CRCSI and Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency (DCCEE) have awarded a GIS training and capacity building contract for Tonga, PNG, Vanuatu and Samoa to NGIS Pty Ltd.

The newest stage of the project involves sea level rise-related GIS training and capacity building. For populated coastal areas of low gradient elevation, such as Nuku’alofa in Tonga and the north coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG), sea-level rise is a major concern.

NGIS is a member of 43pl, CRCSI’s SME consortium. The pre-Christmas 43pl tender was greeted with much enthusiasm by a number of CRCSI partners. After receiving high quality responses to the project brief, NGIS came out on top.

The recently captured high resolution elevation data will improve the accuracy of inundation modelling and subsequently the estimation of risk to coastal infrastructure and communities.

All of the airborne LiDAR and imagery surveys used as a basis for this project were conducted and delivered by another 43pl partner, AAM Pty Ltd. During this earlier stage of the project the CRCSI provided technical specifications, area selections and technical assistance to the airborne capture. The NGIS component of the project seeks to build on the LiDAR surveys by developing the capacity within each Pacific Island to manage and use the LiDAR and imagery data to support local sea-level rise planning and decision-making.