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The Australian spatial industry has shown why it’s on the upside of the nation’s two-speed economy, after the Esri user conference, Ozri, drew its largest crowd of GIS professionals in its 25 year history.

 

More than 550 government, commercial and not-for-profit GIS professionals from the Australia, the Asia Pacific and the U.S.A. packed into the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre for the three-day conference and tradeshow.

 

Hosted by location intelligence specialists Esri Australia, Ozri has carved out a reputation as the Asia Pacific’s premier showcase for the latest advances in GIS technology.

 

Ozri Technical Director Kellie Lacey said the calibre of presentations and exposés of GIS innovation from some of the nation’s leading businesses demonstrated why the Australian spatial industry has defied the economic slowdown. 

 

“GIS is making a material difference to key projects around the country, such as with Australia’s first national bushfire prediction system developed by Landgate, and the Queensland’s Reconstruction Authority (QRA) Interactive Flood Map,” said Ms Lacey.

 

“During the conference, we heard about how GIS is reducing bird strikes at airports; identifying endangered turtle habitats; and, even taking cemeteries into the digital age.

 

“Presentations from leading global organisations such as IBM were standing room only – demonstrating the increasing interest in GIS as a key business intelligence system.”
 

In addition to an array of presentations from many of the country’s leading geo-enabled enterprises, Ozri 2011 also featured an exhibition hall showcasing the latest advances and releases from other technology leaders.

 

The Ozri 2011 exhibition hall featured many of the latest innovations in the technology sector from iconic brands such as NAVTEQ, IBM, Hitachi, HP and Epson.

 

Other notable exhibitors included satellite imagery innovator GeoEye, which has its own fleet of Earth observation satellites, and business analytics firm NICE, which services more than 80 Fortune 100 companies.

 

Ozri 2012 will be held from 5 – 7 September in Sydney with the theme of: A Spatial Odyssey: New Frontiers in GIS.