August 2006 eNews
Highlights include Spatial Technology in Schools projects, ANZLIC Metadata Project update, mapping dieback, SLIPstream at WALIS Forum 2006
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
ANZLIC Metadata Project Update
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
Latest Achievements for the Shared Land Information Platform
Kimberley Fire Research to Help Conservation Management
StreetSmart Directory puts Perth Cycle Paths on the Map
EmerGeo GIS Deployed as Pilot for WA Emergency Management
Minister “Disappointed” after Offender Tracking
Devices Fail Trial Conditions
Australian Angle
Government, Industry Co-operate for Growth
Map Sheds Light on Ocean Floor
StatSmart: World First Project has the Numbers
Tropical Coastal Studies move Forward
NGIS and Spatial Strategies to lead the Development of NSW Spatial Information Strategy
Falls Creek Launch Mobile Guide to Ski-Field
Unleash the Potential of Intellectual Property, says AIIA
Call for Abstracts for SSI Conference 2007
News from Around the Globe
China Post Deploys EPC RFID System to Track Mailbags
Korean Satellite Arirang 2 Successfully Launched
ESRI and OAS Form Strategic Alliance to Expand Use of GIS in Latin America
CD Available for GIS Day Events around the World
OGC Releases GeoRSS
White Paper
Upcoming Events
Details of events in Australia and around the world
Interesting Website of the Month
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
WALIS Forum 2006
Only
three weeks to go! This year’s Forum is
truly shaping as the biggest ever, as we have already surpassed the number of registrations
from last years Forum. We also have a
record number of exhibitors and sponsors. All this combined with a broad range of
speakers, plus some exciting new additions to the program, has us confident of
a very successful Forum. Don’t miss out,
register now at: www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum/registration.
Full details are available from Forum website (www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum/) or contact David Lee Steere in the WALIS Office on (08) 9273 7695 or davidls@walis.wa.gov.au.
ANZLIC
Metadata Project Update
The
Metadata Project aims to provide an ANZLIC agreed profile based on AS/NZS ISO
19115 and AS/NZS ISO 19139; ANZLIC Metadata Profile Guidelines; and a
Metadata Entry Tool (MET).
The
Project Team met in Melbourne in late July to finalise
agreement on the metadata profile and to revise the plan for the development of
other deliverables required as part of the project. The current status of each of the components
of the project is as follows:
- ANZLIC Metadata profile: the project team has reached agreement that the ANZLIC profile will adopt the AS/NZS ISO 19115 core elements (for data sets) with two minor changes; the element ‘file identifier’ will be mandatory and the element ‘parent identifier’ will be included as a core element. The ANZLIC profile will allow all of the optional elements in AS/NZS ISO 19115 as optional elements. The profile will be documented in accordance with AS/NZS ISO 19106 and it is planned a draft profile will be circulated for technical consultation in September with the intention of seeking approval for the profile at the ANZLIC Council meeting in late November.
- ANZLIC
Metadata Profile Guidelines: this document will be the user documentation to
support the use of the profile. It will
be a separate document that will provide detailed information on the use of the
profile. Draft user guidelines are
currently being revised and it is intended that the Guidelines should also be
considered for approval at the ANZLIC Council meeting in late November.
- Metadata
Entry Tool: the plan for the provision of a MET is currently being
reviewed. It is understood that a MET is
essential to the effective implementation of the profile and options for the
provision of a MET are currently being reviewed. More information should be available by the
end of August.
The
point of contact for more information is the Project Manager, Mike Bradford on (08) 9273
7518 or mike.bradford@dli.wa.gov.au.
Spatial
Technology in Schools News
Schools
are well on their way in their projects, and here are just a few:
- Determining local native frog populations and revegetating their school environment to encourage local frog species to repopulate, as well as producing information signs to educate visitors to the school about the species.
- Ascertaining the areas of greatest crab fatalities on Christmas Island and determining where access tunnels would be best positioned.
- Producing a fire management plan for the Manjedal Scout Camp, including asset management.
- Looking at land use adjacent to the school and determining any pollution into their local river, coordinating this with the Ribbons of Blue program.
- Analysing Fuel Watch data and determining if there is any correlation between supermarket patronage and discounted fuel outlets.
- Producing an online heritage trail at their school site.
- Producing an emergency fire action plan subsequent to new building works at their school.
These are just a few of the projects being undertaken. I will provide other snippets next month. For more information, please contact Bronwen Channon on (08) 9273 7036 or email bronwenc@walis.wa.gov.au.
JPEG2000
ER
Mapper was selected as the preferred consultant on the JPEG2000 review project,
and is currently undertaking research into stakeholder imagery use. ER Mapper recently conducted a JPEG2000 presentation
to key stakeholders at the ER Mapper office (http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects/JPEG2000/assets/J2K_Investigation.pps).
This project is due to be wrapped up in
the next fortnight, with a report to be produced and key results to be
presented to WALIS Council.
Drainage Dataset Review
A
contract has been put out to tender to investigate the background to drainage
data within the Perth Metropolitan Region. It is anticipated that the work will commence
on this brief “toe in the water” investigation by mid-September.
SLICP Review
Feedback
from the SLICP Review Steering Committee has been returned and an
implementation plan to carry out the recommendations from the reports and
subsequent feedback is being formulated. It is anticipated that the implementation plan
will go back to the Steering Committee before being presented to WALIS Council
for sign off.
WA Atlas
Work
is preparing to get underway on upgrading the WA Atlas to the new SLIP map
viewer environment. It is anticipated
that data will be migrated to the new Atlas where possible and the WALIS Office
will be contacting custodians in the near future to discuss migration of their
data. At this stage, no new data will be
added until the migration is completed successfully.
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
Latest Achievements for the Shared Land Information
Platform
‘Step into the SLIPstream’
Wednesday
13 September
Perth Convention Exhibition
Centre
Meeting
Room 1
3:15pm – 4:15pm, prior to the WALIS Forum
Welcome Function
Presented
by: Grahame Searle, Chief Executive, Department of Land Information
‘Step
into the SLIPStream’ will provide an overview of the Shared Land Information
Platform (SLIP) and an update opportunity on the development of SLIP, its
progress towards ‘connected Government’, future directions and achievements.
Governments
at all levels need integrated spatial information to help them address ongoing
social, environmental and economic issues, and to develop long-term whole of
government solutions to complex problems.
SLIP forms the foundation of an information connection service that will
provide online access to government’s spatial information across agencies, and
deliver powerful new tools to support government, business and community needs
for joined-up information.
Attendees
will be shown how the SLIP program has developed over its first 17 months of
operation, including live demonstrations
of online real-time connectivity across multiple Government Agencies and a
first look at the new MapViewer and
Catalogue for SLIP.
In
addition, progress on each of the business opportunities pursued by the SLIP
program, and how a collaborative approach to large system, multi-agency
projects work in practice, will be presented.
The
‘Step into the SLIPStream’ presentation is open
and free to everyone, both Government and private sector. Although we recommend that you register for the
WALIS Forum Welcome Function (www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum/registration),
you do not need to be registered for the WALIS Forum (www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum) to
attend the SLIP presentation on Wednesday 13 September; however you do need to
RSVP.
Further
in-depth presentations, including live demonstrations, on all elements of SLIP
are being made in a dedicated stream of the WALIS Forum. If you want to find out more about SLIP,
consider registering and attending the WALIS Forum on the two following days
(14-15 September).
Please
contact SLIP
Program Support to RSVP: Call Kylie Middleton on (08) 9273 7515, email SLIP.ProgramSupport@dli.wa.gov.au
or simply Register
Online at http://202.72.132.74/slip/events/slipstreamrsvp/formmailer.
Electronic Land Development Process (eLDP)
(Lead Agency: Department for Planning & Infrastructure)
With
the draft completed and Industry Group briefings conducted in July the eLPD
Business Case for Phase II is expected to be finalised by the end of
August. The eLDP component of SLIP was
able to achieve its Phase I deliverables by demonstrating exceptional
improvements in the efficiency of specific processes with its FastTrack pilot
system. Additional funding will ensure
the ongoing operation and expansion of the pilot system to local governments
throughout the state, as well as a whole range of technology and business
process improvement right across the land development area. The approval of funding will see the eLDP
team kicking-off in July 2007 toward the development of a full Electronic Land
Development Process system.
Emergency Management (EM)
(Lead Agency: Fire & Emergency Services Authority)
The
EM Focus Area has been very busy during the month of July. Rollout of the Production SLIP-EM environment
has commenced. Configuration of EmerGeo
and HAZMAT V2.1 has been progressing well with EmerGeo configured to use a
pilot EM data service enabled by SLIP-EF and HAZMAT V2.1 nearing
completion. The Wheatbelt Emergency
Services Directory (ESD) has been printed, bound and delivered to the Wheatbelt
District Emergency Management Committee for distribution and work on the South West
ESD has commenced. EM held EmerGeo Administrator training for Fire
and Emergency Services Authority and WA Police representatives, coordinated the
Perth workshop of the National
Symbology Project (http://www.spatialvision.com.au/html/r_hazards.htm)
and provided presentations to the SEMC Public Information Group and FESA
Executive Leadership Team.
Natural Resource Management
(NRM)
(Lead Agency: Department of Agriculture)
NRM
Phase II has now commenced with the funding agreement and contract schedule for
National Action Plan/Natural Heritage Trust Extension Strategic Reserve
signed-off by the State NRM office. NRM
has held discussions with Regional Groups and NRM Agencies regarding delivery
of NRM Phase II including the extension of agreements already in place under
Phase I.
In
late August a series of Regional Workshop will commence for the development of
the second release of the NRM Portal.
Register of Interests (ROI)
(Lead Agency: Department of Land Information)
Phase
II of ROI has also commenced, and the development of the Business Case for
Phase III is continuing with a draft to be circulated in late August. Interest verification/ identification with
SLIP agencies has started, with initial visits to DLI, DIA, DEC and Main Roads
WA. Out of the 65 SLIP datasets
investigated, 12 have been identified as ROI datasets that will be delivered in
six products. An additional three
datasets have been identified as potentials.
The
development team is also working with the DLI Shop Front project to deliver
some common components where applicable.
The Enabling Framework (EF)
(Lead Agency: Department of Land Information)
The
DLI Production environment has been established and configured with the
complete SLIP-EF components for Pilot Stage 3.
Self registration to gain access to the ‘Interim’ SLIP Portal and
special data services can be done from the URL: https://www2.landgate.wa.gov.au/slip/servlet/portal.
The
next phases of Custodian Agencies (agencies 8-13) and associated datasets have
now been identified. Those Agencies are,
DOCEP, DoIR, MRWA, PTA, Water Corporation and Western Power. Datasets from Alinta Gas will also be looked
at to be made available. MapViewer Proof
of Concept commenced on 17 July and the Project Charter for replacement of the
WA InTERRAgator has been finalised.
For
further details on SLIP, refer to the SLIP Collaboration Portal.
Mapping Dieback Project
During
a regional meeting of the WALIS Advisory Committee, representatives from the
South Coast Regional Initiative Partnership Team (SCRIPT) and the Department of
Environment and Conservation's Forest Management Branch demonstrated
how spatial data is used to map the extent of dieback and assist in determining
action to prevent further spread of this disease. Phytophthora Dieback,
once established in the soil, is virtually impossible to eradicate and it can
be easily spread by most moving objects, in particular vehicles and
pedestrians. To find out more about this
Cross Regional Natural Resource Management project, visit the Project Dieback
web site at www.dieback.net.au.
Kimberley Fire Research to Help
Conservation Management
State-of-the-art satellite technology will be
combined with field observations in a major research joint project between the
Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and CSIRO Division of
Sustainable Ecosystems aimed at providing a greater understanding of the impact
of fire on the Kimberley
environment.
The first phase of the research will use satellite
imagery to map fire scars from previous bush fires across the Kimberley,
enabling researchers to classify areas according to the seasons they were
burnt, the number of times they have been burnt and the period of time since
the last fire. Researchers will follow
up with on-the-ground sampling to record biodiversity values, particularly
plant and insect life. The Western
Australian component of the project, to be led by DEC Kimberley fire ecologist
Dr Ian Radford, will link to other research through the Bushfire Co-operative
Research Centre, also examining the impact of fire on the northern Australian
landscape.
http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/media/media.nsf/news/E2BBDBA83307E89D482571CB0027D456?opendocument
StreetSmart Directory puts Perth Cycle Paths on the Map
Perth’s cyclists should now find
it easier than ever to navigate around the metropolitan area, thanks to the
latest edition of the StreetSmart directory.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said that for
the first time, the 2007 StreetSmart edition would include comprehensive maps
of Perth’s cycle paths. “The directory will include four pages
dedicated to the Perth's Bicycle Network,” Ms
MacTiernan said. The Minister said the
four pages of maps would be the most comprehensive set of bicycle maps in any
street directory in Australia.
http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/media/media.nsf/news/7502299181070FDA482571C0000E1145?opendocument
EmerGeo GIS Deployed as Pilot for WA
Emergency Management
The
Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) has selected
the EmerGeo GIS suite of applications to undertake a pilot project to support
cross-agency emergency management. FESA
has made a commitment to leverage the State Government’s Shared Land
Information Platform (SLIP) to improve the Emergency Management (EM)
community’s capability to access and disseminate spatial information for use in
the delivery of emergency services. The
EmerGeo web server and smart-client have been configured to support the
development of a SLIP EM Portal for a twelve month pilot project.
Spatial
Vision, supported by the solution’s Canadian developers, EmerGeo Solutions,
deployed the software in Western Australia and provided user training
to enable the SLIP EM team to implement the EmerGeo package for key Emergency
Management agencies for the pilot project.
http://www.spatialvision.com.au/html/r_wa-emergeo.htm
Minister
“Disappointed” after Offender Tracking Devices Fail Trial Conditions
Corrective
Services Minister Margaret Quirk said on 21 July she was disappointed that
three GPS-based electronic offender devices tested had failed to meet the
Government’s requirements. Ms Quirk said
the devices were supposed to track offenders in ‘real time’ but had been unable
to do so in trials. The Government would
continue to look nationally and overseas for a suitable option.
Plans were announced last year to trial GPS-based devices to track sexual and
violent offenders after their release from prison. After expressions of interest were sought
within Australia and internationally, three
devices were tested between January and March.
Ms Quirk said the devices were only able to report the wearers’
movements retrospectively, not as they actually moved through the community. “There were also a number of anomalies in the
models tested so we could not be confident enough in the products to give
assurances about their reliability,” she said.
http://www.mediastatements.wa.gov.au/media/media.nsf/news/91AEBA9BDB37ADCE482571B2000E43BB?opendocument
Australian Angle
Government, Industry
Co-operate for Growth
The
Australian Spatial Information Business
Association announced on 11 August that it has achieved two important
agreements with state and commonwealth agencies to improve tendering
arrangements and relationships between the private sector and its government
clients. ASIBA has been working with
agencies to better manage the growing demand for spatial information and to
ensure that expensive investment in technology is maximised rather than
duplicated. “The Queensland Spatial Information Council and ASIBA
have agreed on a joint Position Statement on Imagery and Mapping Acquisition in
Queensland,” said ASIBA Chairman,
Michael Easton. “This is a good example
of how government and the private sector can work together to better meet each
other's needs as contractor and client.”
http://www.asiba.com.au/clients/asiba/UserFiles/File/Media%20Releases/MR_GA_workshop_final.pdf
Map Sheds Light on Ocean Floor
The
world’s first map to show a comprehensive summary of known offshore mineral
occurrences has been released for Australia’s vast marine
jurisdiction. The map shows the known
seafloor locations of minerals, such as copper, gold, silver and diamond,
compiled from survey information gathered over many decades. The result of a major research initiative
between the CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship, and Geoscience Australia -
together with CSIRO Exploration and Mining and the State and Territory
Geological Surveys -the map was launched on 10 August by the Minister for
Industry, Tourism and Resources, Ian Macfarlane, and the Minister for
Education, Science and Training, Julie Bishop.
“The
Australian Offshore Mineral Locations map provides the first spatial understanding
of mineral locations on the seafloor around Australia and is a wonderful example
of collaboration and partnerships producing great results,” says CSIRO Chief
Executive, Dr Geoff Garrett. “This map
is the outcome of a truly national and integrated approach.”
http://www.csiro.au/csiro/content/standard/ps242,,.html
StatSmart:
World First Project has the Numbers
A
major collaboration between the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and its
partners will result in a world first study of statistical literacy in the
classroom. “StatSmart is an exciting
three-year initiative that provides the perfect avenue to show students how
data can be acquired and used to make informed judgements in their lives,” said
Australian Statistician, Dennis Trewin.
“Student participation should generate enthusiasm for statistics and
encourage their future studies and careers in the field. The ABS has always taken an active interest
in promoting statistical literacy with Australian students and teachers and is
particularly interested in initiatives that will increase student understanding
of, and enthusiasm for, statistics encouraging enrolments at the senior
secondary level and then university.”
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/DAFE52279D11F77CCA2571BD0078D9FA?OpenDocument
Tropical Coastal Studies
move Forward
Geoscience
Australia will be a major
contributing partner in a newly formed national project on Tropical Rivers and Coastal Knowledge
(TRACK), funded through the Commonwealth Environmental Research Fund and the
Tropical Rivers Program. The TRACK
project has been formed to address environmental problems which are encroaching
on northern Australia's rivers, estuaries and
coastal environments, due largely to intensified land use changes. Geoscience Australia will contribute to two
different studies within the TRACK project.
“One component we will contribute to will be the development of a large,
high resolution topographic map that will be used for land management and
planning. The map will be based on the
analysis of satellite imagery. The other
component is a large study on water, sediment and nutrient dynamics in
estuaries. By monitoring these, we will
enhance our capability to predict impacts on the coastal environment under
different land use scenarios,” said Dr Ralf Haese, Project Leader of Coastal
Research and Management, Geoscience Australia.
http://www.ga.gov.au/news/#track
NGIS
and Spatial Strategies to lead the Development of NSW Spatial Information Strategy
NGIS
Australia, in partnership with Spatial Strategies Pty Ltd, has been selected to
lead the development of an overall spatial information strategy for NSW as part
of an ongoing Board of Surveying and Spatial Information (BOSSI) project. The value of spatial information as a
critical planning and decision making tool has become more widely acknowledged
in recent times, as has the need for government and industry to work together
in the creation of initiatives that make spatial information more easily shared
and accessible.
BOSSI
guides and advises both government and industry on the use of spatial
information and sees the development of an overall strategy as beneficial to
both groups. For this reason, the NSW
spatial information strategy will encompass a ‘whole-of-industry’ approach,
including a governance model that provides for stakeholder engagement.
http://www.ngis.com.au/News/158.aspx
Falls Creek Launch Mobile Guide to
Ski-Field
Falls
Creek launched in June an interactive trail map on www.fallscreek.com.au which skiers
will be able to view on their touch-screen PDA or internet-linked mobile
phone. In an Australian first, the
application will allow guests at Victoria’s largest alpine resort to access the
latest information relating to run conditions, lift status, and snow grooming,
as well as the steepness, width, and top and bottom elevations of individual
runs. To be launched in three stages
throughout the winter, this new device will see Falls Creek join a small number
of international resorts developing digital maps. Stowe Resort in Vermont, USA, unveiled an
interactive trail map during the recent northern winter while only last week,
Mt Ruhapehu in New Zealand followed suit.
http://fallscreek.com.au/downloads/PDA.pdf
Unleash the
Potential of Intellectual Property, says AIIA
Significant economic benefits would be gained by
both governments and industry if intellectual property rights were owned and
commercialised by ICT suppliers to government, says Australia’s peak ICT lobby
group. Governments and industry can
realise cost savings, more innovative ICT solutions and greater participation
in government markets if suppliers retain the commercialisation rights of
intellectual property (IP), according to a paper released in July by the
Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA).
“IP
ownership is one of the most hotly contested issues in contract negotiations,”
says AIIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Rob Durie.
“Some suppliers will not bid for government business if they lose their
IP. As a result, there is less
competition for government business, along with higher costs and fewer ICT
solutions to select from. AIIA’s paper
shows that amending government policy at minimal cost would result in annual
savings of millions of dollars and better value for money for the taxpayer,
more opportunities for the ICT industry, more innovative ICT solutions for government
and growth in export revenues.”
http://www.aiia.com.au/i-cms.isp?page=1650
Call for Abstracts for SSI
Conference 2007
Abstracts
are now invited for oral and poster presentations for SSI Conference 2007 on
all aspects of the spatial sciences.
This includes Land Surveying and Geodosy, Engineering and Mining
Surveying, Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry, Geographic Information Systems and
Modelling, Hydrography and Cartography and Visualisation. Online submission is the only method of
receipt of abstracts. For more
information, visit http://www.crcsi.com.au/pages/news.aspx?NewsArticleID=299&Display=1
News from Around the Globe
US Report: Geospatial
Market
Worldwide
GIS/Geospatial revenue is forecast to reach $3.6 billion in 2006, up from $2.82
billion in 2004. This growth is driven
by sales of commercial data products and the emergence of desktop and
Internet-based systems. Core-business
revenue includes software, hardware, services and data products.
In-depth analysis of the structure and composition
of the GIS/Geospatial market, a detailed description of Daratech’s
GIS/Geospatial market model, profiles of major core-business participants and
their product lines, and other background information is available online in
the just-released publication ‘GIS/Geospatial Markets and
Opportunities.’
http://www.crcsi.com.au/pages/news.aspx?NewsArticleID=312&Display=1
China Post Deploys EPC RFID
System to Track Mailbags
The Chinese postal service China Post is rolling out
an EPCglobal-compliant radio frequency identification (RFID) system to keep
tabs on bags of express mail delivered within the postal district of
Shanghai. The technology will track the
status of the mailbags en route from individual Shanghai
post offices to various collection and sortation centres throughout the city,
situated on the banks of the Yangtze River
delta.
China
has been aggressively looking at RFID.
Several companies have projects underway, and the Chinese government is
actively pursuing RFID. The Shanghai
Post RFID initiative is part of an ongoing national pilot project cosponsored
by China's
Ministry of Science and Technology to validate the benefits of RFID within
China Post's operations.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2487/1/1/
Korean Satellite Arirang 2
Successfully Launched
The
Republic of Korea (ROK) successfully launched a satellite from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome
in northern Russia on 28 July, according to
the ROK’s Ministry of Science. The
success of the Korean multi-purpose satellite is anticipated to help the nation
make timely updates on geographical information and weather changes on the Korean Peninsula. The 800-kilogram satellite will enable Korea to take high-resolution
pictures of the Earth’s surface from its low orbit, providing a variety of
vivid pictures used in agriculture and meteorology. Find out more at Dynamic-Korea:
http://www.dynamic-korea.net/news/view.php?uid=200600104534&main=KTD&sub=TCH
ESRI and OAS Form Strategic Alliance to Expand Use of GIS in Latin America
ESRI
announces that it signed an agreement on 6 August with the Organisation of
American States (OAS) whereby ESRI will support two projects promoting
sustainable development. Ambassador
Alfonso Quiñónez, the OAS executive secretary for integral development (SEDI),
and Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI, signed the agreement at the 26th Annual
ESRI International User Conference.
“This agreement represents a milestone in expanding the use of GIS in
the Latin American region and demonstrates a unique partnering between the
private and public sectors,” comments Dangermond. One of the components of SEDI’s MuNet is
designed to empower municipalities in Latin America by providing them with the
electronic tools necessary to start building their regional cadastral and land
registry systems.
http://www.esri.com/news/releases/06_3qtr/oas.html
RFID Code Cracker on Show
Hi-tech
passports, touted as an advance in national security, can be spied on remotely
and their identifying radio signals cloned, computer hackers have been
shown. Radio frequency identification
(RFID) technology, used in cash cards and passports, could be copied, blocked
or imitated, said Melanie Rieback, a privacy researcher at Vrije University in the Netherlands. Ms Rieback demonstrated a device she and
colleagues built to hijack RFID signals that manufacturers have touted as
unreadable by anything other than proprietary scanners. “I spend most of my time making the RFID
industry's life miserable,” the doctoral student said. “I’m not anti-RFID. It has the potential to make people’s lives
easier, but it needs to be used responsibly.”
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,20047788%5E15321%5E%5Enbv%5E15306,00.html
Knowing Where
Not to Buy Gas
Recently
there have been several news stories about oil and the effect of petrol
prices. This seems to be a location
intelligence topic that affects everybody, and has been explored by Directions
Media. Visit Location Intelligence to
find out more:
http://locationintelligence.net/articles/2226.html
CD Available for GIS Day
Events around the World
Twelve
videos showing how geographic information system (GIS) technology can help in
everything from fighting wildfires to planning for a possible avian flu
pandemic will be available this year to GIS Day event organisers. The four- to eight-minute videos on the GIS
Day Video Kiosk CD will help presenters explain the important roles of GIS
in analysing and mapping data in fields such as public safety, fire fighting,
health care, and retail marketing. The
CD can be requested by contacting GIS Day coordinator Maria Jordan at mjordan@esri.com. GIS Day organisers can play one or all of the
videos at their events, which may include workshops, corporate open houses,
community expos, school assemblies, GPS scavenger hunts, and even GIS-inspired
baking contests. GIS Day will be 15
November 2006.
http://www.esri.com/news/releases/06_3qtr/video_series.html
OGC Releases GeoRSS White Paper
The
membership of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) has released the “OGC
GeoRSS White Paper” to the public.
GeoRSS is a simple proposal for geo-enabling, or tagging, ‘really simple
syndication’ (RSS) feeds with location information. GeoRSS standardises the way in which ‘where’
is encoded with enough simplicity and descriptive power to satisfy most needs
to describe the location of Web content.
It is extensible and upwardly-compatible with more sophisticated formats
like the OGC GML (Geography Markup Language®).
For
more information, visit http://www.opengeospatial.org/pressroom/pressreleases/580,
and to view the white paper, go to http://www.opengeospatial.org/pt/06-050r3.
Upcoming Events
Digital
Earth ‘06
27-30 August 2006, Auckland, New Zealand
The Digital Earth Summit on Sustainability
represents the most significant scientific gathering ever held in this part of
the world. Its focus will be on the most important issue facing us - long-term
survival. The Summit
will focus on how technology and the data it provides can best be applied to
achieve sustainability in all sectors of society and the environment. For further information, visit http://www.digitalearth.org.nz/.
Map
Asia 2006
29 August – 1 September 2006, Bangkok, Thailand
Map
Asia leverages an international
initiative aimed to provide an apt platform for the convergence, sharing and
use of Geospatial technologies. Map Asia
2006 with its theme GeoICT for Good Governance will re-emphasise the linkages
between the GIT and ICTs and will promote GeoICT tool as a valuable means of
effective and good governance. For more
information, visit: http://www.mapasia.org/.
GeoCart’2006
4-6 September
2006, University of Auckland, New Zealand
The
third National Cartographic Conference, GeoCart’2006, aims to bring together a
wide cross section of the cartographic and geospatial community to promote new
techniques and a greater understanding of the possible applications for spatial
information in the future. The
Conference will host the National Cartographic Exhibition, including a
Children’s Map Competition, and GeoExpo’2006 - a Commercial Exhibition focused
on the latest innovations related to technology, products, applications and
services offered by the top national and international manufacturers and
vendors. For more information, visit: http://www.cartography.org.nz/geocart2006/invitation.htm.
CRCSI
Conference 2006
12-13
September 2006, Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle
CRC-2006
ties in with the WALIS Forum 2006 and will focus on project outcomes and their
adoption by users for commercial and other purposes. Features of the two days include success
stories from CRCSI projects, new markets and projects, virtual Australia session and networking
opportunities across education, industry and business. For further
information, visit http://crcsi2.vividcluster.global.net.au/uploads/cc9f5b84-42e1-4f86-95e0-51a0d85aa0ee/docs/Flyer_1_-_Conference_2006.pdf.
WALIS
Forum 2006
13-15
September 2006, Perth Convention Exhibition
Centre, Perth
The
2006 WALIS Forum will be held on 13-15 September 2006 at the Perth Convention
Exhibition Centre, and will be preceded by other spatial activities during the
week. For further information refer to the Forum website (www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum) or
contact David
Lee Steere from the WALIS Office on (08) 9273 7695 or email davidls@walis.wa.gov.au.
Combined
5th Trans Tasman Survey Conference and 2nd Queensland Spatial Industry
Conference 2006
19-23
September 2006, Cairns Convention Centre, Queensland
The
theme of the Combined 5th
Trans Tasman Survey Conference and the 2nd Queensland Spatial
Industry Conference 2006 is “Land and Sea Spatially Connected - in a Tropical
Hub” and aims to demonstrate initiatives across the spatial industry,
providing a forum for ongoing discussions and interaction relating to their
applicability to the community. The
Conference will draw together spatial professionals from the host state and
nation, as well as those from across neighbouring seas. For more information, visit http://www.icms.com.au/cairnsspatial2006/.
Intergeo
2006
10-12 October
2006, Munich, Germany
The
12th Intergeo conference and trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation
and land management will be run in parallel with the FIG World Conference in Munich. Expressions of Interest are currently being
sought from companies interested in participating in a Pavilion designed to showcase
the power and capability of the Spatial Industry in Australia and New Zealand. For more details visit: http://www.intergeo.de/englisch/page/main/index.php.
OZRI
2006
31 October – 1 November 2006, Melbourne
With
the theme ‘GIS - Extending the boundaries’, OZRI 2006 will demonstrate the
possibilities for extending the use of GIS by highlighting innovative
achievements in Australia and overseas. OZRI
2006 is all about the innovative use of GIS, and the
outcomes achieved, with conference sessions designed to explore the
“how, why and what” of this extended GIS use, pushing the boundaries of the
traditional view of GIS. To register before
1st September to receive the early bird registration discount,
visit: http://www.esriaustralia.com.au/company/pages/events/ozri/.
GSDI-9:
9th International Conference of the Global Spatial Data
Infrastructure
3-11 November
2006, Historical & Military Museum of Chile, Santiago, Chile
The
theme for the 9th International Conference of the Global Spatial Data
Infrastructure is “Spatial Information: Tool for reducing poverty”.
GSDI-9 will provide opportunities to participate in and attend plenary
sessions, technical sessions, regional discussions groups, workshop, poster
sessions and commercial exhibits. For
more details visit: http://www.gsdi9.cl/index.html.
APSEA
2006: Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards
9 November 2006, Hilton, Brisbane, Queensland
The
annual Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards are the only awards for the
Asia-Pacific region that recognise, at the same event, the excellent
achievements of both individuals and organisations engaged in the spatial
information industry across the region.
APSEA sees a diverse range of individuals and small, medium and
large private, public and academic sector organisations vie for these
prestigious awards. For more information
contact (02) 6282 5793 or email apsea@asiba.com.au. To find out how to enter APSEA 2006, visit http://www.asiba.com.au/clients/asiba/UserFiles/File/APSEA2006/APSEA06_Entrants_InfoKit.pdf. Entries close 25
August 2006.
http://www.asiba.com.au/eventsAPSEA2006.php
13
ARSPC: Earth Observation – From Science to Solution
20-24
November 2006, National Convention Centre, Canberra
The
13th Australasian Remote Sensing & Photogrammetry Conference
(ARSPC) is expected to be the largest ever staged in Australia and will bring together
data providers, modellers, researchers, policy makers and end users. The Conference will provide opportunity to
discover latest tools, technologies and applications of remote sensing and
photogrammetry. For more information,
visit http://www.arspc.org/.
Interesting Website of the Month
All
Points Blog
AllPointsBlog.com is a
publication of Directions Media, and is an information and news source on
location technology. The site offers
opinions and invites comments from readers.
The site also seeks out other interesting, informative weblogs (blogs)
for information and insight to this technology sector that is being integrated
into businesses applications as well as consumer gadgetry.
http://www.allpointsblog.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.