A new Australian National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) has been formed.

The body will serve as a peak national coordination forum for geospatial matters and provide strategic advice to the Australian Government to help lift coordination, leadership and impact across Australia’s geospatial ecosystem.

The NGAC, modelled on the similar US entity, brings together senior experts from across government, industry and academia to consider geospatial issues that cut across the three sectors.

This will include forming a shared understanding of challenges and opportunities, and offering coordinated, whole-of-ecosystem advice to government.

Specifically, as a formal advisory committee, it will provide advice to both Geoscience Australia and the federal Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR).

The NGAC’s inaugural members are Trish Scully (ANZLIC), Maya Stuart Fox (Location Inter-Departmental Committee), Maurits van der Vlugt (industry), Glenn Campbell (academia), Paul Farrell (industry), Graeme Kernich (industry), Dom English (DISR) and Maree Wilson (Geoscience Australia).

The NGAC is intended to complement, not replicate, the roles of existing national and intergovernmental bodies, such as ANZLIC, by focusing on national leadership, coordination and long-term impact.

There will be opportunities for others to apply to join the Committee via an open expression of interest process, to ensure ongoing renewal and the inclusion of diverse perspectives from across the sector.