After too long an absence, we’re delighted to announce that GeoRabble Sydney will be back, on Thursday October 18th, from 6PM at the Occidental Hotel in York Street.

As usual, entry is free, and there will be pizza (courtesy of HERE Technologies)

Theme of this Rabble is “The Unusual Suspects” – celebrating the unusual, unsuspected, and surprising applications of geoinformation and -technology. Think using GPS for herding cattle, new uses of drones, photogrammetry in health, GIS on Mars, mapping in insurance and finance, to name just a few.

We are looking for speakers who have an ‘unusual suspect’ story to tell, in under 10 minutes. Do you have a story to tell about a left-field application, please let us know via email: sydney@georabble.org.

We’ll be announcing speakers soon. Click here for updates.

During GEO Week 2021, the Group on Earth Observations will present the multidisciplinary activities of the GEO Work Programme that address policy agendas involved in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP26, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP15, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

The online event will include the GEO-17 plenary, plus anchor and side events. Time will be scheduled each day for virtual networking. On Monday, November 22, the 56th Executive Committee will be held as a closed meeting.

Of particular importance will be the anchor events: These are the main events designed by GEO week 2021 organisers to explain the multidisciplinary nature of GEO through the concept of nexus thinking. Working on multiple topics simultaneously is essential in today’s rapidly changing environmental and social conditions. For example, work in one area will have a knock-on effect or impact in another area, such as the water, energy and food nexus. These events are linked to the global policy agendas that underpin most of GEO’s work.

Image credit: NASA

The latest in spatial data applications will be showcased at this year’s Mapped Out Conference to be held at the Rules Club in Wagga Wagga on Wednesday 2 & Thursday 3 March 2022.

Mapped Out will highlight the diversity of applications for spatial data, geographic information systems and their supporting technologies. Guest speakers with local and national experience will be showcasing the use of spatial data to enhance the operation and delivery of government services.

The Conference is a great opportunity for people working in regional NSW in both local government and the private sector to keep abreast of the latest technology and geographical information systems that can be utilised in their day to day work.

Unable to hold its scheduled 2021 NSW Regional Conference earlier in 2022, SSSI is now inviting the spatial community to join it for a special online seminar featuring some of the speakers from the original program, along with the announcement of the NSW winners of the 2021 Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards.

This seminar will focus on the importance, efficiency and innovation spatial data can provide in crisis management situations and will feature presentations on:

• Finding your Friendship Island amongst a sea of COVID restrictions — presented by Stella Blake-Kelly, Founder/Director, Cartisan
• Geospatial Intelligence: Providing real-time insights supporting NSW State Emergency Service’s emergency management response — presented by Melissa Daley, Manager, Geospatial Intelligence Systems, NSW State Emergency Service
• COVID-19 Near Me: Trials and tribulations — presented by Kenneth Tsang, Director, jxeeno

The International Cartographic Association (ICA) invites you to share your research, practice and experiences in cartography and GIScience at the 31^st International Cartographic Conference (ICC 2023), to be held from 13 to 18 August 2023 in Cape Town, South Africa.

The conference theme will be ‘Smart Cartography for Sustainable Development’.

Important dates:

• 5 December 2022 – Submission of full papers closes
• 12 December 2022 – Submission of abstracts closes
• February 2023 – Conference registration opens
• 28 February 2023 – Notification of acceptance
• 8 May 2023 – Submission of revised abstracts and papers
• 15 May 2023 – Early Bird registration closes
• 15 May 2023 – Registration deadline for presenters of abstracts, papers and posters

The Local Government Spatial Reference Group (LGSRG) will be holding a webinar on Monday, 4 September, to introduce a series of hands-on workshops it will be holding across Victoria during September 2023.

The webinar will cover the topic of Best Practice Geospatial Intelligence for Climate Impact, and will address important topics on climate impact, community safety and how geospatial intelligence can contribute to better outcomes for local governments.

The LGSRG was formed in 2003 to address the need for a sector wide group representing the strategic interests of the Victorian Local Government sector with respect to spatial information. The LGSRG has been active throughout the COVID pandemic to keep the local government geospatial community connected and engaged via the annual Spatial Capability Workshop series which have grown year on year, and is now diversifying with a quarterly Spatial Hour webinar to share stories of success within the local government geospatial sector.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/yutthana