August 2007 eNews

Highlights include: SLIP Enabler Launch, New WAC Sub Committee, The Climate Change and the Coast: Think Global Act Local Workshop Report.

Details of events in Australia and around the world

Interesting Website of the Month

What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?

The Launch of the SLIP Enabler

The SLIP enabling framework will be launched to State Government agencies in August 2007. The enabling framework, to be known as SLIP Enabler, is a ground-breaking tool, revolutionising the way government spatial information is used and shared.

Whilst Landgate took the lead in this project, its successful completion was only possible thanks to the collaborative efforts of a number of government agencies. SLIP Enabler has been many years in the making. It is a major step on the road to establishing a service delivery culture, focussed on the needs of citizens and business.

Enabler uses internet technology to link various government agency systems, creating a single, online access point to real-time land and property information. It overcomes the challenges of traditional government models by promoting shared outcomes whilst maintaining government agency accountability.

The Minister for Land Information hosted the launch of SLIP Enabler on 23 August 2007. The technology will initially be launched to State Government agencies, with a launch to private industry planned for later in the year.

For more information please contact Dan Sandison on (08) 9273 7037 or dan.sandison@walis.wa.gov.au.

Forum

The WALIS International Forum 2008 will be held on 12-14 March at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. The Forum theme “Public Private Partnerships” aims to demonstrate initiatives in the use of geographic information involving collaboration and sharing of information across government and the private sectors. Registrations for the Forum will open soon, and submission of abstracts will be accepted until 28 September 2007. For more information, visit www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum.

WALIS News

The Spring issue of WALIS News is due to be released in November, and the focus of this issue is on agency reports. This is a chance for WALIS stakeholder agencies to update the community on current and recent projects and activities. If your state or local government department would like to submit a report, please contact Genevieve on gen.gongora-mesas@walis.wa.gov.au. Reports should be submitted to the Office by Friday 31 August 2007.

Executive Policy Committee (EPC) Meeting

The first EPC meeting for 2007 will be held on Monday 10 September. This will be the first meeting under the new Governance Structure after the integration of SLIP into WALIS.

Public/Private Partnerships - A New WAC Sub-Committee

The PPP Sub-Committee was recently created to investigate issues and opportunities in strengthening participation between the private and pubic sectors within the Land Information industry. The initial meeting has been held and Terms of Reference are being developed.

Members include - Phil Poole (SKM), Richard Bentley (NGIS), Mike Ridout (CRCSI), Guy Perkins (ER Mapper) and John Lazarus (Fugro Spatial).

Planned meeting dates - 16 August 2007 and 30 August 2007.

WALIS Regional Workshop in Kalgoorlie

In October WALIS Office will be conducting a seminar in Kalgoorlie entitled “The Wonderful World of WALIS Data”. This is set to be an interesting event and will include information on Landgate and the role of WALIS within Landgate. Other topics may include SLIP and how to access spatial data. More information will be available in the coming months, and any enquires can be directed to Karen.Barns@walis.wa.gov.au.

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WALIS Stakeholders in the News

SLIP Focus Areas: “Current State of Play”

Natural Resource Management

NRM have started work with DPI and south west planning schemes to set up a consistent local planning scheme across the state. DPI is keen to use facilities that NRM have set up as a first-start planning tool. Regional procedure and management tool kits are being put together for regional councils.

Work has also been going on with the State Natural Resource Management Office to collate information on the hundreds on projects funded by the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) and associated programs. Work is being done to create a spatial link to the information to show where money has been spent and what it has been spent on.

Interest Enquiry

The dictionary component of interest enquiry was released in June and has been getting a high level of use.

Electronic Land Development Process

DPI is currently in the process of producing a tender for the application design and development for the core eLDP.

Geodetic Strategy

Landgate has developed a Geodetic Strategy to guide the next five years and beyond and is now seeking feedback from industry and stakeholders on the draft document. The strategy outlines Landgate’s key priorities of Standards and Policy setting; Establishing a Statewide Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) network; Maintenance of the current geodetic network and Engaging with industry at all levels. The Strategy sees the continuance of existing services, plus a new focus on providing an infrastructure using the latest Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology to support both research and industry needs. To continue reading, visit Langate’s website.

The Climate Change and the Coast: Think Global, Act Local Workshop Report

The successful workshop, organised jointly by the City of Mandurah and Coastal Zone Management Pty, was attended by 195 delegates, from over 70 organisations, including numerous WA government departments, 15 local councils, developers, regional catchments councils, non-government organisations, and environmental and community groups.

Keynote speakers Dr John Church from CSIRO spoke on the topic “Understanding Sea Level Rise” and WA coastal scientist Dr Ian Eliot spoke on “Coastal Data and the Impact of Climate Change of WA”. Other speakers included experts from the Federal Government, State Government, Conservation Groups, and the legal and land development communities.

In the afternoon, concurrent workshop sessions were held that discussed Policy and Planning, Data Needs and Research Priorities and Vulnerability Assessment Approaches.

Mandurah Mayor Paddi Creevey gave an impassioned speech on the urgent to support local action on climate change, particularly in the Peel-Harvey. Dr Sally Talbot – South West MLC and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment; Climate Change; and Peel closed the conference and stressed the importance of the issue for the region.

The key findings from the workshop are currently being evaluated for presentation to the State Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, David Templeman in coming weeks.

All presentations and the workshop outcomes will be available for download next week from the conference website at http://www.coastalmanagement.com.

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Australian Angle

eSpatial and Geomatic Technologies Deliver Web Editing Pilot to Victoria Government

eSpatial, a global enterprise geospatial software and technology company in partnership with Geomatic Technologies (GT), one of Australia’s leading providers of location-based business intelligence solutions, information products and services, today announced the deployment of an advanced web editing pilot for the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) in Victoria, Australia. Directions Magazine

Second Phase of Computer System to Aid Queensland Police

Queensland’s Police Minister Judy Spence says phase two of the QPRIME computer system will give police better access to information and allow them to solve crimes more quickly. Ms Spence says the $95 million system combines all the information police previously had on more than 200 different programs. ABCNEWS

Secret Life of Elephant Seals Not Secret Anymore

Miniature oceanographic sensors attached to southern elephant seals have provided scientists with an unprecedented peek into the secret lives of seals. For more information, visit CSIRO’s website.

BLUElink: A Triumph of Scientific Collaboration

Users of the vast ocean areas around Australia will be able to obtain broad-scale information on ocean currents, temperature and salinity for the first time following the launch of BLUElink – a new ocean forecast system. CSIRO

New Interactive Data on Coastal Website

Scientists, natural resources managers and community members can now access the largest central source of coastal information and data in Australia, the OzCoast and OzEstuaries website.

Previously called OzEstuaries, and used in more than 70 countries, the website now provides access to more coastal and estuary data and information.

The new data and information can be used to improve natural resource management and for the conservation of Australia's coastal zone, estuaries and near-shore environments. Geoscience Australia

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News From Around the Globe

NAC Enhanced Google Earth Flies You to Natural Wonders with Universal Addresses

Virtual sightseeing on Google Earth has become popular and there are many websites which publish KML files to show tourist attractions on Google Earth. It's a great experience that users can fly to and enjoy all famous and spectacular sceneries instantly, economically and environment-friendly. However, all main stream media (televisions, radios, newspapers and magazines) without hyperlink capabilities are rarely active in publishing the exact location information for all these natural wonders and historical sites due to the inefficiency of the longitude/latitude coordinates - the only way currently supported on Google Earth to represent any given location on the earth. To continue reading visit Directions Magazine

Wiped Off the Map - Greensburg, Kansas

The stories in newspapers nationwide said: "At 9:45pm on Friday, May 4, 2007, the lives of the nearly 1400 citizens of Greensburg, Kansas were changed forever." What they should have said was: "What happened on May 4, 2007 will change the lives of 2.7 million people forever." Why? Because the entire state of Kansas will feel the impact of the awesome tornado that devastated the town - today, tomorrow, and for years to come. This story is to exemplify the obstacles that a few of our fellow Kansas Association of Mappers (KAM) members had to face in order to "rebuild" the city. Source: Directions Magazine

Major Upgrade of the GPS Control Segment Planned

The US Air Force has announced that a major upgrade is planned for the GPS control segment (referred to as the Architecture Evolution Plan, or AEP). AEP will swap out the entire master control station, which uses 1970’s era legacy system, to a modern design based on current technology. Among other things, this change is required in order to implement new capabilities, such as the next generation of IIF satellites. The Newsletter

Landsat Helps Rain Forest Protection Work in Peru

A new regional study shows that land-use policies in Peru have been key to tempering rain forest degradation and destruction in that country. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology led an international effort to analyze seven years of high-resolution satellite data covering most (79%) of the Peruvian Amazon for their findings.

NASA

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Upcoming Events

ESRI Australia Resources Symposium

28-29 August 2007, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Perth.

ESRI Australia’s inaugural Resources Symposium provides the perfect opportunity for those from the mining and petroleum industries to find out from international experts and leading industry figures how others in the resources industry are using GIS to stay ahead in this competitive business. Symposium topics will range from facilitating inter-office collaboration, managing environmental impacts, to integrating with corporate systems.

To find out more, visit www.esriaustralia.com.au, or email wheresolutions@esriaustralia.com.au.

GITA Annual Conference

6-8 August 2007-04-18

Australia in general and the utility sector in particular is facing challenges of great complexity and on a scale never before seen in this country.

This is particularly so in Queensland. South East Queensland is the fastest growing region in Australia experiencing unprecedented levels of capital expenditure on an unprecedented number of infrastructure projects. It is fitting that Brisbane be the venue for this year's premier asset management and spatial event.

For more information visit the conference website at: Geospatial Information & Technology Association Australia & New Zealand > Events > GITA Annual Conference

CRCSI Annual Conference 2007

17-18 September 2007, Sydney.

The provisional program includes where CRCSI is at with the Rebid (themes and structures), presentation of the Supplementary Bid proposals / new projects, selected project presentations, project posters, international presentations, and great networking sessions on the national circuit.

Eighth International Conference on Spatial Information Theory

19-23 September 2007, Mt Eliza, Victoria, Australia.

COSIT is one of the leading research conferences in spatial information. Spatial information theory deals with human decision making in geographic space, with communication about space, and with the formal and natural description of processes and events in geographic

environments. It aims to provide the foundations for the design and construction of next-generation geographic information systems, location-based services, web services, ubiquitous spatial computing, and geosensor networks. For more information on this conference visit the website http://www.cosit.info.

OZRI 2007

15-17 October 2007, Sydney Hilton Hotel, Sydney.

ESRI Australia’s national client conference, OZRI 2007, will this year focus on the theme ‘GIS – Serving today’s demands’. Conference sessions will explore the current imperatives and demands that are broadening the expectations and requirements of today’s GIS, including evolving technology architectures and system integration, increasing requirements for instant web access to GIS, and ever-simplified interfaces to complex GIS work processes.

For more information about OZRI 2007, including online registration, visit the conference website (link to www.esriaustralia.com.au/ozri), or email ozri@esriaustralia.com.au.

WALIS International Forum 2008

12-14 March 2008, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth

The call for papers is now open! WALIS Forum is one of the premier GIS events in Australia, attracting over 650 participants from a diverse range of professions. For more information, visit the conference website at http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum/ or email forum@walis.wa.gov.au to register your interest.

Interesting Website of the Month

This world map that updates every 300 seconds and shows all kinds of strange and dangerous things that are happening on our globe. Possibly something to look at before planning your next holiday. http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php

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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.