---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE ASIA AND THE PACIFIC UPDATE
VOL 1, NO.1 – 9 DECEMBER 2003
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Spatial Data Infrastructure Asia and the Pacific (SDI-AP) is a free email newsletter for people
interested in GIS, remote sensing, and data management issues in Asia and the Pacific. It aims to raise
awareness and provide useful information to strengthen national SDI efforts and support regional
coordination. The Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP) is
the peak regional SDI coordination forum (www.pcgiap.org ). The newsletter is sponsored and
prepared by the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association with input from the PCGIAP.
To subscribe to SDI-AP, unsubscribe, or change your email address, contact: SDI-AP@gsdi.org
If you're subscribing, please indicate your institutional affiliation and how you learned about the SDIAP newsletter.
If you have news or information related to GIS, remote sensing, and spatial data infrastructure (e.g.,
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so that they can be included in the newsletter. This will ensure that issues are sent more frequently.
The newsletter depends upon your continued interest and input.
You are welcome to forward this message onto colleagues who may find the information useful. If you
do so, please include the newsletter contact information at the bottom of this message so that others
will know about the newsletter and subscribe themselves.
This is the first issue. Issues of the newsletter will henceforth be posted at the following websites:
GSDI: http://www.gsdi.org/pubs2.html#SDI-APNEWS
PCGIAP: http://www.pcgiap.org/tech_paprs/tech_paprs.htm#GSDI
Best regards, Jaishree Beedasy and Kate Lance
Please note: Some long URLs (internet addresses) may occupy 2 lines. In that case, copy both lines
into your browser.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------INPUT TO THIS ISSUE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank you to Serryn L. Eagleson, City of Melbourne (Australia) and Walter de Vries, ITC (The
Netherlands) for their contributions to this issue of the newsletter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SDI LINKS, NEWS, PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS - HAVE YOU READ?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Just in case some of you are not familiar with the following initiatives, here are some important links:
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/
Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP)
The aims of the Committee are to maximize the economic, social and environmental benefits of
geographic information in accordance with Agenda 21 by providing a forum for nations from Asia and
the Pacific to:
cooperate in the development of a regional geographic information infrastructure;
contribute to the development of the global geographic information infrastructure;
share experiences and consult on matters of common interest; and
participate in any other form of activity such as education, training, and technology transfer
http://www.anzlic.org.au/index.html
ANZLIC—the Spatial Information Council is a joint initiative of the Australian Government, the New
Zealand Government and the governments of the States and Territories of Australia.
The Council's stated vision is that: Australia's and New Zealand's economic growth, and social and
environmental interests are underpinned by quality spatially referenced information. ANZLIC's role is
to facilitate easy and cost effective access to the wealth of spatial data and services provided by a wide
1
range of organizations in the public and private sectors. ANZLIC is fulfilling its role by developing
nationally-agreed (in both Australia and New Zealand) policies and frameworks aimed at achieving
"best practice" in spatial data management. Within Australia, the major vehicle for improving access to
data is the Australian Spatial Data Infrastructure (ASDI).
http://www.anzlic.org.au/infrastructure_ASDI.html The Australian Spatial Data Infrastructure (ASDI)
is a national framework for linking users with providers of spatial information and is similar in concept
to a national highway or railway network. The ASDI comprises the people, policies and technologies
necessary to enable the use of spatially referenced data through all levels of government, the private
sector, non-profit organizations and academia.
http://www.commission4.isprs.org/
The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Commission IV on Spatial
Information Systems and Digital Mapping addresses science, technology and applications in the fields
of spatial information science and systems, digital mapping from air- and space-borne sensors, and
integration of remotely sensed imagery with spatial information systems.
The terms of reference of the working group 4 of Commission IV (WG IV/4 - Spatial data
infrastructures) are:
Design and access of large spatial databases
Development of comprehensive metadata, quality evaluation procedures and their standardization
Development of techniques for data integration in spatial information systems
Logical and mathematical data modelling for mapping of spatial data infrastructures
Development of basic framework concepts for the selection, aggregation and integration of
fundamental data
http://www.gisdevelopment.net/
GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. aims to promote and propagate usage of GIS and related technologies in
various areas of development. Main objective of the portal is information dissemination and knowledge
sharing in the field of Geographic Information Sciences. It includes e-newsletters, technical papers,
conference proceedings and GIS events http://www.gisdevelopment.net/events/year/index.htm Its
Geographic Information Sciences magazine the GIS@development Magazine comes out monthly and
is focused on Asia. http://www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/gisdev/index.htm - The aim of the
magazine is to promote & propagate the usage and benefits of Remote Sensing, GIS and GPS. The
magazine covers the use of technologies in various application segments in the field of infrastructure,
utility services, resource management and others. The magazine addresses the policy issues at national
& international level. It updates the readers through its in-depth analysis of the activities pertaining in
the field of GIS, GPS and Remote Sensing from all over the world with a special focus on Asian
Region.
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/brunei_os_prog.htm
8th Meeting of the Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP) 1619 April 2002 OPEN SEMINAR PROGRAM Proceedings April 17, 2002
Country Reports on the Clearinghouse:
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/clearh_australia.ppt
Australia (PowerPoint), Mr. Peter Holland, General Manager, National Mapping Division, Geoscience
Australia
The presentation highlights the responsibilities for clearinghouse implementation at different levels,
describes the clearinghouse model adopted, the progress made to date and future plans. The
presentation concludes that although there are several good individual examples of clearinghouse
implementation in Australia, a truly national solution has not yet arrived. Australia started early in the
development of the core clearinghouse elements of metadata and a distributed directory and these
elements have been used extensively, A national clearinghouse will need to involve both public and
private sectors, and will need to link to regional and global implementations.
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/clearh_brunei.pdf
Brunei Darussalam (Word/PDF), Miss Hajah Salmahwati binti Haji Mohsin, Senior Land Surveyor
In this paper the author discusses the growing demand and hence importance of a reliable spatial data
infrastructure (SDI) to provide support for land administration, planning and examining the information
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used in decision-making process. The LIS project and SDI development initiatives in Brunei are also
presented.
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/clearh_sbsm.pdf
China (Word/PDF), Prof. Chen Jun, President, National Geomatics Center
Attention is drawn to the efforts of the National Geomatics Center of China, on the research and
practice of spatial data clearinghouse. A prototype APSDI China Data Node has been constructed. The
dataset consists of international and provincial boundary, main rivers and lakes, main roads and
railways, cities and counties. The Distribution and Services Network of Geospatial Information project
and other SDI initiatives being undertaken are also described.
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/clearh_indonesia.ppt
Indonesia (PowerPoint), The Role of Precise GPS positioning in Regional Geodetic Network: Status
Report of Indonesia, Dr. Bambang Sapto Pratomosunu
The paper gives an overview of the current NSDI focus areas in Indonesia: National Organization
“Geodata Alliance”, NSDI Financing Study and Open Geoprocessing. A conceptual development of
national spatial data infrastructure in Indonesia is presented. The present conditions, driving forces, the
regulations and partnerships are also discussed.
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/clearh_gsi.pdf
Japan (PowerPoint & Word/PDF),Dr. Hoshino Yoshihisa, Director General, Geographical Survey
Institute, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
This article describes activities of the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) concerned with discussing
metadata standard and applying ISO 23950 to metadata search system. The author also introduces the
clearinghouse gateway developed by GSI based on these standards and a peculiar problem in dealing
with multibytes characters as a step towards development of multilingual clearinghouse
http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/brunei/seminar/clearh_korea.ppt
Korea (PowerPoint), Prof. Kim Kyehyun, Inha University
Clearinghouse Development in Korea- in coordination with PCGIAP Strategies of various phases of
the NGIS project implementation are explained. The purpose of the clearinghouse, and the pilot project
are discussed. The two phases of the main project plan are presented.
http://www.sli.unimelb.edu.au/research/publications/IPW/Journal of GIS Development-June2003.pdf
Asia-Pacific Region and SDI Activities, By Abbas Rajabifard and Ian P. Williamson Journal of GIS
Development, July 2003 Vol. 7 Issue 7 This article draws a picture of the status of SDI development at
different political and administrative levels in this region. The main focus would be on institutional
arrangements, technological, social and economic dimensions, which affect the SDI growth nationally
and regionally in this region. To achieve this aim, the article starts by reviewing regional cooperation in
this region and providing a brief description of the past and current status of spatial data and
information in this region. Then it discusses the need for SDI development followed by a discussion of
its concept. Based on that, the article then reviews the Asia- Pacific SDI activities, mainly at national
and regional levels including the structure and activities of its coordinating committee.
http://www.geospatialtoday.com/news/geo_newstable.asp?id=68
[Thursday, June 05, 2003] In a recent meeting with Thailand's Prime Minister, ESRI President Jack
Dangermond discussed the role of geographic information system (GIS) technology in aiding the Thai
government in accomplishing its long-term goals. In support of education in Thailand, Dangermond
recently provided 100 K-12 GIS kits, which include GIS software, a community-teaching guide, and
student handbooks, to the country's Ideal Schools program. Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space
Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) is responsible for national standards and infrastructure
for GIS, space technology development, remote sensing, and geoinformatics. It is also acting as a
clearinghouse for all GIS data in Thailand, particularly government data, in anticipation of the
development of the country's NSDI. It plans to implement a pilot NSDI system this year and to proceed
with a nationwide implementation in 2004-2005.
http://www.geospatialtoday.com/news/geo_newstable.asp?id=58
[Monday, May 12, 2003] ESRI join hands with DST, India in developing NSDI ESRI, the world leader
in creation of GIS software will assist to Department of Science & Technology (DST), India that will
work in collaboration with Department of Space and other Departments of Government of India in
developing National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). The parties desire to pool their experiences
and resources in taking the concept of NSDI beyond access to standardized geospatial data to
3
operationalizing embedded applications and solutions to cater to the societal needs. DST created a task
force in November 2000 to establish NSDI and the task force is working on various issues and
activities connected with the NSDI in India, including drafting standards for metadata, data exchange
and networking and achieved considerable progress. The project will be executed from July 1, 2003.
http://www.isotc211.org/Outreach/Newsletter/Newsletters.htm
ISO/TC 211 Outreach newsletter. The ISO/TC 211 Outreach Mission is to promote the awareness,
adoption, and advocacy of ISO/TC 211 standards in user communities. At the moment, there are 30
participating (voting) nations and 26 observing nations contributing to the work of ISO/TC 211. Of the
30, 9 are from the Asia and the Pacific region (Australia, People's Republic of China, Japan, Republic
of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Turkey) and of the
26, 7 are from Asia and the Pacific region (Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Hong Kong, India, Islamic
Republic of Iran, Oman, Pakistan, and the Philippines). Any queries about participating in ISO/TC 211
Outreach activities can be sent to Henry Tom, Co-Chair, ISO/TC 211 Advisory Group on Outreach,
Tomcaros@cs.com See link below to obtain contact information for your national standards body:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GIS TOOLS, SOFTWARE, DATA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------http://sedac.ciesin.org/china/
China Dimensions World Wide Web (WWW) Home Page You will find a variety of socioeconomic
data in this site, including Geographic Information System (GIS) databases that cover the
administrative regions of China, presented at a scale of 1:1,000,000. These databases may be
integrated with agricultural, land use, environmental, and socioeconomic data to track China's
economic growth, population increases, and environmental change.
http://www.cred.be/emdat/mapcentr/georef.htm
Disaster Databases: Georeferenced data (1975-2000) Thanks to collaboration between FAO and
CRED, EM-DAT Asian disasters recorded between 1975 and 2000 have been georeferenced. The
georeferencing process aimed to localize each disaster within the country, by identifying geographical
names recorded in EM-DAT and assigning administrative level location codes to each registered
disaster event. In total, more than 2,300 events included in EM-DAT have been georeferenced. It has
resulted in 3,900 records at the first administrative level.
http://imgs.intergraph.com/newsroom/pressrelease.asp?id=173
Twenty-one software grants available for FIG members pursuing excellence in GIS research, education
and interoperability. Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions announced a new partnership with
the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) to promote the use of advanced technology in land
administration and management infrastructure among surveyors and surveying organizations
worldwide. Through the partnership, Intergraph will award 21 GeoMedia® grants, valued at over $8.2
million (U.S.), exclusively to FIG members. FIG is a federation of national associations with members
from 100 countries and is the only international body that represents all surveying disciplines.
http://www.ogcnetwork.org/docs/03-050r1.pdf
OpenGIS® Web Map Server Cookbook, Version 1.0.1., August 13, 2003 The Cookbook provides the
basic understanding and steps needed for implementing and exploiting the WMS interface and related
technologies. In addition, the Cookbook includes examples of implementations, applications, and
related helpful information for beginners and more advanced users. The Cookbook includes "recipes"
or step-by-step instructions and recommendations on developing OpenGIS infrastructures using the
WMS interface. It is an implementation guide.
http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/
http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/esri_gis.asp
http://www.unhabitat.org/programmes/guo/documents/press announcement of MoU.htm
UN HABITAT Grant Programme.
The goal of the grant program is to provide GIS technology and training for up to 1,000 cities in
developing countries so that they can participate in the collection of urban indicator information. Urban
indicators include information about poverty, environmental degradation, lack of urban services,
degeneration of existing infrastructure, and the lack of access to land and adequate shelter. Cities can
4
use GIS for the collection and analysis of urban indicator data to facilitate better urban management
and the formulation of participatory development policies. (Appropriate applicants would be city
councils or whoever is responsible for collecting/maintaining data about city infrastructure and
services). Contact: Martin Raithelhuber, Global Urban Observatory, Tel. 254-2-62-3665, E-mail:
Martin.Raithelhuber@unhabitat.org
http://glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/
GLCF has its Landsat 7 GeoCover holdings online. You can
Try downloading and redistributing any and all of this product.
http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/Southern_L7.bmp
Also, the MODIS 16-day composites are now available. GLCF is currently negotiating an arrangement
to provide low-cost orthorectification services for new data, so stay tuned. For more information,
contact Ben White, bgwhite@umiacs.umd.edu Global Land Cover Facility has over 19,000 Landsat
FREE Landsat scenes. In addition, a variety of new MODIS tree cover and composite products have
come out. Look for MODIS fire maps and ASTER data in the near future.
http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/clue/
If you have an interest in the city of Melbourne, CLUE (the Census of Land Use and Employment)
online can provide information on industry structure, floorspace type and use, spatial distribution, offstreet parking, lettable space, vacancy rates and more. CLUE is an invaluable research tool that can
help you make informed, effective and efficient business decisions for your business. For the first time
in its 40-year history, the 2002 CLUE provides comprehensive information about land use,
employment and economic activity across the entire City of Melbourne.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES / AWARDS / SUPPORT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.sprep.org.ws/iw/docs/Information Sheet.pdf
http://www.sprep.org.ws/iw/docs/IWP Pacific Regional Scholarship Scheme Application Form.pdf
(application form)
International Waters Programme (IWP) Pacific Regional Scholarship Scheme There is no closing date
for scholarship applications but it is likely that countries will have selected their scholarship recipient
by 31st December 2003.
http://www.start.org/links/announce_oppo/FVS_12_Announce.doc
http://www.start.org/links/announce_oppo/FVS_App_Form_12.doc
START Fellowship/Visiting Scientist Award Program
START invites applications for START fellows and visiting scientists to participate in the 12th round
of the START Fellowship/Visiting Scientist Program. This program is designed to increase the number
of developing country scientists who serve as active partners in global change research in START
regional networks and in the Joint and Core Projects of the Earth System Science Partnership
(DIVERSITAS, IHDP, IGBP, and WCRP). Through this effort, these scientists will also be able to
contribute to related aspects of sustainable development for their respective countries and regions.
Deadline for submissions has been extended to 16 January 2004.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH / APPLICATIONS / REFERENCE MATERIAL
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.fao.org/WAIRDOCS/LEAD/X6148E/X6148E00.htm
Livestock Geography and Land Use Whilst still in its infancy, the development of geographic
information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) tools is paving the way for global land use
monitoring. This paper provides a first, tentative description of livestock related land use. Preliminary
results indicate that, in most of the developing world, the distributions of man and his livestock are
closely related. This association is particularly prominent in India for large ruminants, and in South
East Asia for pigs and poultry.
http://www.nasda.go.jp/press/2003/05/forest_20030530_e.html
Trial System for Monitoring Forest Fires - May 30, 2003
5
National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research
Council Secretariat at Tsukuba Office Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
NASDA and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat at Tsukuba Office
(MAFFIN) have decided to publicize the "Trial System for Monitoring Forest Fires" on the Internet.
This System is a result of the joint collaboration under the agreement on joint research cooperation
between the two organizations for 2002-2003. The Trial System focuses on Thailand and its
neighboring areas which are subject to frequent forest fires in the South-East Asia, and aims to evaluate
the effectiveness of detecting fire situation by superimposing on the map several information on forest
fires (fire criticality, location) obtained from different satellite data of NOAA and "Fuyo-1" (JERS-1)
and so on. The new system, based on the old one, consists of the Research Institute's fire criticality
data, MAFFIN's improved database, and NASDA's Internet and "standardization" technology for GIS.
Anyone can superimpose on the same map fire information and geographic information on Thailand
and its neighboring areas obtained by more than one satellites data from the following website, or you
may have such data free of charge: http://fire.hd.nasda.go.jp/fms/index.php
http://gis.esri.com/library/userconf/proc02/pap0595/p0595.htm
Ashraf, Salman et al. 2002. Integration of DEMs, satellite imagery and field data for alpine vegetation
mapping in Pakistan.
Abstract: Elevation, slope and aspect significantly influence vegetation heterogeneity in mountain
ecosystems. Remotely sensed surface reflectance, if used to analyze such heterogeneity, is substantially
affected by differences induced by slope and aspect. A GIS combining digital elevation models
(DEMs), Landsat-7 imagery and georeferenced field data was built to map the distribution of
vegetation in two community-based conservancies in the Hindu Kush cordillera of Pakistan. DEMs
were used to divide satellite imagery into high and low sun illumination categories before image
classification. Field verification and empirical rules relating to the altitude and aspects at which
different vegetation types occur were then used to refine the landcover classification.
http://www.itc.nl/library/Papers_2003/msc/wrem/Nader_Najmoddini.pdf
Najmoddini, Nader. 2003. Assessment of erosion and sediment yield processes, using remote sensing
and GIS - A case study in Rose chai sub-catchment of Orumieh Basin, W. Azarbaijan, Iran. 63 p.
(Masters Thesis Report)
Abstract: Many watershed management decisions would be aided by an understanding of ongoing
sediment production and erosion characteristics. In this thesis an assessment is made of the erosion and
sediment yield in Rose chai subcatchment of the Orumieh basin in northwest part of Iran. Efficient
erosion analysis incorporates the following steps: collection of background information, interpretation
of aerial photos, making data base, preparation of terrain mapping units, field work and analysis. The
methodology also included GIS and remote sensing techniques.
http://www.photogrammetry.ethz.ch/tarasp_workshop/papers/suzuki.pdf
Recreating the past city model of historical town Kawagoe from antique map,
Sayaka SUZUKI *, Hirofumi CHIKATSU, JAPAN
International Workshop on "Visualization and Animation of Reality-based 3D Models", ISPRS WG
V/6 Workshop, 24-28 February 2003-, Vol. XXXIV-5/W10
Abstract: Existing colorful antique maps were mostly produced at the Edo period in Japan, and these
antique maps which show situation of land use and streets in those days often give important
information for studying history of city planning, civil engineering, architecture. In particular,
visualization of the past city model help to make understanding for situation at the time when the
antique maps were produced more efficiently. On the other hand, virtual archeology has recently
received more attention from possibility that people can appreciate or experience the archeological
objects, the past space and art through the computer at any time and without going to the museum.
With this motive, the authors have been concentrating on recreating the past city model and
visualization using the attribute data such as shrine, house, street, river and so on which exist in the
antique maps. Visualization of historical castle town Kawagoe was demonstrated using 3D Computer
Graphics.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.iirs-nrsa.org/coursecalender/2004/CALENDAR_2003_04.pdf
6
Calendar of Training And Education Programmes 2004
At the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS,. India. Courses vary from 1 week Awareness
Workshops to 10 months post graduate courses. IIRS which functions under the National Remote
Sensing Agency, Department of Space, Govt. of India is a training and educational Institute set up for
developing trained professionals in the field of Remote Sensing, Geoinformatics and GPS Technology
for Natural Resources and Disaster Management.
Contacts: Dean, IIRS: dean@iirs.gov.in , psroy@hotmail.com
Technical Staff Officer: tso@iirs.gov.in
For
sponsorship,
financial
support
and
fellowship
information:
http://www.iirsnrsa.org/FrameProgrammes.htm
http://www.itc.nl/education/programme_levels/short_courses/default.asp
ITC short courses in 2004
Note that there are possibilities to obtain a fellowship for these short courses from the Netherlands
Fellowship Program (NFP). Information on this can be obtained from the Netherlands Education
Centers (NEC/NESO) or from the fellowship officer at the Netherlands Embassy. Fellowship
application forms can be obtained from the NUffic website: http://www.nuffic.nl/nfpnpt/pdf/short2004.pdf For further information, contact, Dr. T.M. Loran, loran@itc.nl
http://www.geom.unimelb.edu.au/SDI-course/index.html
There was an International SDI Short Course from 19-21 November 2003.
Developing Spatial Data Infrastructures - "From concept to reality" Centre for SDIs and Land
Administration Department of Geomatics, University of Melbourne, Australia In conjunction with the
PCGIAP Executive Board Meeting.
http://www.fao.org/gtos/meetBAN.html
GLCN-ASIACOVER land cover mapping training workshop was held
December 1-6, 2003, Bangkok, Thailand. Contact: Mr John Latham, GLCN Coordinator,
GLCN@fao.org
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.bundabergcity.qld.gov.au/positionsvacant/index.php#52
GIS Officer, Reference: 37/03, Bundaberg City Council
Job Location: Australia Queensland - Bundaberg
This role is only available to residents of Australia or to those who hold valid working visas or permits
A vacancy exists for a GIS professional wishing to develop their career in a dynamic environment. The
purpose of this position is to provide assistance to the GIS Supervisor in developing and maintaining
Councils Geographic Information System. It is anticipated that the successful applicant would hold
relevant tertiary qualifications or be well advanced in a relevant tertiary course such as surveying or
cartography. A knowledge of GIS packages is required. Good communication skills are essential as is
the ability to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary environment. Applications: An information
package may be obtained by telephone (07) 4153 9900 or e-mail ceo@bundaberg.qld.gov.au Please
quote Position No. 37/03. Applications will close on Friday, 12th December 2003
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------OTHER
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.giscampus.org/intergis/project/intergisFLYER.pdf
International Cooperation for GIScience Education
http://www.gis-learning.net
Curriculum Development for Geographic Information Science Education in Europe and South Asia A
project co-funded under the European Commission under Asia Link Programme,
http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/asia-link/index_en.htm
7
http://www.unescap.org/enrd/space/stasmc/framework.htm
http://www.unescap.org/enrd/space/stasmc/mcpf/common.htm
The Minimum Common Programme (MCP) Framework (2001) At the regional, national and even local
levels, requirements for data and information for sustainable development planning assume varying
importance, depending on the examination and consideration of the very factors that would enhance
sustainable development. Hence, some countries might be more concerned with alleviating poverty and
enhancing their economic growth, whereas others might be more inclined to protect their environment
and natural resources. Besides the national development interests, countries of the region are affected
by concerns about global warming and its attendant climatic changes and environmental
transformations. The countries of the region are also concerned about the widening digital divide. In
order to address these specific issues related to environmentally sound and sustainable development
and improved quality of life, a set of common denominator projects has been conceived to integrate
appropriate space technology applications in this context.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EVENTS CALENDAR
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8 to 10 December 2003 Armidale, New South Wales, Australia
http://www.ecolsoc.org.au/conferences.html
ESA ECOLOGY 2003
Ecological Society of Australia Annual Conference
There are 16 symposia proposed for ESA ECOLOGY 2003. The purpose of one of the symposiums,
Wetland ecosystems: ecological applications of spatial information technologies, is to examine current
research in the use of spatial information technologies (SIT) for understanding the ecology of wetland
ecosystems. We envisage a range of presentations covering different aspects of wetland ecology, as
elucidated by SIT, including environmental flows, vegetation and water birds. We will also look at the
status of current technologies, new developments in sensors and systems and how these could be used
to better understand wetland ecosystems.
Contact name: UNE Conference Company
Contact e-mail: confco@metz.une.edu.au
December 10-13, 2003, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.unescap.org/icstd/main/calendar2003.asp
Ninth Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Remote Sensing, GIS and Satellite-based
Positioning. Further information can be obtained from UNESCAP - Space Technology Application
Section, escap-stas@un.org.
December 13-17, 2003, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/SAP/stdm
http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/SAP/stdm/STDMWA_infoE.pdf
Space Technology and Disaster Management Workshop
The objectives of the Regional Workshops are:
(a) to increase the awareness of managers and decision makers involved in disaster management of the
potential benefits and the cost-effectiveness of using space technologies; (b) to determine the types of
information and communications required to manage specific disasters and the extent to which these
requirements could be met by space technologies; (c) to develop a regional plan of action together with
the definition of possible pilot projects that incorporate and test the use of space-technology tools in
disaster management and that will help define the structure of a regional network to support the use of
space technology in disaster management activities.
December, 13-14 2003, Kowloon, Hong Kong
http://home.netvigator.com/~hksts/conf.htm
The Eighth Conference Of Hong Kong Society For Transportation Studies Transportation And
Logistics. Jointly organized by Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies and Airport Authority
Hong Kong and Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong. Topics include;
Technology and transportation: Intelligent transportation system (ITS), Geographic information
systems in transportation (GIS-T), E-mobility
Infrastructure and transportation planning: Land use and transportation, Railway planning and
construction, Public transportation
8
December 15-16, 2003, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
http://www.jlgis.cuhk.edu.hk/Training/15-16Dec03/details.htm
International Advanced Workshop on Virtual Geographic Environment and Geocollaboration
This two-day workshop will address research works and applications concerned with geographic
environments that are represented, visualized and analyzed using advanced technologies. The
technologies to be discussed will involve virtual and augmented realities (VR and AR), photo-imaging,
3D and temporal GIS, and new ways of communicating such visualizations and representations in
theatres, CAVES, and networked environments. There will be an emphasis on applications that involve
experts and users in the context of collaborative decision-making, spatial decision support systems, and
user participation.
December 15–18, 2003 - Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.), India
http://www.rrlbpl-we2003.com/committee.htm
International Conference On Water & Environment WE-2003 The proposed conference is an invitation
to all scientists, researchers, engineers, decision makers and administrators who are dealing with water
and environment to discuss perspectives, problems and solutions. Deliberations would bring out
appropriate and modern technologies for the new millennium. It is a call to consider challenges and
directions for the 21st century to reduce water and environment related global problems. One of the
Conference Themes includes Environmental and water data: Data Acquisition , Data network Design,
Data Accessibility, Data Base Management, Data Storage, Archiving and Retrieval Systems
Contact name: Dr. R.N. Yadava, e-mail: dryadava@ yahoo.com
December 19-21, 2003, Bogor, Indonesia
http://www.hdp-ina.org/
International Symposium on Land-Use and Land-Cover Change (LUCC) and Environmental Problems
January 9, 2004, Seoul, Korea
http://urban.tutrp.tut.ac.jp/AURG/sympo2004/
International Symposium on Environmental Planning and City Management in Asian Countries
January 13-15, 2004 Putrajaya, Malaysia
http://www.esrisa.com.my/home.htm
11th ESRI South Asia User Conference
Event Details: Geodatabase Storage & Data Interoperability, Software Application Demos, Technical
papers presented by users from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Australia and
Bangladesh. Workshop topics include Future GIS Approach Using Intelligent and Scalable
Geodatabase and Ways to Manage GIS Metadata.
Contacts
Yvonne Tan, Malaysia, - Email: yvonne@esrisa.com.my
Esther Chew, Singapore, Email: echew@esrisa.com
Yulia Halim, Indonesia, Email: yhalim@esrisa.com
January 18-22, 2004, Dunedin, New Zealand
http://adc.massey.ac.nz/adc04/
The 15th Australasian Database Conference (ADC'2004)
The Australasian Database Conference series is an annual forum for exploring research, development
and novel applications of database systems. January 13-15, 2004, Putrajaya, Malaysia
http://www.esrisa.com.my/uc2003
11th ESRI South Asia User Conference
January 28-30, 2004 New Delhi, India
http://www.mapindia.org
Map India 2004
Theme: Geospatial Democracy. 'Government of the people, for the people and by the people'
constitutes the basic ingredient of democracy and encompasses in itself greater guidelines for code of
conduct for most democratic nations. The institutions and organizations of mapping sciences in India
play a crucial role in the enhancement of geospatial democracy in many ways.
January 30-31, 2004, Bangalore, India
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http://www.gsi.go.jp/PCGIAP/
10th Meeting of Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia & the Pacific
February 2-6, 2004, Bangalore, India http://www.gsdi7.org.in/
7th Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference
The Conference will address and focus on the following five technical symposia:
National SDI Programme, SDI Technologies, Policy and Legal perspectives of SDI, SDI and
Sustainable Development , SDI - Business Opportunities and Potentials
February 7, 2004, Bangalore, India
http://www.iscgm.org/html4/index.html
11th International Steering Committee on Global Mapping
(ISCGM) Meeting
The meetings of the 10th PCGIAP and ISCGM will be held in conjunction with the GSDI-7 on January
30-31, 2004 and February 7, 2004, respectively.
February 4-7, 2004, New Delhi, India
Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, Organized by: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)
Last year's World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) resulted in water, energy, health,
agriculture, and biodiversity (WEHAB) were identified as key thematic areas for attention. Entitled
Partnerships for Sustainable Development: addressing the WEHAB agenda, the 2004 Delhi Sustainable
Development Summit will focus on, analyze, and assess innovative partnerships in the post-WSSD
scenario. Contact details: dsds@teri.res.in
February 24-25, 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.macres.gov.my/acpa/index.htm
1st Asian Conference on Precision Agriculture
March 26-29, 2004, Washington, DC
http://gsdi.org/SDIA/gdinfinal.pdf
http://www.gdin.org
GDIN2004. Sixth Conference of the Global Disaster Information Network. Global Disaster
Information Network (GDIN) is an organization that is dedicated to improving the flow of information
before and during natural disasters. Conference themes include: emergency telecommunications,
disaster manager needs, the UN International Strategy on Disaster Reduction, information management
(including homeland security), urban search and rescue, and many more. Contact:
gdin2003@hotmail.com [the GDIN Secretariat is pleased to announce that the Government of South
Africa has offered to host the 7th GDIN Conference].
April 2004 – Malaysia
http://www.sli.unimelb.edu.au/maritime/pcgiap.htm
Asia and the Pacific regional workshop on marine cadastres as part of PCGIAP-WG3 Workplan. WG3
will host a workshop in April 2004 in Malaysia to develop both Guidelines for the establishment and
maintenance of marine cadastres and a Future Action Plan for the development of marine cadastres.
The project also aims to review best practice, to establish networks and to evaluate the potential for
ICT expertise in establishing marine cadastres. The work and activity on this component of the WG3
Workplan started since the 16th UNRCC conference in Okinawa, Japan in July 2003.
April 20-29, 2004, New York, NY, USA
The Twenty-second Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names
(UNGEGN) is planned to take place in New York,
April
20-29, 2004.
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/ungegn.htm
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/englishUNGEGN.pdf
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/frenchUNGEGN.pdf
May 10-12, 2004,Johor, Malaysia
http://www.gsdi.org/docs/SDIA/gisdeco7_Malaysia_May2004.doc
http://www.fab.utm.my/gisdeco2004
7th Conference on GIS and Developing Countries: GISDECO
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2004, on GIS Capacity Building and Infrastructure. Proposals for papers and posters dealing with the
following topics should be sent to the GISDECO Secretariat by November 30, 2003. GISDECO
Secretariat: Email :b-haris@utm.my.
General information on GISDECO or Details of past events please see:
http://www.itc.nl/gisdeco/ or Email Richard Sliuzas, GISDECO Int'l coordinator at GISDECO@itc.nl.
May 24-28, 2004, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
http://www.isotc211.org
18th Plenary of ISO TC 211 Geographic information/Geomatics
Scope of ISO TC 211: Standardization in the field of digital geographic information. It aims to
establish a structured set of standards for information concerning objects or phenomena that are
directly or indirectly associated with a location relative to the Earth. These standards may specify, for
geographic information, methods, tools and services for data management (including definition and
description), acquiring, processing, analyzing, accessing, presenting and transferring such data in
digital/electronic form between different users, systems and locations. The work will link to
appropriate standards for information technology and data where possible, and provide a framework for
the development of sector-specific applications using geographic data.
7-9 June 2004, Gävle, Sweden
http://www.hig.se/geoinformatics/
GEOINFORMATICS 2004
Geospatial Information Research: Bridging the Pacific and Atlantic
12th International Conference on Geoinformatics:
Suggested topics include, but not limited to as long as they address issue related to geoinformatics:
Location based services and mobile GIS, GIS and planning support systems, Spatial decision support
systems, Information extraction from remote sensing data, data fusion and digital mapping, Multi-scale
and multi-media representation, Spatio-temporal modelling/analysis, Geovisualization and virtual
environments, Spatio-temporal databases, Geocomputational modelling Uncertainty and spatial data
quality control Advances in earth observation technologies GIS in urban and environmental
management, Integration of environmental modeling and GIS Remote sensing and geospatial
information for transportation planning, Landscape modelling and visualization, Urban modelling and
simulation, GPS in geoinformatics, Terrestrial laser scanner for 3D data acquisition
Important Dates:
01 December 2003: Deadline of Long Abstract
10 January 2004: Acceptance Notice
25 March 2004: Deadline of Final Manuscript
All submissions should be made via email to geoinformatics@hig.se (in MS Word format).
June 4-11, 2004 - Tapei, Taiwan
http://ccms.ntu.edu.tw/~btguan/
Conference on Applications of Statistics, Information Systems and Computers in Natural Resources
Monitoring and Management.(IUFRO Group 4.11). -.
The conference will focus on the following themes:
Applications of Spatial Statistics, Merging Process and Statistical Models with Heuristic Systems,
Decision Support for Sustainable Forest Management, Statistical Methods in Remote Sensing,
Applications of Bayesian Inference, Multi-Criteria Analysis for Modeling and Monitoring Natural
Resource Management, Inferences Based on Non- and Pseudo-replicated Experiments, Computer
Applications, Tropical Forest Modeling and Biodiversity
Conference contact: Dr. Biing T. Guan, E-mail: btguan@ccms.ntu.edu.tw
July 15 -17, 2004, Dalian, China
http://www.neu.edu.cn/waim2004
5th International Conference on Web-Age Information
Conference scope: With advances in the Internet and, in particular, various technologies around the
World-Wide Web over the past years, research on design, implementation, and management of Internet
and Web-based information systems has become increasingly important. As more and more
information of diverse types becomes available on the Internet and Web, and query and retrieval as
well as the management of information over the Internet become more complex and extremely
difficult. Nowadays, the anywhere/anytime/any means paradigm is becoming the challenge in
conceiving, designing, and releasing next generation information systems. The WAIM series of
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conferences aim to provide a unique forum for researchers, professionals, and industrial practitioners
from around the world to share their rapidly evolving knowledge and to report on new advances in
Web-based information systems.
Paper abstracts (soft deadline): 09 February 2004
Full papers (firm deadline): 16 February 2004
Notification: 12 April 2004
Camera-ready papers: 10 May 2004
Contacts: Qing Li: ITQLI@cityu.edu.hk
Guoren Wang: wanggr@mail.neu.edu.cn
October 3-7, 2004, Jakarta, Indonesia
FIG Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific
Contact: FIG Office, email: fig@fig.net
November 2004 (date tbd), Cheng Mai, Thailand
http://www.aars-acrs.org
Asian Center for Research on Remote Sensing (ACRS) 2004
Contact: Dr. Suvit Vibulsresth F: +662-561-3035 E:
suvit@gistda.or.th
November 20-24, 2004, Brisbane, Australia
http://www.itee.uq.edu.au/~wise04/index.shtml
The Fifth International Conference on Web Information Systems Engineering
The aim of this conference is to provide an international forum for researchers, professionals, and
industrial practitioners to share their knowledge in the rapidly growing area of Web technologies,
methodologies and applications. Workshop proposals due by 15 March 2004. Abstract submission due
by 7 June 2004.
March 2005, Tokyo, Japan
The next International Symposium on Digital Earth will take
Place in Tokyo, Japan in March 2005. ISO/TC 211 &the OGC have already been invited to conduct a
Standards Seminar at this symposium.
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