AusGeo News  September 2009  Issue No. 95

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spatial@gov Conference

The inaugural spatial@gov Conference was held at the National Convention Centre, Canberra, on 15 and 16 June 2009. The conference focussed on the ‘business of government’ and how business at all levels of government can be made more effective and efficient through the use of spatial resources.

Fig 1. Left to right: Ben Searle, General Manager, Office of Spatial Data Management; Dr Neil Williams PSM, CEO Geoscience Australia; Senator Kate Lundy, Senator for the ACT; and Warwick Watkins, Chair ANZLIC and Director-General, Department of Lands, New South Wales, following the opening of the conference by Senator Lundy.

Presenters included representatives of the spatial community from most Australian jurisdictions and New Zealand as well as the Chair of ANZLIC (the Spatial Information Council) and a range of senior government officials. International presenters included the Open Geospatial Consortium and the Chinese Ambassador to Australia who provided an insight into spatial activities in China and potential linkages to the Australian spatial community.

Attendees gained an insight into the broad range of areas benefiting from the efforts of the spatial community. The presentations provided many examples of the benefits of using ‘place’ or ‘location’ as an enabler for government activities. These activities included social inclusion, water, health, climate change, local government, Indigenous cultures and communities. There were also presentations on data delivery and access, new approaches to mapping, and future directions for spatial technologies.

Figure 1. Left to right: Ben Searle, General Manager, Office of Spatial Data Management; Dr Neil Williams PSM, CEO Geoscience Australia; Senator Kate Lundy, Senator for the ACT; and Warwick Watkins, Chair ANZLIC and Director-General, Department of Lands, New South Wales, following the opening of the conference by Senator Lundy. (Larger image [JPG 784.0kb])

The conference attracted 352 delegates, 67 presenters, 25 sponsors and 19 exhibitors. It was organised by eight of the key spatial information associations and organisations representing all areas of the spatial sector including the government, academia and the commercial communities.

Geoscience Australia was the main conference sponsor and the Office of Spatial Data Management convened the conference. A number of tertiary level students and several indigenous and remotely located spatial professionals were able to attend the conference because of various sponsorship arrangements.

The conference demonstrated a new energy and spirit of cooperation between the government and other sectors within the spatial community. The feedback from delegates, sponsors and technical exhibitors was very positive and all expressed a desire to attend another spatial@gov event. As a result, planning has already commenced on spatial@gov 2010.

For more information visit www.spatial.gov.au/

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