February 2008 eNews
Highlights include WALIS International Forum 2008, Urban Monitor Update and 2008 WAITTA Awards
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
WALIS International Forum 2008: Registration
WALIS International Forum 2008: Program
WALIS International Forum 2008: Trade Exhibition
WALIS International Forum 2008: Social Program
SLIP Enabler Developer Partner Program
State Land Information Capture Program (SLICP) for 2008/2009
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
Sustainability in the Spatial World from Boomers to Generation X, Y and Z
National Native Title Tribunal forming Advisory Committee
ESRI Australia Resources Symposium Call for Papers
Australian Angle
Monitoring Asia Pacific Disasters from Space
Australia Shows Its Good Side from Space
Researchers Share in National Award
News from Around the Globe
Virtual Map v the Singapore Land Authority
Radio Tracking Could Have Hastened Tiger Deaths
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 2008: Registration!
The Forum is less than three weeks away!
We have had a record number of registrations, with delegates expected from across Australia and around the world. The Forum is a great place to learn, network, share information and make new acquaintances, and the WALIS International Forum 2008 promises to be exciting, invigorating and informative.
It’s not too late to register: visit www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum/registration to register online now.
WALIS International Forum 2008: Program
The program is full of exciting keynote speakers and five streams of concurrent presentations. In particular, Ed Parsons from Google (UK) and Harvey Sanchez from Microsoft Australia will showcase their great products. Glenn Stewart will demonstrate how the West Coast Eagles Football Club remains at the forefront of sports science. Delegates will delve into the future and see how technology will impact our industry, business and lives with futurist Craig Rispin. Visit www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum/program to find out more and download the latest program.
WALIS International Forum 2008: Trade Exhibition
An extensive trade exhibition will be held in Pavilion 1, Level 1 of the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. There are many new vendors at this year’s exhibition, plus a poster display and the FME Chillout Zone where delegates can relax, catch up with colleagues, have a coffee and read the paper.
WALIS International Forum 2008: Social Program
The social program of the Forum begins on Wednesday 12 March with the Intergraph Cocktail Welcome Reception, where the exhibition will be officially opened by Grahame Searle, Chair WALIS Executive Policy Committee. The Thales Forum Dinner is the social highlight of the International Forum, and with a three-course meal, entertainment and a local band is the perfect way for guests to mix with industry colleagues in a relaxed atmosphere. Dr Ian MacLeod will provide an entertaining presentation on understanding shipwreck decay and the operational compromises in site recording that are made when the surf is up. Networking sessions on both the Thursday and Friday complete the Forum social program
SLIP Enabler Developer Partner Program
Landgate is currently working to develop partnerships with organisations possessing spatial expertise. The aim is to assist end users in optimising their use of SLIP Enabler services.
SLIP Enabler delivers a reservoir of information that is well placed to serve clients with spatial information needs. The technical specifications of SLIP Enabler allow developers to make complex spatial information accessible within a wide array of GIS applications.
The SLIP Developer Partner Program provides a level of support and service that will assist organisations in creating custom business solutions for their clients. Through utilising and customising SLIP Enabler services, they can help their clients make better informed decisions, reduce costs and access the latest government information when needed.
Contact Darren Mottolini at Landgate for further information. Email darren.mottolini@landgate.wa.gov.au or call 08 9273 0931.
SLIP Enabler is a finalist for the WAITTA Awards. The SLIP Enabler was presented in January and official notification of the winner will be presented on March 14th.
State Land Information Capture Program (SLICP) for 2008/ 2009
The annual call out for SLICP been met with a great response. SLICP 08-09 is now closed, applications are being compiled WALIS office is collating the responses Contact Dan Sandison for more information on 9273 7037 or dan.sandison@walis.wa.gov.au.
Interragator+ is now live: https://www2.landgate.wa.gov.au/interragatorplus/.
Data migration still progressing. Call made to agency Interragator+ administrators for a WALIS metadata subgroup to progress metadata initiatives and to create a forum for future catalogue services needs.
The WALIS Forum Marine Cadastre workshop is to be held on the 12 March 2008.
The minutes from the last WALIS Marine Group meeting are now available on the website:
http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects_and_activities/WALIS_Marine_Group/index.html
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
The CSIRO have been successful in obtaining funding in the iVEC Industry and Government Uptake Grant Scheme for 2008. The funded project, 'High performance segmentation and 3D reconstruction using digital aerial images in Urban and Peri-urban environments' aims to develop computationally efficient parallel algorithms for extracting information from the massive amounts of data involved with such monitoring , as well as provide access and support to the iVEC computational facilities. This activity is part of a larger project named Urban Monitor, which includes as participants the CSIRO, Landgate, the Department of Environment and Conservation, the Department of Water, the Swan Catchment Council, the Swan River Trust, WALIS, BGPA, DAFWA, and the DPI. Read full article at the WALIS Website or for further information email Carrie.Bengston@csiro.au
Sustainability in the Spatial World from Boomers to Generation X, Y and Z
The issue of sustainability and human resources in the spatial world affects all employees and employers. In efforts to reduce the perceived generation gap, the SSI Young Professionals are hosting a workshop at the WALIS Forum on Wednesday 12 March 2008. The workshop is open to all people interested in the spatial industry.
The workshop will include the launching of the WA Mentoring Program, with key objectives such as the support of career development, retaining talent within the industry for the future and exposing mentors to enthusiastic new professionals. Following the launch, there will be a facilitated open discussion of what each generation wants out of a work/life balance within the spatial industry. To read the full article visit the WALIS website
National Native Title Tribunal forming Advisory Committee
In the upcoming months, the National Native Title Tribunal will be seeking expressions of interest from relevant stakeholder organisations to join an advisory committee on the focus of geospatial native title information products. The NNTT currently provides a range of geospatial products including maps on its internet website, free geospatial dataset downloads and the award-winning native title visualisation extranet, Native TitleVision. For further information regarding the advisory committee, please contact Geospatial Services Manager Peter Bowen on 08 9268 7306 or email peterbo@nntt.gov.au.
ESRI Australia Resources Symposium Call for Papers
The 2008 ESRI Australia Resources Symposium, to be held in Perth on 24-25 June 2008, 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. Resources industry members are being asked to share the benefits that location intelligence has brought your company in presenting at this year’s Symposium. Presentations can 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. Abstracts are being accepted until 9 March, with authors to be notified of acceptance by 28 March.To find out more, visit, or email connect@esriaustralia.com.au.
Share your knowledge and experience with your GIS industry colleagues by presenting at ESRI Australia’s national client conference, to be held at the National Convention Centre in Canberra on 27-29 October 2008. The OZRI 2008 Call for Papers is now open, with ESRI Australia clients and business partners invited to submit abstracts based on the conference theme “Putting knowledge into place”, and should highlight how GIS and location intelligence has been used within your organisation to solve complex issues. Abstracts are being accepted until 11 April, with authors to be notified of acceptance by 30 May.
For more information, visit, ESRI Australia’s website or email ozri@esriaustralia.com.au.
Australian Angle
Monitoring Asia Pacific Disasters from Space
A space-based international Earth observation network to detect and monitor natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region has been formed with a substantial contribution from Australian science.
Called Sentinel Asia, the network of information-delivery websites has its roots in the Australian bushfire tracking system, Sentinel Hotspots, which was developed in 2002 by CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and the Australian Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation.
“This will be a critical information delivery system on wildfires, flooding, drought, and landslides in our region, where those events can be seen by Earth observing satellites in real time,” says the coordinator of Australia’s input, senior CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research scientist Dr Alex Held. To read on visit the CSIRO website
Australia Shows Its Good Side from Space
From February this year, Australia will have access to a new source of Earth observing satellite information from India's remote sensing satellite, Resourcesat-1, also known as IRS-P6.
Australia uses public-good Earth observation satellite imagery to monitor changes in the land, such as tree cover for carbon budget estimation, and changes in the coastal zone. The imagery is also utilised during times of emergency response to natural hazards such as bushfire and flooding. Geoscience Australia
Researchers Share in National Award
A collaborative project on tsunami risk modelling has drawn national recognition for Geoscience Australia and the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia (FESA) with an Australian Safer Communities Award.
The project, Tsunami Planning and Preparation in Western Australia, received the Projects of National Significance award in the Pre-disaster category at a ceremony in Parliament House, Canberra, on 14 February. Geoscience Australia
News From Around the Globe
Ordnance Survey (United Kingdom) has made its Web 2.0 platform, OS OpenSpace, available to developers everywhere following a successful closed launch in December 2007.
Virtual Map v the Singapore Land Authority
Virtual Map has argued in court in Singapore that it developed its own framework to create its streetdirectory.com maps. However, the Singapore Land Authority maintains that Virtual Map had copied maps created by SLA. The court had ruled in favour of SLA in August, prompting Virtual Map to file an appeal, which reached court last week. ASM
The USGS is pleased to announce that Landsat 5 tested imaging with the Thematic Mapper on January 10, 2008 during a pass over Brazil and Argentina. USGS
Radio Tracking Could Have Hastened Tiger Deaths
Wildlife rangers in Bangladesh say they have stopped tracking royal bengal tigers due to the mystery death of two of the critically endangered big cats who were fitted with radio transmitters. ABC News
Upcoming Events
WALIS Forum 2008
12-14 March 2008, Perth Convention 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 Website
Intergraph’s Australian User Conference 2008;
5 May, Hunter Valley, NSW;
Enquiries to +61-3-9292 9600; <au-marketing@intergraph.com>; www.intergraph.com.au/iuc
Data Quality - Aligning Strategy and Technology
29 April- 1 May, 2008, Luna Park Sydney
There are a number of high-profile organisations attending including: NAB, Telstra, ATO, Allens Arthur Robinson, Dept of Defence. Attendants will be able to hear Keynote speakers on the latest advances in the data quality space. In addition there are two streams of presentations technical and strategy to choose from. For more information visit the conference website at http://www.dqasiapacific.com/index.htm or email
Complex Systems Science Symposium
12 May – 16 May, 2008, Victor Harbour, SA
CSIRO will host a symposium in May as a step toward a breakthrough in Earth System modelling, a new area of science requiring collaboration among many disciplines. Five key themes will be addressed: geodynamics; seismology and damage mechanics; fluid dynamics including atmospheric and marine sciences and industrial mixing; material science; and the mathematical basis for complex systems and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Enquiries to Dr Alison Ord on 61 8 6436 8623 Alison.Ord@csiro.au.
For more information you can visit the CSIRO webpage
Queensland Spatial Conference 2008 - Global Warning: What's Happening in Paradise
17-19 July 2008, Spatial Sciences Institute, Surfers Paradise
The purpose of this Conference is to identify the threat, present factual arguments, provide innovative methods of spatial analysis/monitoring and to develop sustainable solutions to a phenomenon that is now a household name but not very well understood. The QSC2008 Conference will facilitate the opportunity for spatial professionals to provide sound solutions to the potential effects of global warming.
Enquiries to Susan Harris <qsc2008@absoluteevents.com.au> on +61-7-3394 2310; www.qsc2008.com.au/.
Australasian Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Conference
29 Sep-3 October, 14th; Spatial Sciences Institute, Darwin
Enquiries to +61-2-6282-2282; <info@spatialsciences.org.au>; www.14arspc.com.
WALIS International Forum 2008
12-14 March 2008, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre, Perth
Registrations for the WALIS International Forum 2008 will open very soon! 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
We recently came across a fantastic website that we found very exciting and of great relevance to the spatial industry. We urge you to take a look
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.