spatial@gov^® Conference Themes

The 2011 conference focused on 6 main themes:

Water Security

Water security is a major challenge facing Australia. The need to accurately monitor, assess and forecast the availability, condition and use of water resources is vital. The Australian Government is investing $12.9 billion in Water for the Future — a 10 year water reform plan to secure long-term water supply to all Australians. Considerable progress has been made in developing a suite of water information products and services that will greatly enhance community understanding of water resources, water management decision-making and water policy. This theme will focus on the environmental intelligence gains that are being made under this ambitious program.

spatial@defence

The Defence theme looked at a range of Defence activities where geospatial information — the relation of an object, event or feature to a location and time — is a critical enabler of Defence core business. Advances in military technology will shape the future of the Australian Defence Force, and these new technologies will increasingly rely on highly accurate geospatial information and services.

Government Spatial Activities in Other Countries

The application of location based capabilities in government environments to enable better decisions and service delivery is not unique to the governments of Australia. This theme will provide an opportunity to understand how other countries have applied location technologies to their business activities. It will also provide a forum to help understand how Australian approaches have influenced neighbouring countries and how the activities of our neighbours are impacting the Australian location sector.

Access to Government Spatial Information

Governments around the world are moving towards more open access to their information holdings. The Australian Government and some State and Territory governments have undertaken a range of reforms that will increase the accessibility of their information. There are various drivers for this move and also a range of issues to be resolved. This theme will examine examples of how the spatial communities within government have been dealing with this new paradigm.

Emergency Response

Responses to emergencies differ in both scale and scope depending on the type of event and its location. However, one common factor in any response is access to relevant and current location information. This theme will examine some recent events and look at how location based capabilities have been applied by governments to respond to these emergencies.

The Spatial Framework for Virtual Australia

The simulation of the real world through virtual technologies is rapidly gaining a place in many areas of business and government activities. The link between the real and virtual worlds is blurring and the spatial community is well placed to leverage the technological advances and awareness of the benefits of creating virtual capabilities. This theme will help promote these benefits to senior decision makers.

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