A Geoscience Australia Showcase 2026 online briefing next week will cover the Digital Atlas of Australia, remote sensing, positioning, seabed mapping, critical minerals and more.
On Wednesday, 18 November — International GIS Day — Geoscience Australia will present a special Showcase of the work it does, the programs it has running, the contribution it makes to Australia, and where the next developments are heading.
Topics to be covered include programs and challenges such as:
- Positioning Australia;
- Digital Earth Australia;
- Landsat Next;
- Seabed mapping;
- Community safety and resilience;
- Groundwater;
- Carbon storage and hydrogen; and
- Critical minerals
The presenters will be leaders and other professionals drawn from within the relevant Geoscience Australia programs. The intended audience is anyone with a professional interest in the agency’s efforts, such as officials and practitioners from within all levels of government, the private sector and industry bodies, research organisations, academia, and professional organisations.
The online event is free, but registration is required.
The agenda for the Showcase is as follows:
Welcome | 1.00–1.10 pm
- Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country – David Robinson, MC
- Opening remarks – Melissa Harris, Chief Executive Officer
Session 1: Place and communities | 1.10–1.45 pm, Introduced by Maree Wilson, Chief, Place and Communities Division
- Digital Atlas: connecting Australia’s data and insights – Lisa Bush, Branch Head, NLI
- Mapping Australia’s seabed – Steph McLennan, Director, Antarctic Geoscience
- Science for safer and more resilient communities – Hugh Glanville, Team Leader, Data QC and Delivery
Session 2: Space | 1.45–2.15 pm, Introduced by Alison Rose, Chief, Space Division
- Positioning Australia: precise location for a changing nation – Martine Woolf, Branch Head, Positioning Australia
- Seeing Australia from space: Digital Earth and Landsat Next – Leyla Alpaslan, Branch Head, Earth Analysis
Session 3: Minerals, energy and groundwater | 2.15–2.40 pm, Introduced by Andrew Heap, Chief, Minerals, Energy and Groundwater Division
- Understanding the subsurface: groundwater, carbon storage and hydrogen – Laura Gow, Branch Head, Groundwater & Regional Geoscience
- Unlocking Australia’s critical minerals potential – Marina Costelloe, Branch Head, Minerals Geoscience Branch
Discussion and close | 2.40–3.00 pm
- Audience Q&A: common themes and opportunities ahead – David Robinson, MC, with selected speakers
- Closing remarks – Melissa Harris, Chief Executive Officer
According to Geoscience Australia, “The event is part of the implementation of Shaping Our Future, Geoscience Australia’s strategy for the decade ahead, including our commitment to put users at the centre of our work and strengthen the connection between scientific insight and impact”.
Related reading:
Interview: Melissa Harris, CEO, Geoscience Australia
