Over the past six months, a new initiative known as the 2026Agenda has engaged more than 400 individuals to secure a strong future for the Australian spatial and surveying sector. As the agenda enters its next phase, now is your last chance to have your say on the actions chosen to grow the sector’s relevance as it enters a new age of disruption and uncertainty.
In December 2016, the 2026 Spatial Industry Transformation and Growth Agenda (2026Agenda for short) entered its next crucial phase with the release of its first draft Action Plan.
The plan compiles an exhaustive 32 high priority initiatives and a roadmap to drive growth opportunities, one of which controversially calls on the need for “The two peak bodies (SSSI and SIBA) to form one spatial organisation.”
The plan also highlights key growth areas for the spatial industry, including transport, agriculture, health, defence and security, energy, mining and other emerging industries.
The final Action Plan is marked for released in the first quarter of 2017, along with details, rationale and ideas for implementation, as well as detailed feedback from the national consultation.
The organisers have asked that all comments and contributions be entered by Tuesday 31 January 2017. If you or your organisation wants to help this transformation, you can either provide feedback to info@2026agenda.com, or contribute ideas of your own through the online discussion platform.

The 32 priorities listed by the draft 2026Agenda Action Plan (click to enlarge)
All 2026Agenda activities to date have been coordinated by a working group jointly chaired by SIBA, CRCSI, including representatives of ANZLIC, Australian Earth Observation Community Coordinating Group (EOCCG), Data61 (CSIRO), Landgate, Geoscience Australia, the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
The 2026Agenda team has already commenced the process of coordinating the implementation of initiatives, which will commence in 2017. The organisers are also seeking participants willing to take a leading role in this crucial next phase.