Gas
Protecting Our Coast from the Impacts of Climate Change
Google Wants a Bigger Slice of the Real-Estate Search Business
Eagle Boys Dial-A-Pizza Uses Science to Build Market Share
Vets Learn How to Track Disease
A Legacy for the Next Generation
Citizen Science Breaks New Ground
Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo Recovery
Medicare Adds More Features to “Find Us” Online Service
Fiordland Quake Biggest for 80 Years
Curtin Research Develops New Ways to Find Oil
New Radar Tracks Drama of the Ionosphere
News from Around the Globe
Social Networking with Your Feet
Teen Spots Alleged Robbers on Google Street View
Infoterra Completes Largest Oil Slick Mapping Project of Offshore Seychelles
NAVTEQ to Provide Utilities Data Licensing Through ESRI
Sprint Is Exclusive Wireless Data Provider for 2010 Census
Combining Math, Science, and GIS
Texas State Professor Tracks Sharks and Serial Criminals
NASA, Japan Release Most Complete Topographic Map of Earth
WorldView-2 Launch Date Announced
Bluesky Releases 1917 Aerial Survey of London
Facebook 'Dipping' Craze Irks Pool Owners
New Study Uses Wastewater to Map Large-Scale Patterns of Illicit Drug Use
Emily Yoffe on her GPS: ‘A Cross Between Lady Macbeth and HAL 9000’
Upcoming Events
Details of events in Australia and around the world
Interesting Website of the Month
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
WALIS International Forum 2009 - Early Bird Special Now On
WALIS International Forum 2009 is offering a special Early Bird price for delegates that register before 4 September 2009.
To view the savings and register, visit www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum
Routable Road Centreline Network Group
Since the Routable Road Centerline Network (RRCN) Group reconvened they now have a wider focus which also includes finding long term solutions towards creating harmonised road models and improved data sharing between key agencies. Therefore the RRCN Group renamed to the WALIS Road Group (WRG).
The WALIS Road Group will be meeting again at the end of August. Main Roads WA will be giving a presentation on the MRWA data management system and future directions. The WRG will also be hosting two half day workshops in September for agencies to present on their road data capabilities. Contact Jenny Smith / (08) 9273 7093 or visit our website http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects/walis-road-group for more information.
At the referential topology workshop held in April 2009 it was suggested to continue meeting as a working group to progress on the outcomes of the workshop, therefore the Positional Accuracy Improvement Group (PAIG) was formed (previously known as the Referential Topology Group).
The PAIG members plan to meet quarterly to share ideas on how agencies are maintaining cadastral boundary linkage between their GIS data and the Spatial Cadastral Database (SCDB). Landgate is looking at how the SCDB can accommodate some of the difficulties that agencies are facing when cadastral boundaries are spatially upgraded. Some agencies are investigating third party software solutions to automate the update process.
For more information and up to date news see our website: http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects/walis-referential-topology-working-group or contact Jenny Smith at the WALIS office (08) 9273 7093 if you are facing similar issues and would like to contribute or be part of the Positional Accuracy Improvement Group.
WALIS Marine Group members have joined forces to work on “Vertical Datum Harmonisation across the Littoral Zone”, a Project with CRC-SI, Curtin University, Department of Planning and Landgate.
The Vertical Datum Harmonisation across the Littoral Zone is a research project to develop a tool to facilitate the integration of spatial data across the land – sea interface. This CRC-SI Project has now commenced with the principle outcome being the development of mathematical models to achieve harmonisation using WA case studies. The project compliments another datum related CRC project and the National Elevation Data Framework (NEDF) initiative. One study area is near Perth to take advantage of recently acquired high resolution LIDAR data missions over the Swan Coastal Plain and the complimentary, near-shore, Two Rocks to Dunsborough surveys by Department of Water and Department of Planning respectively. The second case study is proposed for the Broome area utilising existing height and bathymetric data with the additional challenge of the northern tide-range.
The WALIS Marine Group will meet at the end of July for a social lunch followed by the WMG bi monthly meeting. The July meeting will be hosted by Department for Planning in Fremantle. To view the proposed agenda or to get an update on WMG activities, visit http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects/WALIS_Marine_Group or e-mail marine@walis.wa.gov.au
International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) Symposium: ISDE7 2011 Australian Bid Success
Last month, WALIS, in collaboration with the Perth Convention Bureau (PCB) submitted an expression of interest (bid) to host the International Society for Digital Earth (ISDE) Symposium (ISDE7) in 2011.
If you haven’t heard of ISDE before, their purpose is to promote international cooperation in the realisation of the Digital Earth vision. It seeks to enable Digital Earth technologies to play key roles in economic and socially sustainable development, promoting information technology and to reduce the digital divide. The ISDE continues to play a key role in aiding management of natural resources, improving environmental sustainability, protecting cultural heritage, improving our ability to mitigate disasters, in the study of global change, in the conservation of natural resource conservation and in improving living standards.
WALIS was recently notified that our Australian bid was successful and are now required to present an international bid to the ISDE Executive Committee at ISDE6 that will be held in Beijing, China in September 2009.
If the international bid is successful, it is anticipated that WALIS International Forum 2011 will be held in conjunction with ISDE7, making the Symposium a broad, international and exciting event that is a coup not only for WALIS, but also for Perth.
Congratulations to the WALIS team for their efforts in putting the Australia bid together. A big thank you also to PCB and other members of the WALIS community who contributed a lot of time and knowledge, ultimately producing a very successful result!
The Group will next meet on 7 September 2009.
If you would like to attend or for further information go to http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects/data-and-metadata-group or contact Jade George at jade.george@walis.wa.gov.au or on 9273 7039.
The Spatial Data Capture Policy (formally the SLICP Policy) was approved by the WALIS Spatial Management Group (SMG) on 15 July. It will now go to the EPC for final approval.
For queries please contact Jade George on 9273 7039 or slicp@walis.wa.gov.au
WALIS
Stakeholders in the News
WA Spatial Excellence Awards (WASEA)
The 3rd WASEA event was held Friday, 17 July 2009, jointly hosted by the Spatial Industries Business Association and the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute.
It was a gala event at the UWA Club with an audience of 150. Hon Wendy Duncan MLC officiated at the event, with Geoffrey Higham as Master of Ceremonies.
The winners were:
Individual awards
Spatial Student – Undergraduate: Wade Perrin
Spatial Student – Postgraduate: Deanna Wilson
Spatial Teacher of the Year: Pam Tuffin
Education and Professional Development: Martin Robinson
Young Spatial Professional: Renee Glasson
Spatial Professional of the Year: Rebecca Handcock
Service to the Spatial Community: Graham Marion
Professional Eminence and Excellence in Spatial Sciences: Marnie Leybourne
Industry awards
Infrastructure and Construction: Insight Survey Pty Ltd, with “New Perth Bunbury Highway”
People and community, DOF Subsea, with “Finding HMAS Sydney”
Community and Education: Department of Spatial Sciences, Curtin University, with “Curtin University Canning Stock Route Survey Expedition”
Innovation and Commercialisation: NGIS China Ltd and CISDI Engineering Co Ltd, with “Creating an Environmental Impact Assessment Platform for CISDI in Chongqing, China, Using an Advanced 3D Modelling Application”
Environment and Sustainability – Winner: Department of Environment and Conservation, with “Naturemap – Mapping Western Australia’s Biodiversity”
Environment and Sustainability - Highly Commended: Department of Health, with “Esperance Lead Investigation Information Portal”
Surveying and Mapping: Fugro Survey Pty Ltd, with “Lidar Mapping Project in the Torres Strait”
The joint overall winners for excellence were DOF Subsea and Insight Survey Pty Ltd.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Rare Spiders Found on Wongan Hills Spider Hunt
A threatened shield-backed trapdoor spider (Idosoma nigrum) has been found in bushland on Mount Matilda Nature Reserve at Wongan Hills.
The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and local community members made the discovery during a night spider stalk.
After the find, eight volunteers helped set up a long-term monitoring transect for the spiders. A second rare spider, the tree-stem trapdoor spider (Aganippe castellum) was found living in the same area as the shield-back spider.
The burrow locations have now been mapped and recorded for future management.
Web link to full article: http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/news/department-of-environment-and-conservation/rare-spiders-found-on-wongan-hills-spider-hunt.html
OZRI 2009 - Hitting the Road in August
There's not too long to go until ESRI hits the road with OZRI 2009.
Join them at a capital city near you in August and find out first-hand how ESRI technology and ESRI Australia solutions are helping to solve complex problems and reveal opportunities today and into the future.
The first event will be held in Melbourne on 4 August, before moving onto Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane, with the last event to be held in Darwin on 31 August.
Fugro has agreed in principle to acquire the Tenix LADS business from the Australian based company Tenix Pty Ltd.
Tenix LADS is a leading global provider of Airborne Hydrographic services, which uses lasers to measure water depths. The laser technology (known as LIDAR) in use is a LADS proprietary system.
Web link to full article: http://www.fugro.com.au/news/pressdetails.asp?item=457
Some Ningaloo Reef Fish are 'Homebodies'
New research shows that some fish species in Western Australia's Ningaloo Marine Park spend most of their time close to home, staying on the reef rather than travelling significant distances, as was previously thought.
Since November 2007, scientists from CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans National Research Flagship have tagged over 300 fish in the Ningaloo area off WA’s North West Cape as part of a Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) project.
CSIRO’s Dr Richard Pillans told the 8th Indo-Pacific Fish Conference held recently in Perth that around 40 per cent of tagged Spangled Emperor (an important sport fish, also known as nor-west snapper) remained within hundreds of metres of where they were originally captured.
Web link to full article: http://www.csiro.com.au/news/Ningaloo-Reef-fish.html
Source: CSIRO
Landgate advises that final approvals have been received and a new scale of fees will apply from July 1, 2009. The new scale of fees relate to the provision of services for document registration, plan lodgement and searching at all Landgate offices.
ESRI Australia will be holding its popular Resources Symposium again this year, with the one day event being held on 10 November in Perth.
This year, the Symposium will focus on the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in meeting the complex challenges of managing all aspects of mining, pipeline and petroleum operations, and the advantage that location intelligence delivers.
The event’s Call for Papers is now open, with ESRI Australia clients encouraged to submit abstracts describing how location intelligence has contributed to their company's success.
Presentations should focus on the use of GIS across any stage of mining, pipeline or petroleum life, from exploration, planning and production through to facilities management and closure. The Call for Papers closes on 31 August.
Registration for the event is also open, and is available via the web or by downloading the registration form.
For more information about the event, to register online, or submit an abstract, visit www.esriaustralia.com.au/resources_symposium.
Census Data Website Wins Web GIS Challenge
After thirteen entries and hundreds of votes, the winner of ESRI Australia’s 2009 Web GIS Challenge has been crowned, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ CDATA Online website receiving the most votes from members of the Australian GIS community.
CDATA Online is an online tool which combines information from the 2006 Census with web mapping capability. A free online product, the site allows you to create tables, maps and graphs of Census characteristics for all Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) geographic areas and to create custom geographic areas.
Web link to full article: http://www.esriaustralia.com.au/esri/2152.html
Landgate to Standardise Charging for Survey Plans
Landgate is to standardise charges for Survey Plans and from 5 August 2009 the fee payable (currently $18) will apply for all Survey Plans.
At present under certain circumstances, Survey Plans are provided at no cost where a sketch on title is requested with the purchase of a Certificate of Title.
Western Australia's new digital titles introduced in 2001, do not include a sketch. From 5 August customers requesting a sketch, where no sketch exists, will be provided with an option to purchase a Survey Plan.
Where a sketch on title does exist, it will continue to be provided at no cost.
Australian
Angle
Chinese-Australian Spatial Relations
The Chinese ambassador to Australia, Zhang Junsai, has called for improved co-operation between China and Australia in the development of spatial technology.
The ambassador pointed out that a considerable amount of co-operation already exists between the two countries. Chinese authorities sent satellite data to Australians managing bushfires in Victoria in February. Australian researchers sent important data based on radar interferometry to China during the Wenchuan Earthquake last year.
Speaking at a conference in Canberra on 15 June, he pointed to existing relationships between Wuhan University, China's principal source of geospatial skills, and the major spatial research organisation in Australia, the Co-operative Research Centre for Spatial Information.
Web link to full article: http://www.asmmag.com/news/chinese-australian-spatial-relations
Source: ASM Mag
Reprinted from www.asmmag.com, copyright 2009 ASM
Leading Local Governments Embrace AAMHatch’s Pictometry
The new benchmark in aerial imagery, Pictometry, has been implemented by a number of leading Councils.
Recent adopters of this technology include: Kogarah, Randwick, Glen Eira, Marrickville, Rockdale and Hurstville. The Cities of Sydney, Greater Geelong and Melbourne embraced this technology available from AAMHatch some time ago.
The multiple image perspectives and analysis toolkit available from Pictometry has significantly increased the power and depth of desktop studies in Local Government. The real 3D building models from Pictometry make their consultations truly immersive.
Web link to full article: http://www.aamhatch.com/news.cfm?itemId=532C81EC-19B9-EFA7-D6ED8A9F22681248
City of Napier, New Zealand, to Augment Management of Urban Assets with Solutions from Government Software Leader Accela, Inc.
The City Council of Napier, New Zealand will deploy advanced Accela Automation software from Accela, Inc., the leader in Web-based and mobile applications that make government services available around the clock.
Napier City Council will leverage Accela’s asset and work order management software to help maintain the city’s water and wastewater assets, as well as its various parks, reserves and public spaces.
As one of New Zealand’s popular tourist destinations, Napier needs to ensure that its infrastructure and public assets serve not only the resident population of nearly 60,000, but many thousands of annual visitors. The city estimates the new software will eventually track close to 100,000 individual assets. Napier currently uses different kinds of asset management software running on separate databases, which lowers efficiency and reduces visibility across asset classes.
Web link to full article: http://www.accela.com/company/news/2009_press_releases/pr_062309.asp
New Zealand Enlists GIS to Monitor Greenhouse Gas
The New Zealand Ministry for the Environment is implementing geographic information system (GIS) software from ESRI to analyse, measure, and report greenhouse gas emissions and land-use change.
GIS will be used to comply with the reporting requirements of the Kyoto Protocol in an effort to reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to Earth's climate changes.
The Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) is built on a geospatial system developed by New Zealand-based ESRI business partner Explorer Graphics Ltd. (EGL). The system supports complex carbon sequestration calculations using validated and quantified land use and land-use change information.
Web link to full press release: http://www.esri.com/news/releases/09_3qtr/new_zealand_greenhouse.html
Spatial Vision, Australian distributors of the EmerGeo Solutions product range, is pleased to announce the release of EmerGeo’s new crisis management software product called “EmerGeo FusionPoint”.
The primary focus for FusionPoint is to integrate data from existing emergency systems and resources to provide a unified view of information to incident managers, planners and responders.
Web link to full press release: http://www.spatialvision.com.au/html/r_emergeo-fusionpoint.htm
Protecting Our Coast from the Impacts of Climate Change
A study is underway to assess the vulnerability of the coast to erosion and inundation due to possible sea level rise associated with global warming.
The Department for Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) has commissioned a hydrographic survey to collect bathymetric and seabed data off the WA coast from Two Rocks to Cape Naturaliste. The collected data will provide the primary information for ongoing engineering and environmental studies.
Data is captured by an aircraft transmitting rapid light pulses from two lasers and recording the return signals. These lasers and the global positioning system, which guides the aircraft on its flight path, form the basic components of the LiDAR survey technology.
Source: Haseldine, S and Mahoney, R, Department for Planning and Infrastructure
(Originally appeared in Coastlines, Winter Edition 2009, page 5)
(Please note that from 1 July 2009, a restructure of the Department of Planning and Infrastructure saw the creation of the following new departments: Department of Planning; Department of Regional Development and Lands and Department of Transport)
Google Wants a Bigger Slice of the Real-Estate Search Business
In a move that has raised eyebrows among established players in the classified real-estate business, Google Australia has unveiled a new tool on its mapping service that will directly link buyers and renters to available property.
The Google Maps feature, which launched early July in Australia and New Zealand, will host free listings supplied by real-estate agents and publishers.
Although many existing publishers and real-estate agents offer map-based searching, the maps on Google's new service will reflect real-time changes in search criteria and location.
Web link to full article: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/biz-tech/google-wants-a-bigger-slice-of-the-realestate-search-business-20090706-da4l.html
Source: Brisbane Times
Eagle Boys Dial-A-Pizza Uses Science to Build Market Share
Eagle Boys have been determining and defining their franchise territories using Tactician Online for a number of years.
Expanding the application of Tactician Online in areas such as demographic analysis and location intelligence has enabled more informed decision making. Now a more scientific approach can be taken to their business operations increasing the return on investment in relation to Tactician Online.
So much data is available to businesses these days that facilitates informed and objective decision-making. Taking advantage of the fact that the vast majority of this information has a geographic element, Tactician Online empowers businesses to transform information into location-based business intelligence.
Web link to full press release: http://www.mapds.com.au/pressreleases/Eagle_Boys_14_May_2009.pdf
It is sometimes suggested that spatial data is just another form of data that can now be maintained in a data base and that in reality there is nothing “special about spatial”. Nothing could be further from the truth. For example spatial data is not the same as integer, alphanumeric or symbolic data for a number of reasons.
Web link to full article: http://www.mycoordinates.org/june09/is.php
Source: Prof Ian Williamson
(Originally appeared in Coordinates, Volume V, Issue 6, June 2009)
Vets Learn How to Track Disease
Fourteen veterinarians from Indonesia are learning how to track and stop the spread of animal borne diseases in a three-week training program hosted by the University of Sydney.
The program is part of the Australian Aid Agency (AusAid) Australian Leadership Awards Fellowships (ALAF) program and aims to equip Indonesian veterinary epidemiologists with important skills to improve surveillance, detection and monitoring of animal borne diseases.
Web link to full article: http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/84.html?newsstoryid=3593
A Legacy for the Next Generation
Millennium House has taken a giant leap of faith by creating a new benchmark in publishing and producing the most spectacular, limited edition atlas of the world; Earth.
Earth takes cartography and publishing to a new stratosphere. More than 100 international cartographers, oceanographers, and geographers have produced an astounding 355 maps covering 194 countries. Adding to this cartographic feat, the massive 580 pages contain extensive country text, covering all the nations of the world. Earth also presents four stunning gatefolds measuring 1.8 meters across, including one titled ‘Earth from the Sky at Night’, a stunning image taken by NASA. More than 800 exquisite images were sourced from prestigious picture libraries, including a large number of images taken by National Geographic photographers.
The making of Earth: http://www.millenniumhouse.com.au/title-earth-making.html
Earth won the Book of the Year at the 33rd Galley Club Awards held on 19 June in Sydney. The book also won the category of best produced limited edition publication.
Citizen Science Breaks New Ground
Armed with digital cameras, phones with inbuilt GPS and other technology tools, Australia’s army of ‘citizen scientists’ are helping researchers collect data on an unprecedented scale, reports the latest issue of ECOS.
From monitoring whale shark movement to recording frog calls in ephemeral swamps, the public are helping researchers to build a comprehensive picture of changes in the environment.
Web link to full article: http://www.csiro.com.au/news/ECOS-Magazine-Issue-149.html
Source: CSIRO
Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo Recovery
Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus latirostris) is endemic to the South West of Western Australia - in other words, it occurs nowhere else in the world except WA.
Once numerous, the charismatic and highly mobile Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo is now listed as endangered, with populations declining dramatically due to the increase of competitive species such as pink and grey galahs and land clearing for agriculture in regional areas and for urban development– especially on the Swan Coastal Plain.
The last 45 years has seen a 50% decrease in the species’ range and abundance. The long-term survival and recovery of Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo is inextricably linked to the survival of its habitat – both in breeding areas in the Wheatbelt and inland South Coast and, non-breeding areas such as the Swan Coastal Plain and along the South Coast.
Contributing to the conservation of this species is the Perth Zoo veterinary department in conjunction with the Department of Environment and Conservation. The Zoo provides intensive veterinary treatment but there is still no information on the survival and movements of released rehabilitated cockatoos. Past research on movements has focused on using wing tags and tail painting. There is a need for more precise and detailed information which is why Perth Zoo veterinarian Anna Le Souef recently collaborated with Bird’s Australia on a study to trial different types of radio and satellite transmitter attachments on captive black cockatoos. The study was made possible by two generous private donations to Birds Australia.
Read more about the radio and satellite transmitters here (page 3 of ‘Cocky Notes’).
Link to Birds Australia website: http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/our-projects/carnabys-black-cockatoo-recovery.html
Medicare Adds More Features to “Find Us” Online Service
MapData Sciences Pty Ltd (MDS) has completed the latest updates to Medicare Australia’s “Find us” location service.
The service now provides additional information regarding wheelchair access and where assistive listening devices are available. The mapping interface has also been updated to include MDS latest presentation and navigation features such as pan and zoom.
Web link to full press release: http://www.mapds.com.au/pressreleases/Medicare_Press_Release_16_July_2009.pdf
Fiordland Quake Biggest for 80 Years
The earthquake which struck the Fiordland region in the evening on Wednesday July 16 was the biggest since the Buller and Hawke's Bay earthquakes of 1929 and 1931.
It struck at 9:22 pm, and the epicentre was located in Dusky Sound at the south-west corner of the South Island. Its magnitude of 7.8 makes its size comparable with the Buller (or Murchison) earthquake of 1929 and the damaging Hawke's Bay earthquake of 1931. It is also the largest earthquake of 2009 anywhere in the world (so far).
GNS scientists and technicians responded by visiting the area to carry out observations and install further monitoring equipment to better understand this earthquake and its place in New Zealand's seismological history, including a repeating GPS survey to evaluate the extent of any movement or uplift in the region. The permanent GPS network data has already shown some large offsets since the earthquake; they may be seen using the GPS Time Series application.
Web link to full article: http://www.geonet.org.nz/news/article-jul-16-2009-fiordland-quake-biggest-for-80-years.html
Source: GNS Science
Walking around an old graveyard may seem more like the stuff of horror movies, but it could actually help save the planet.
That’s the message from the Geological Society of Australia, which is calling on individuals, schools and community groups across Australia, to visit their local graveyards and measure the weathering rates of old marble headstones as part of an international project to track shifts in world pollution levels and climate change.
In the Gravestone Project, participants will visit their local graveyard (importantly, only after obtaining any required permissions to do so), determine its location using a GPS and add this location to a global graveyard map on the EarthTrek website (www.goearthtrek.com)
Web link to full article: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20092007-19438.html
Source: Science Alert
Web link to Geological Society of Australia press release: http://www.gsa.org.au/pdfdocuments/resources/EarthScienceShowcase_EarthTrek_20090720.pdf
Curtin Research Develops New Ways to Find Oil
A French PhD student has developed a predictive model for analysing petroleum deposits under the Earth’s surface at Curtin University of Technology.
Dr Luc Fusetti, of the French Institute of Petroleum (IFP), said his model could save the oil and gas industry a great deal of money and time in exploration efforts.
During his time in Perth, Dr Fusetti worked within the Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre (WAOIGC), which is a part of Curtin’s Department of Applied Chemistry.
Web link to full article: http://campusnews.curtin.edu.au/media_centre/archives.cfm?release=9223
New Radar Tracks Drama of the Ionosphere
One hundred kilometres above the earth is a region so full of drama that eighteen radar transmitters are trained on it twenty-fours hours a day.
The transmitters send out high frequency radio waves from around the world to pick up evidence of storms in space, plasma irregularities, stray electrical currents, solar winds and fierce magnetic forces.
All of these atmospheric effects can wreak havoc with the systems that govern our global infrastructure. They can knock out GPS and HF radio, blow up power stations, corrode pipelines – and even interfere with individual banking transactions transmitted via satellite.
Web link to full article: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/bulletin/2009/winter/research6.html
Source: La Trobe University
Originally published in Bulletin, Winter 2009
News from Around the Globe
Social Networking with Your Feet
Isaac Daniel, whose Global Positioning System (GPS) sneakers gained worldwide attention in 2007, has announced the company’s newest GPS shoe, dubbed ‘Blue GPS.’
The new version of the GPS shoe is being billed as a ‘social networking shoe'.
Called Blue GPS because of their Bluetooth capability, the new shoes enable the wearer to be tracked by friends and family through their cell phones. The wearer simply inputs up to five phone numbers of family/friends into his cell phone (eventually this capability will be able to be expanded to up to 20 people) and pushes a button on the shoe to activate a link with those on his list. The Blue GPS can be enabled with all cellular phones.
Web link to full press release: http://www.pr.com/press-release/158491
Infoterra to Develop Land Administration Valuation and Information Management System for the Island of Mauritius
Infoterra Ltd has been appointed to deliver a new Land Administration, Valuation and Information Management System (LAVIMS) for the Government of Mauritius, Ministry of Housing and Lands.
Infoterra Ltd, which leads a consortium of highly experienced companies and consultants, will deliver this project over two years.
Web link to press release: http://www.infoterra.co.uk/pdfs/1245326674.pdf
Teen Spots Alleged Robbers on Google Street View
Last September, a 14-year-old boy told police in Groningen, Holland, that he had been knocked off his bike and robbed of some money and his cell phone.
What evidence did he have of his alleged assailants? Very little.
Six months later, he was pootling around on Google Street View when he saw an image of himself and of two males behind him, who, he seemed to remember, were just in the place where he was allegedly robbed.
Web link to full article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10269675-71.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5
Infoterra Completes Largest Oil Slick Mapping Project of Offshore Seychelles
Infoterra Ltd has completed an oil slick mapping and interpretation project of offshore Seychelles in collaboration with Seychelles Petroleum Company (Seypec).
This is the largest slick mapping project ever undertaken of offshore Seychelles - with the acquisition of over 150 radar satellite scenes across the 500,000 km2 area - the project was undertaken during April and May to take advantage of the optimum weather window.
Infoterra’s team of experts characterised and ranked all oil slicks, as probable natural seepage or man-made pollution, immediately the satellite imagery was received. This approach is a powerful method for assessing the probability of the presence of a mature source rock and an active petroleum system, saving both time and money. The team also mapped the location and movement of all shipping visible in the area to give a more complete picture.
Web link to press release: http://www.infoterra.co.uk/pdfs/1245737519.pdf
NAVTEQ to Provide Utilities Data Licensing Through ESRI
NAVTEQ now offers a Utility Street Data Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) as an enhancement to the recently launched ESRI Small Utility ELA.
Available only through ESRI, this customized NAVTEQ offering can be obtained by any U.S. utility with meter counts of 100,000 or less.
With this new pricing option, utilities can now access accurate street layer data that previously may have been cost prohibitive. By combining both the ESRI Small Utilities ELA with the NAVTEQ Utility Street Data offering, these companies will have the content and tools to facilitate the rapid implementation of an enterprise-wide geographic information system.
Web link to full article: http://www10.giscafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=CorpNews&articleid=713095
Source: GISCafé
Sprint Is Exclusive Wireless Data Provider for 2010 Census
Every ten years, the US Census is required by law to collect and count data in an accurate, timely and efficient manner.
To further boost accuracy and efficiency, Harris Corporation, the system integrator for the upcoming 2010 Census, has selected Sprint as the exclusive wireless data provider to help automate the process and to provide wireline and wireless data support to collect the information in real-time.
Beginning in April 2009, approximately 140,000 field workers carried the custom-built devices with the ability to transmit collected data back to the Census Bureau in near real-time. In addition to their unique data collection capabilities, all hand held devices were equipped with GPS capabilities (allowing workers to verify addresses remotely without relying on printed maps) and fingerprint ID scanning for added security.
Web link to full press release: http://newsreleases.sprint.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=127149&p=irol-newsArticle_newsroom&ID=1303258
Combining Math, Science, and GIS
Teacher inspires students to use GIS to solve real problems.
Steve Obenhaus, a math teacher at Olathe North High School in Olathe, Kansas, has proved that you do not need extensive GIS training to effectively and meaningfully integrate geospatial technologies into a high school curriculum.
Integrating GIS in secondary curricula is a relatively new concept. Finding an approach that will hold students' short- and long-term interest can be difficult. Obenhaus has succeeded in incorporating GIS in his math courses and has helped his students produce high-quality GIS projects.
Web link to full article: http://www.esri.com/news/arcuser/0309/files/obenhaus.pdf
Source: ESRI
Texas State Professor Tracks Sharks and Serial Criminals
Texas State University-San Marcos professor Kim Rossmo was called upon in 1998 to analyse criminal evidence using geospatial profiling, a mathematical algorithm he’d developed that tries to pinpoint a criminal's location based on locations of attacks.
The technique helped narrow down the probable location of the criminal’s home to a half-square-mile area, and DNA testing soon led authorities to an arrest.
In 2001, Rossmo got a call from another investigator who wanted to use geospatial profiling to track a different kind of predator: great white sharks.
Shark researcher Aidan Martin (now deceased) got the idea for applying geospatial profiling to his study of shark feeding habits from reading a crime novel. He noted the similarities in the way sharks tended to return to one home location when hunting.
Martin and a fellow researcher collected data by taking boats into a bay off the coast of South Africa and waited for sharks to attack seals and then logged the GPS coordinates.
The data was brought back to Rossmo and he "did some fancy math calculations" to analyse the predators' behavior. Rossmo said he'd used the technique to follow patterns of bees and bats, but this was the first time it was applied to a marine environment.
Web link to full article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090621195618.htm
Source: Science Daily
Originally published in statesman.com
NASA, Japan Release Most Complete Topographic Map of Earth
NASA and Japan released a new digital topographic map of Earth that covers more of our planet than ever before. The map was produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.
The new global digital elevation model of Earth was created from nearly 1.3 million individual stereo-pair images collected by the Japanese Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer, or Aster, instrument aboard Terra. NASA and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, known as METI, developed the data set. It is available online to users everywhere at no cost.
Web link to full article: http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/aster-20090629.html
Source: NASA
uShip has announced the beta availability of the uShip Tracking platform (http://www.uship.com/tracking), a new service that gives uShip customers a wide range of options for tracking of their shipments by Transportation Service Providers.
The uShip Tracking platform provides three primary location-update options ranging from real-time, GPS-based tracking to manual location mapping to simple Facebook-like status updates, delivering much more precise and timely updates compared to unpredictable checkpoint updates of other shipping services.
uShip is offering the real-time location-based service (LBS) through Veriplace from WaveMarket, a world leader in mobile location-based platforms and applications.
Web link to full article: http://www.topix.net/content/prweb/2009/06/wheres-my-stuff-uship-launches-shipment-tracking-platform-to-expand-marketplace-transparency
Transport of people and goods is one of the pillars of civilisation.
The exchange of goods, services and ideas is in foundation of modern economy, as well as it was in the past. However, growing population generates new challenges for traffic control that leaves no space for classic solution but calls for the innovative and multidsciplinary approach based on the latest scientific and technology achievements.
Web link to full article: http://www.mycoordinates.org/june09/intelligent.php
Source: R Filjar, Senior Research Engineer, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Croatia; M Dujak, Transport and Traffic Engineer, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Croatia; B Drilo, Electrical Engineer, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Croatia; and D Šaric´, Electrical Engineer and Data Communication Specialist, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, Croatia
(Originally appeared in Coordinates, Volume V, Issue 6, June 2009)
WorldView-2 Launch Date Announced
DigitalGlobe, a leading global provider of commercial high-resolution earth imagery products and services, today announced that its WorldView-2 high-resolution 8-band multi-spectral satellite is scheduled to launch on October 6th, 2009 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The planned launch of WorldView-2, DigitalGlobe’s second next-generation class high-resolution satellite, is expected to nearly double DigitalGlobe's collection capabilities to approximately two million square kilometers per day, enable intra-day revisits to specific geographic areas, and enhance the company's ability to collect up-to-date imagery in those areas of greatest interest to its customers.
The additional capacity and more frequent revisit rate are expected to provide DigitalGlobe’s customers with up-to-date and comprehensive high-resolution satellite imagery products and services. The planned launch of WorldView-2 will make DigitalGlobe the only commercial earth imagery provider with 8-band multi-spectral capability, which has a more robust colour palette and enables enhanced analysis of the earth’s surface. The additional multi-spectral band capability of WorldView-2 is expected to enable higher levels of feature identification and extraction, and more accurately reflect the world’s natural colour with the potential to benefit many applications, including environmental monitoring, change detection, and defence and intelligence.
Web link to full article: http://worldview2.digitalglobe.com/media/jun30.html
Bluesky Releases 1917 Aerial Survey of London
Aerial survey specialist Bluesky has released what is thought to be one of the very first aerial surveys of London.
A series of vertical photographs, flown during 1917 following the path of River Thames, are now available online at www.oldaerialphotos.com. This historically significant collection also includes images of WWI trenches and war defences and images taken while the pilot, an Army Fusilier, was stationed in Russia.
Web link to full article: http://www10.giscafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=CorpNews&articleid=717320
Source: GISCafé
Google has made another update to the Google Earth imagery.
Google has removed some of the bad colouration they introduced to the southwestern US imagery back in early June. Many people complained about the way the new colourisation process actually destroyed colour information and made places in the southwest (which are normally desert brown), have a green cast on them.
Also, they have introduced a new "coastline-cutting" tool to make the edges of the imagery conform to the shape of the coastlines. This is a pretty significant move as it affects imagery all over the planet. On the one hand, it does make the land verses sea/ bathymetry distinction more clear and pleasing to the eye. The previous technique has always showed aerial or satellite imagery rectangles as a patchwork of irregular shapes along the coastlines, which did make it a bit harder to distinguish land from water.
Web link to full article: http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2009/07/new_google_earth_imagery_-_july_200.html
Facebook 'Dipping' Craze Irks Pool Owners
The new craze, known as “dipping”, involves people using pictures from Google Earth to identify homes that have large outdoor pools.
Once a venue is found, the youngsters use social networking sites including Facebook and Bebo to meet for impromptu swims and pool parties.
Web link to full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2146807/Facebook-dipping-craze-irks-pool-owners.html
New Study Uses Wastewater to Map Large-Scale Patterns of Illicit Drug Use
A team of researchers has mapped patterns of illicit drug use across the US state of Oregon using a method of sampling municipal wastewater before it is treated.
Their findings provide a one-day snapshot of drug excretion that can be used to better understand patterns of drug use in multiple municipalities over time. Municipal water treatment facilities across Oregon volunteered for the study to help further the development of this methodology as a proactive tool for health officials.
Applying analytical methods advanced at Oregon State University (OSU), researchers from the University of Washington, McGill University and OSU collected single-day samples from 96 municipalities across Oregon and tested the samples for evidence of methamphetamine, cocaine, and "ecstasy" or MDMA.
Web link to full article: http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/07/17/new.study.uses.wastewater.map.large.scale.patterns.illicit.drug.use
Source: e! Science News
Emily Yoffe on her GPS: ‘A Cross Between Lady Macbeth and HAL 9000’
Everyone is pointing to the last paragraph of Emily Yoffe’s piece in The Washington Post about the perils of using a GPS, but there’s plenty of cringeworthy detail before that about the impact of being led astray by your dashboard GPS — especially when that impact is felt by many users on one spot:
We inaugurated our Magellan GPS on a family trip to Ikea. We were a little wary when the voice told us to take a left into a residential area — but we rationalized that this must be some fabulous shortcut known only to those with a friend attached to the dashboard by suction cup. After 10 minutes of twists and turns deeper into the neighborhood, we ended up on a street where our path was blocked by a couch (not from Ikea) with a sign propped on it announcing, “You Can’t Drive Through Here!” We realized the residents, sick of their quiet streets being turned into a NASCAR track by bargain furniture shoppers misled by GPS, had done their own public works modification.
Web link to article: http://www.mcwetboy.net/maproom/2009/07/emily_yoffe_on.php
Source: The Map Room: A Weblog About Maps
Upcoming
Events
10th South East Asian Survey Congress 2009 (SEASC 2009)
4-7 August, Bali International Convention Centre, Nusa Dua, Indonesia
The benefit in attending SEASC 2009 is to synchronize regional and international activities and experience with the developments of the subject.
It is also to promote and advance the science, practice and application of land surveying and geomatics for the advancement of mankind and community and to foster regional cooperation and transfer of technology.
Send your requests or questions to info@seasc2009.org, or visit www.seasc2009.org
Australasian Mine Surveying Convention 2009
12–14 August, Burswood Entertainment Complex – Perth, Western Australia
The Convention will offer educational content, dynamic guest speakers, dinner & first class entertainment. It will also present opportunities for networking with industry colleagues.
The program and brochure are available here.
http://www.minesurveyors.com.au/2009Convention/default.htm
10th Asian Urbanization Conference
16-19 August, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
http://www.hku.hk/asia2009/ or asia2009@hku.hk
Map Asia 2009
18-20 August, Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore
The 8th annual international conference and exhibition on geospatial information, technology and applications is being organised by GIS Development and the Singapore Land Authority.
The Asia and Pacific region demands and offers scope for application of the various Geographic Information technologies like GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing and Imaging.
To meet the requirements of the Geo-informatics community in the Asian region, every year Map Asia raises a platform for the Asian Geo-informatics community to realise, recognise, and reveal the stages of dissemination of Geospatial Information.
GITA Annual Conference
31 August – 2 September, Melbourne, Australia
The
GITA Annual Conference includes presentations from leading professionals, detailed workshop sessions and site visits, as well as a
comprehensive technology exhibition. The conference includes plenty of
networking opportunities and attracts a wide variety of local and international
speakers, delegates and exhibitors. Visit the website
for more.
IAG2009, Geodesy for Planet Earth
31 August – 4 September, Buenos Aires
IAG2009 will be an event that covers the whole of geodesy in an exciting social environment that extends knowledge, improves practice and widens networks. Following the long outstanding tradition of these scientific assemblies, IAG2009 will be a major scientific event, bringing together geodesists from all over the world, and demonstrating the vital role that geodesy plays in our society.
Visit the website for more.
GISCA 09
27-28 August, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Geographic Information Science and Technologies have evolved into a key instrument for managing our societies, environments and infrastructures, as well as individuals’ daily lives.
The GISCA series of conferences aims at building a Central Asian network of GIS professionals supporting the sustained development of this region into an environmentally friendly, secure and prosperous society.
iGEOMAP Conference
28-29 August, Bangalore, India
The iGEOMAP 2009 conference will address India’s urban infrastructure issues using GIS along with presenting state-of-the-art practices.
ISPRS Workshop Laserscanning 2009
1-2 September, Paris, France
Laserscanning 2009 is the 6th ISPRS workshop dedicated to the processing and the analysis of point clouds acquired and generated from active airborne and terrestrial sensors. LiDAR data has been studied for many years. They are widely used, from accurate city modelling to many thematic approaches (eg. forestry, hydrology) where the topography and the land cover are involved. Based on LiDAR data as well as data from other sensors, surveyors and scientists have built an operational framework to extract spatial information, but also are facing challenging tasks to enhance current point cloud processes.
Laserscanning 2009 will focus on new data, methodologies, algorithms and applications related to the processing of point clouds as well as sensor improvements and new sensor-driven calibration techniques.
Visit
the website for more details.
6th International Symposium on Digital Earth (ISDE6)
9-12 September, Beijing, China
The theme of the conference is ‘Digital Earth in Action’ and will continue the tradition of gathering world-class scientists, engineers and educators engaged in the fields of digital earth, earth observation, geo-informatics and relevant applications to review the progress of Digital Earth during the last decade and discuss the achievements of Digital Earth and the recent developments.
Click here for details.
GIS for Oil and Gas Conference
13-17 September, Houston, Texas, USA
The conference will provide opportunities to share knowledge with an audience of hundreds of industry professionals. The GIS for Oil & Gas Conference is the only event of its kind—nowhere else can oil and gas professionals get targeted, high-quality information that will help them maximise their geospatial information. Join the prestigious group of presenters who provide valuable information about real-world applications of GIS technology in the energy industry.
The call for papers is now open.
International Conference on Geo-Spatial Solutions for Emergency Management (GSEM)
14-16 September, Beijing, China
Geo-spatial technology is one of the three emerging technologies in the 21st century. Driven by societal and economical needs, geo-spatial solutions for emergency management techniques are now in the frontiers of the geospatial technology, and have received an increasing interest in the academic, government, industries, and beyond. CASM as the largest multi-disciplined comprehensive research institute in China in the field of surveying and mapping, will strive to make this event a symposium of the highest quality.
Visit the website for all the details.
Spatial Sciences Institute Biennial International Conference
28 September – 2 October, Adelaide, South Australia
This biennial conference is the premier event for spatial sciences in the Australasian region.
The Organising Committee has finalised this year’s program, which will provide you with an exciting opportunity to discover and learn about the spatial sector over three days. With over 200 presentations there is something for everyone, even if you are not specifically involved in the spatial sciences.
To further expand your knowledge and share ideas there will be several unique workshops in the two days leading up to the conference. You may be interested in finding out how to work ‘GPS in GIS’, ‘Object Based Image Analysis Theory’ or ‘3D Visualisation’. Download the registration brochure to find out more, or keep an eye out for more workshops coming soon on the SSC2009 website.
The Map Competition is now open. There are three categories this year. General Purpose, Thematic, and Special Purpose Mapping. Plus there will be an overall winner across all three categories and a ‘People’s Choice’ award. This is a great way to showcase your work and it’s free to enter. Final submissions are due on the 14th of August, and winners will be awarded at the SSC2009 Gala Dinner.
Speakers can be found at the SSC2009 website – Invited Speakers.
If you are interested in any area of spatial technology or locational intelligence, this conference is for you.
For registration and details
visit www.ssc2009.com
CoastGIS 2009
30 September – 2 October, Santa Catarina, Brazil
CoastGIS, the International Symposium on GIS and Computer Mapping for Coastal Management, is a series of conferences that began in Cork, Ireland, in 1995 as a collaboration between the Commission on Coastal Systems of the International Geographical Union and the Commission on Marine Mapping of the International Cartographic Association.
In the early 1990s, both were aiming to find a vehicle through which coastal issues and technological processes could be examined and means by which recent advances in the mapping of the world's coastal zones could jointly find an outlet.
As a major event, the CoastGIS series attracts an international audience of coastal researchers, managers and practitioners who use one or more of the geospatial technologies.
Visit the website for more.
22nd CIPA Symposium (2009)
11-15 October, Kyoto, Japan
The 22nd International Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage (CIPA) Symposium will be an international and inter-disciplinary event on recording, documentation, preservation and restoration of cultural heritage applying information and communication technology.
To be held in Asia for the first time, the topics to be covered will include GIS, intellectual property and open source, terrestrial/ aerial photogrammetry and terrestrial/ aerial laser scanning, remote sensing and strategies for long-term archiving of digital information.
7th FIG Regional Conference
19-22 October, Hanoi, Vietnam
The theme of the 7th FIG Regional Conference is ‘Spatial Data Serving People: Land Governance and the Environment - Building the Capacity’ and is divided into three sub-themes: Land Administration; Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and the Environment; and Capacity Building.
Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial Conference (FOSS4G)
20-23 October, Sydney, Australia
Carrying on the FOSS4G conference tradition, 2009 will present a comprehensive agenda, combining content from across the geospatial spectrum.
In line with the 2009 theme, "User Driven", the conference will have renewed focus on the business imperatives for adopting open source solutions. The program will contain a broad range of presentations and case studies that address the topics of interest to managers and decision makers as well as those that may be more technically orientated.
FOSS4G is a unique event which collects together a global community into a single location for an intensive week of activity. Year on year, FOSS4G provides a great opportunity to take part in a very special event, where ideas mix together with language to create a network of collaboration and creativity.
WALIS Forum
11-13 November, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre
WALIS Forum is one of the premier GIS events
in Australia,
attracting over 650 participants from a diverse range of professions. Held
every 18 months, the Forum provides an opportunity to address issues related to
the collection, management and application of geographic or spatial information.
WALIS Forum
4th International Conference: Earth from Space – the Most Effective Solutions (2009)
1-3 December, Moscow, Russia
Rapid development of the space information technology has deprived the limited groups of specialists of the privilege to control telecommunications, navigation and remote sensing of the Earth from space. We can witness how Earth observation from space helps to resolve a wide range of practical tasks, becoming a modern public information instrument.
The International Conference "Earth from Space - the Most Effective Solutions" is the largest biennial event in sphere of Earth remote sensing in Russia and CIS countries, attended by around 350 participants from different countries. The goal of the conference is to show the experience of practical use of satellite monitoring in different branches of economy together with the recent developments in remote sensing as the backbone of cost-efficient functioning economic systems and is an opportunity to demonstrate the latest innovations, achievements and practical results in sphere of space information technologies.
Visit the website for more.
IGNSS 2009
1-3 December, Gold Coast, Queensland
The IGNSS symposium will include open forums where users can discuss the implementation and application of GNSS and other location technologies, and voice their concerns in an interactive format with representatives from all the satellite system providers, major manufacturers and applications developers.
Pacific Island GIS and Remote Sensing User Conference 2009
1-4 December, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji
Since the first Pacific GIS&RS Conference in 1999, this annual event has attracted a lot of participants.
Each year the range of GIS&RS technologies presented cover an array of applications including the management of resources of the small island Pacific nations. Shallow water bathymetry derived from satellite imagery, forest function maps to identify areas for to be protected, areas identified for developments in flood zones are some of the applications where the development of GIS&RS in the region have been applied in various sectors. As with previous conferences, there are no fees levied for those wishing to attend.
http://www.picisoc.org/PacInet+2009
FIG Congress 2010
11-16 April, Sydney, Australia
Facing the Challenges – Building the Capacity
Interesting Website of the Month
Haptic Lab
Haptic Lab is the website of Emily Fischer, a Brooklyn-based architect and designer.
"Haptic" refers to the sense of touch that includes the entire body, inside and out; it is also the mechanism we employ to situate our bodies in space. Like a cane that safely guides a blind individual down the sidewalk, haptic projects serve as tools for sensation.
One type of Emily’s creations are Soft Maps, which are handmade quilted maps of Brooklyn neighbourhoods and parks that represent a unique personal place in the city.
Emily also creates other maps, including pillows and cushions.
Link to website: http://www.hapticlab.com/
Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is provided for
general information purposes. It does
not constitute professional or expert advice and you must not use or rely upon
it for that purpose. WALIS and the State
of Western Australia, do not guarantee and do not accept responsibility for the
accuracy, currency, completeness and reliability of the information contained
in this newsletter. The opinions
contained in the information do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WALIS
or the State of Western Australia. Links to other Internet sites are provided
for your convenience only and they do not constitute an endorsement, approval
or recommendation of the material contained in those other Internet sites. It is your responsibility to evaluate the
relevance, accuracy, completeness and reliability of material contained in
those other Internet sites.