Position 102 August-September 2019

August/September 2019 – No. 102

The Australasian magazine of surveying, mapping & geo-information

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contents

August/September 2019 No.102

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18 features 14 Q&A with Gillian Sparkes Victoria’s Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability sits down with us to discuss the opportunities for geospatial providers in facilitating alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.

28 Automaton aquatic The autonomous, robotic innovations transforming the seafloor of bathymetry and oceanographic survey.

32 Fit for purpose A case study detailing test results of using the new quasigeoid model, AUSGeoid2020, for AHD height determination in NSW.

18 Keeping the fire burning In the dead centre of Australia, one man’s surveying outfit is adapted to the conditions, mentoring a new generation into the fold.

24 Pushing the envelope We round up some of the drivers of the latest trends in the ever-expanding frontier of 3D and BIM suites.

26 Building a spatial bridge A spatial data matrix to identify service gaps in health and rehabilitation for people who have experienced neuro-trauma.

regulars 4 7 10 36 38

Upfront, calendar Editorial News New products SSSI

www.spatialsource.com.au 3

upfront A Broken Hill dust storm, about 1900.

Image: National Library of Australia.

Upcoming Events 14 August: AIMS 2019 National Conference, Sydney, NSW www.aimsconference.com.au 15 August: 15th South East Asia Survey Congress, Darwin, NT https://seasc2019darwin.com.au 20 August: Advancements in Building Design and Pedestrian Simulation (Brisbane), Brisbane, QLD https://pages.info.bentley.com/events 22 August: Advancements in Building Design and Pedestrian Simulation Event (Sydney), Sydney, NSW https://pages.info.bentley.com/events

Measuring a megadrought

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rom a young age, Australians are conditioned to fear the impacts of drought. Even urban dwellers understand the existential challenge this presents to those in the regions dependent on European agricultural and land management practices to make a living.

Recently, CSIRO researchers were engaged in a project to reconstruct the impact of the event that created drought as such a fearsome abomination in the Australian psyche – the ‘once in a century’ Federation Drought of the early 1900s.

Under this catastrophe, 1902 remains Australia’s driest year on record, with much of the country receiving less than 40 percent of its average rainfall.

“Australia saw widespread economic depression. In New South Wales, most rivers stopped flowing. Dust storms filled dams, buried homesteads and created ghost towns as people fled,” CSIRO researcher Dr. Robert Godfree said.

The historical impacts on Australian society of this event are well understood.

Against the slow-motion present-day disaster of climate change, CSIRO scientists took on an unusual research project – scouring historical archives to recreate this event’s impact on Australia’s biosphere.

“With many of Australia’s landscapes more fragmented and degraded, and species under pressure from invasive plants and animals, a similar drought today could spell disaster on an even more devastating scale,” Dr. Godfree said.

The team’s reconstruction was conducted with a massive body of documents sourced from the National Library of Australia.

“Of the 37,000 newspaper articles we read, over 1,500 referred to the drought

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and more than 400 provided information about local impacts on native and animals or plants. We overlaid this with historical rainfall records and travelled to severely impacted areas, many of which still show effects of the drought to this day,” Dr. Godfree said.

The researchers were able recreate the grim spectacle, which they describe as the biggest documented impact on plants and animals across a continent yet studied. Stock and wildlife alike died on the plains, in dry creeks, up trees and in forests. Tens of million sheep and cattle were stricken, and hundreds of millions of rabbits died after stripping the landscape of its vegetation.

“Herbivores, grain-eating birds, fish and plants were most vulnerable, while predators who could feed on dead animals and other groups like waterbirds who could travel long distances were less impacted,” Dr. Godfree said.

The overarching objective of this bleak undertaking is a hopeful one. The research contains lessons of potential future impacts of drought on biodiversity, and the lethal force of megadroughts as drivers of macro-scale ecosystem collapse.

This can be used to anticipate regions at most risk and to design interventions.

“We’re looking to do this through reviewing recent rainfall data and using this to determine which areas, but also which ecosystems and species are on the brink of decline. These are complex systems these changes can occur suddenly,” Dr. Godfree said.

“Right now, we need to focus on building resilience to drought by maintaining healthy ecosystems as an insurance against future drought impacts.” ■

29 August: SSSI VIC Surveying and Spatial Summit & APSEAV 2019, Melbourne, VIC https://sssi.org.au/events-awards/ events/sssi-vic-summit-apseav-2019 3 September: FARO 3D Technology Seminar Australia 2019, Melbourne, VIC www.3d-userconference.com/en-sg/?eid =sea20190806ss#registration 5 September: Advancements in Reality Modelling Event (Adelaide), Adelaide, SA https://pages.info.bentley.com/events 17 September: Roads and Traffic Expo, Melbourne, VIC www.terrapinn.com/roadsandtrafficexpo 20 September: SSSI TAS Surveying and Spatial Conference & APSEA Tasmania 2019, Hobart, TAS https://sssi.org.au/events-awards/ events/sssi-tssc-apseat-2019 25 September: SSSI NSW/ACT Region Conference, Goulburn, NSW https://sssi.org.au/sssi-community/ regions/new-south-wales/nsw-actconference-2019 25 October: Spatial Information Day & APSEA-SA 2019, Adelaide, SA https://spatialinformationday.org.au

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from the editor

The Australasian magazine of surveying, mapping & geo-information

Publisher Simon Cooper Editor Daniel Bishton dbishton@intermedia.com.au National Advertising Manager Jon Tkach jon@intermedia.com.au Graphic Designer Alyssa Coundouris Prepress Tony Willson Circulation/Subscriptions Chris Blacklock Production Jacqui Cooper Subscribe Position is available via subscription only.

A 12 month subscription (6 issues) is AUD$76.00. To subscribe visit www.intermedia.com.au, phone 1 800 651 422 or email: subscriptions@intermedia.com.au.

Website www.spatialsource.com.au Position is published six times a year, in February, April, June, August, October and December by Interpoint Events Pty Ltd. ABN: 9810 451 2469 Address: 41 Bridge Road, Glebe NSW 2037 Ph: +61 2 9660 2113 Fax: +61 2 9660 4419 Editorial inquiries should be sent to: dbishton@intermedia.com.au Advertising inquiries should be sent to: jon@intermedia.com.au Ph: +61 2 8586 6128 Reprints from Position are permitted only with the permission of the publisher. In all cases, reprints must be acknowledged as follows: ‘Reprinted with permission from Position Magazine’, and must include the author’s byline.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher.

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Terrestrial extremes

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his issue takes us to the ends of the Earth. A most unusual CSIRO research project dives deep into Australian history to unlock the devastating effects of the ‘Federation Drought’ on country (page 4, if you missed it).

After macro-scale look at the future of the spatial and surveying professions in Australia in Position Your tireless editor, pictured 101, we travel to the heart of Australia, Alice Springs here with niece Astoria, near the community of (Mparntwe) to profile a man and his team taking a very Hermannsburg (Ntaria). different approach. Brian Blakeman and his crew are taking a micro-scale approach to the industry’s future, thriving as outback surveyors in the harsh desert environment and helping to establish a young team of surveyors-in-training with nurturing mentorship and a strong sense of community spirit (page 18).

From the boundless red dunes and staggering ancient ranges of Central Australia, we descend to the cool depths of the unknown as Jon Fairall tours us through the latest in unmanned ocean survey technology (page 28).

New contributor Sanskriti Shukla examines some of the new frontiers of engineering, automation and artificial intelligence that are driving the next generation of capabilities in the rapidly expanding world of 3D modelling and BIM disciplines (page 22).

We get an insider’s perspective on a public health intervention that is built around a sophisticated spatial analysis platform that aims to bring crucial transparency to policymakers, health professionals and patients alike, the Epidoros-V2 platform (page 26).

Finally, Volker Janssen and Tony Watson from New South Wales Spatial Services provide a detailed report on their test results after putting the new quasigeoid datum AUSGeoid2020 through its paces for AHD height determination (page 32).

Join us on this journey and enjoy Position 102.

Daniel Bishton EDITOR

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October/November 2019 – Issue #103 Remote sensing 2.0 – the accelerating demand for space-derived data Precision where it’s needed – the latest in high accuracy survey methods Intelligent planning and infrastructure – realising 30 minute cities, BIM and IoT Published: 3/10/2019 Advertising booking deadline: 13/09/2019 Advertising material deadline: 18/09/2019

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news

AGS lands Omidyar grant on ethics of geospatial tech The American Geographical Society (AGS) has received a grant from the Omidyar Network to develop a fellowship program for a ‘global conversation’ on the ethical dimensions of geospatial technologies and data.

Under the new EthicalGEO initiative, the AGS will call on thought leaders from across the world to contribute ideas on ethical challenges of new geospatial technologies, in the absence of clear, developed ethical guidelines.

Image courtesy of C4ADS.

Call for international resolution against GNSS disruption Fourteen maritime associations have appealed to the U.S. Coast Guard to seek action by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to address interference with GNSS signals.

The groups made their plea in a letter addressed to Admiral Karl Schultz, the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant.

“GNSS signals have become an important part of all maritime operations,” the letter said. “Interfering with them places the efficiency and safety of maritime operations

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at risk and can impact the safety of life.”

The groups have cited a report on Russian jamming and spoofing in the Black Sea and Syria by non-profit group C4ADS, which claims over 10,000 instances of detected spoofing over two years, impacting over 1,300 vessels.

The report discussed ‘smart jamming’; a form of spoofing that involves the transmission of seemingly valid GPS signals that do not allow a receiver to calculate a location, but also not to report a fault.

“We look forward to unlocking the ethical creativity of the extended geospatial community, and to share their insights with the world over this global platform” said Dr. Christopher Tucker, Chairman of AGS.

Participants are invited to submit videos showcasing their best ideas to address ethical questions related to geospatial technology, and seven selected entrants will receive funding to develop the concept as an Ethical GEO Fellow.

Australian utility company bags Esri innovation award Sydney-based utility APA Group nabbed a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award at the recent Esri user conference in San Diego, California.

The Australian utility company was chosen from over 100,000 organisations worldwide, and was recognised for its full-scale digital restructure, which combines data from multiple standalone systems into one platform, now managing more than $20 billion of Australia’s energy resources assets.

It is the second time an Australian utility has won the prestigious worldwide innovation prize in as many years.

Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation was recognised last year for their efforts in water conservation, which have saved Darwin over a billion litres of water since implementation.

Image courtesy of Esri.

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news Airbus introduces new ground control points Airbus has launched its new series of radar-derived Ground Control Points (GCPs), offering high point density and centimetrelevel accuracy.

The company says that users can extract accurate 3D coordinates from highresolution stereo radar imagery with the help of an inventive geodesy processor.

Radar satellites allows swift imagery collection no matter the location, their imperviousness to darkness and climate conditions meaning they can acquire data round the clock.

Airbus says that together with its new automatic geodesy processor, this equates to timely processing and delivery of GCPs.

Geoscience Australia seeks to fill $5m budget shortfall Federal budget costs and increasing running costs leave Geoscience Australia with a $5 million shortfall.

The agency expects to scale back its activities and is preparing to consolidate positions as it seeks over two percent of its $192 million funding for 2019-2020.

Geoscience Australia falls under the LNP government’s efficiency dividend, which mandates a two percent annual budget cut for

Commonwealth agencies.

A four-year, $100 million federal mineral exploration program will expire in 2020, which will also create a funding gap in employee expenses of around $9 million, according to The Canberra Times.

A Geoscience Australia spokesperson told Position that the proposed measures to meet the budget shortfall would not affect new programs announced in the 2019-2020 budget.

Artist’s impression of the Australian Education City project. Image: AEC. Artist’s impression of Airbus’ Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, TerraSAR-X.

Hexagon boosts 3D portfolio with Melown acquisition Hexagon’s Leica Geosystems division has acquired Praguebased technology company Melown Technologies, strengthening its portfolio with the addition of Melown’s 3D geospatial products.

Melown Technologies develops mass-scale computer vision and advanced visualization technology for interactive web-based rendering, enabling high

performing 3D visualisation of digital urban and natural landscape models that are derived from aerial and terrestrial reality capture sensors.

Melown’s four core products are Melown Photogrammetry, Vadstena, Melown Cloud and VTS-geospatial.

Hexagon and Leica products are distributed through CR Kennedy in Australia.

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$31b smart city development plan axed The Victorian government has scrapped a proposed $31 billion smart city development project on a 775-ha government owned site at Werribee, south-west of Melbourne.

The proposed ‘city’ was to cover six million square metres of research facilities, accommodation, education, innovation and commercial space, with residences for 80,000 people and the ability to support up to 50,000 students.

The government made the announcement in a

statement by Minister for Priority Precincts Gavin Jennings, announcing that the Expression of Interest process had ended.

The statement noted the growth in Melbourne’s west, announcing that the government ‘will undertake further work to better understand the investment required to support the region’s transport infrastructure needs, particularly in light of its commitment to the Suburban Rail Loop and Melbourne Airport Rail Link.’

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news AIMS divers on the Great Barrier Reef. Image supplied by and copyright of AIMS.

Transplanted corals survive first phase of resilience tests The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has successfully transplanted hundreds of corals on the Great Barrier Reef.

The operation is the first phase of a trial to test and increase the resilience of

corals to marine heatwaves.

The young corals that survived the transplant were created by cross-fertilising corals from warm northern reefs with cooler central corals, to see if heat-tolerant genes could be passed on.

The test is a first to try out the feasibility of this technique, known as Assisted Gene Flow, at a large scale on the Great Barrier Reef.

AIMS marine scientist Dr. Kate Quigley said that the results were promising.

RMIT geospatial scientists build AI tool to monitor street infrastructure A team led by a geospatial science honours student at RMIT has developed a fully automatic system to monitor street signs needing repair utilising Google Street View imagery.

The team recently published their results in the Computers, Environment and Urban Systems journal, reporting that their system returns 96 percent accuracy in recognising signs, identifying them with 98 percent accuracy, then records their geolocation

“Research has shown the offspring inherit heat tolerance from their northern parents, and in time, they may pass on these heat-tolerant genes and make reefs more resistant to future marine heatwaves,” she said.

Image courtesy of RMIT.

from available 2D imagery.

The team says that their system could lead to considerable cost savings for authorities, and its uptake would help minimise risks to workers compared to a workflow of manual inspection.

Andrew Campbell, lead author of the study, said that the tool was scalable and easily extensible with new data sources, with their proof-of-concept focusing on Australian ‘Stop’ and ‘Give Way’ traffic signs.

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feature As well as alignment of metrics, the reforms we are working on are also about identifying the gaps ¬– which metrics and outputs are missing, so that we know what we need to know when we need to know it. That’s why our Recommendations, Challenges and SDG Targets for Future Reporting from the 2018 SoE include better investment in, and use of, digital platforms, data analytics, citizen science, environmental economic accounting and advocate for a shift in how we monitor and protect Victoria’s natural assets. Investment by governments in these capabilities and workforce skills is critical.

Position: What do you see as the key challenges in undertaking such a process?

Q&A with Gillian Sparkes We sit down with the Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Victoria to seek her insight on the incentives and process of aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Position: In your view, what are drivers that should motivate a government agency in the efforts to align metrics and outputs with the indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals?

GS: The driver for me as Commissioner to adopt the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to broaden the focus of environmental reporting to better address economic, social and environmental considerations. My role is to provide independent and objective scientific reporting to inform policy and decision makers, scientists and the wider community on Victoria’s natural environment. That is a wide audience and that is why the indicators in the SDGs are so useful. The SDGs provide an internationally agreed framework that can help us tell a broader story about our progress towards ecologically sustainable development. Beyond reporting on the condition of our natural assets, the SDGs help to describe the benefits of a healthy environment to our economy and

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community and to have more informed conversations and debate about multiple outcomes. For the first time at a subnational level, all 170 State of the Environment (SoE) report indicators have been aligned to the SDGs, setting up the SDGs as the framework for the next Victorian State of Environment report due in 2023. We are very proud of this progress.

The drivers for rethinking SoE reporting in Victoria are grounded in public accountability, transparency and the notion of data democracy. Better independent science reporting on the state of the environment and the benefits we derive from a healthy environment is good for our democracy and the environment. If we can standardise our reporting frameworks using the internationally agreed SDGs, we are then “comparing apples with apples” within and across jurisdictions.

Standardising reporting is the Holy Grail for government agencies because when we understand and can more readily compare outcomes, we can better leverage our effort for greater collective impact. What works at the state level can readily be scaled to develop a national approach. Implementing the SDGs makes sense. It is the framework for sustainable development and we have recommended to the Victorian Government in the Victorian SoE 2018 report that it is the right operating framework for environmental reporting in Victoria.

GS: We live in a digital age so it’s all about real-time data and harnessing the power of the Internet of Things and disruptive digital technologies. The SDG framework is very strong at the goal level and target level but the indicators are less applicable at a state scale, so it is up to agencies at the national and subnational scale, in consultation with our communities, to identify the indicators that matter at a local scale and that we should report on. We have started to address this in our work and, through a seven-step reform process, we now have mapped our scientific baseline of 170 environmental indicators for Victoria to 52 SDG targets. This is the beginning and there’s much more work to do but the shift is happening and the science baselines are now set through our 2018 reporting cycle. There’s still much work to do to determine the socio-economic indicators for Victoria and what we take forward into the SoE 2023 report. The shift in environmental reporting by my Office since 2014 has included establishing a set of state-wide environmental indicators as well as aligning Victoria’s environmental reporting across agencies and with international frameworks, and a shift to more diverse and accessible reporting products for the community and more useful scientific baselines for policy makers. We have worked closely with our reference group which included members from 14 diverse organisations including Environment Victoria, the Municipal Association of Victoria, Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation, Victorian Farmers Federation, and the Wilderness Society.

In addition, an Expert Review Panel with members from BOM, CSIRO, 15 leading academics as well as independent experts provided invaluable input and advice to our science program. To prioritise the socio-economic indicators, we held a workshop with more than 120

environmental stakeholders from all walks of life where we mapped and prioritised in real time 29 socio-economic indicators for Victoria. It has been a genuinely collaborative and consultative process to find out what matters for Victoria.

As Commissioner I report on the information I can get which may not always be as comprehensive as I would like, so the expansion of our reporting program necessarily means an increased focus on developing new baseline, scientific databases so that we can continue to improve the science available for our reports. The outcome for all Victorians is better access to better information, that means more informed policy and more useful reporting on the environment, more often. That’s got to be a good thing.

Position: From your experience, can you describe any specific challenges in the Australian context, with regard to environment-focused SDGs indicators?

GS: The SDGs are the framework that has a global consensus and can help the federal government progress and report on a sustainable development agenda. The framework is very well thought through and has consensus from nations and from communities around the world. It doesn’t matter whether you are in Africa or Australia, the framework is enabling and powerful. It is one story. It is the blueprint. We are adopting the SDGs for environmental reporting at the state scale, but the framework has broader application.

The SDGs can be translated at the national scale. The hardest bit is agreeing the indicators and getting the data. In Victoria, we have started the transition by mapping 170 environmental indicators to 52 SDG targets in the SoE 2018 report but that’s just the beginning. Putting the SDGs under the microscope to determine which are the most relevant to environmental reporting in Victoria is a crucial step in achieving meaningful, high quality and transparent environmental reporting. Ultimately, these indicators will inform our community, influence policy and help develop strategies for sustainable development.

Position: What is the current status of SDG harmonisation for the Commissioner’s office, could you summarise the process to date?

GS: I like to say that we are rewiring the system, aligning Victoria with international environmental reporting frameworks. It is a long journey of reform and I think we have come a lot further than we anticipated when we started in 2014. As I said, there has been a seven step process: 1. Mapping: map existing environmental indicators against all 169 SDG targets.

2. Segmentation: assessed all 169 SDG targets against 3 key criteria. The target must – (i) demonstrate the benefits of ecosystem services or the impact of society on ecosystem services; (ii) be relevant to Victoria; and (iii) have available data for reporting. Criterium (iii) didn’t exclude a target but assisted our classification of it.

3. Testing: stress testing with government and policy experts.

4. Data discovery: one-on-one discussions with stakeholders and potential data custodians (government and NGOs).

5. Sense checking: consulting external environmental NGOs and experts.

6. Prioritising: live polling with 120 environmental thought leaders from across the State.

7. Reporting: in the Victorian State of the Environment 2018 Report Through the process, we have aligned 170 indicators with 52 targets. Part II for the SoE Summary Report outlines this process in more detail. The Victorian Government has 12 months to respond to the 20 Recommendations, Challenges and SDG Targets for Future Reporting in the SoE 2018 report. The scientific assessments, policy context and challenges, combined with an analysis of global mega trends affecting Victoria’s environment over the next decade, provided the evidence base and strategic context for developing the report’s 20 recommendations.

“Across all themes, the challenge is to extend data collection beyond traditional data custodians.”

Position: What kinds of opportunities exist for geospatial analytics providers in facilitating this transition in partnership with government agencies?

GS: The advent of big data, analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) are game changers for how we work. Government must be a player, participant and exploiter of the opportunities created by this technological revolution. DELWP and the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA) have announced a digital twin project, creating a digital representation of Fisherman’s Bend in 4D. This partnership is a sign of the times and a tipping point for geospatial services in Victoria. Digital twins are a big deal.

Great for decision-making and planning, understanding assets, risk mitigation and

ultimately a tool to help create resilient communities, precincts and cities. Forbes magazine said last year that digital twins should be every CEO’s “best friend”. The better we can harness the power of the IoT, spatial and analytics, the better the data we are going to have.

Position: What would you see as the ‘low hanging fruit’ in terms of immediate need, and mid- and longer-term opportunities that might flow on from those?

GS: The SoE 2018 reports on 35 biodiversity indicators including trout cod populations, vertebrate groups (including reptiles) and deer populations. More than three quarters of biodiversity indicators are trending negatively so in terms of an immediate need, the SoE’s 20 Recommendations, Challenges and SDG Targets for Future Reporting recommends a Chief Biodiversity Scientist for Victoria, to fast track investment and coordination in biodiversity science and research and support the government’s biodiversity plan. There are also opportunities to think more laterally about water and air environmental reporting. The BOM and a range of Victorian water agencies have excellent, high quality data.

The SoE’s Recommendation 1 reflects a clear opportunity to develop contemporary cultural indicators to inform future environmental reporting.

These indicators would reflect the priorities of Traditional Owners, have practical and cost-effective datacollection methods, be meaningful, and demonstrate change within a five-year reporting period. The mid- to long-term opportunities that would result in bringing Indigenous science methodologies into Victoria’s evidencebased scientific environmental reporting.

Across all themes, the challenge is to extend data collection beyond traditional data custodians.

Position: What are the current priorities for the Commissioner’s office in the next two years?

GS: We are continuing to explain and advocate for the 20 Recommendations in the 2018 SoE report. Government has 12 months to respond. We are also very focused on developing the Framework for the 2023 SoE report, developing indicators for new reports that we have been tasked by Government with, expanding our SDG work locally in Victoria and internationally, continuing to highlight the biodiversity emergency that is happening globally, and supporting Victoria’s response and lots more. There is much work to be done. ■ www.spatialsource.com.au 15

partner feature Digital Twin for Design. Taylors Reality Model of Melbourne Arts Centre Precinct Realm.

Taylors Digital Twin Survey accurate and on demand

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or the past ten years Taylors has pioneered innovative spatial techniques on major projects.

Their investment in technology including Indoor Mobile Mapping, Mobile Laser Scanning, Drones, Terrestrial Laser Scanning, 3D Modelling, BIM and Virtual and Augmented Reality has enabled them to create innovative solutions that are disrupting the industry.

As the Urban Development and Infrastructure industries move towards a digital future focused on connectivity, accessibility, IoT, and Smart Cities, Taylors is creating and providing the solutions that will make this a reality.

Taylors General Manager for the Infrastructure team Anthony Emmerson says Taylors realised early on that addressing these challenges would require a solutions-focused approach

Digital Twin for Asset Recording & Maintenance - Taylors Reality Model Melbourne CBD.

incorporating the latest in survey and geospatial technology.

“We knew that this type of reality modelling would be the next frontier in spatial data,” he says. “We identified that a number of years ago and made an effort to be early adopters of it.”

Taylors is committed to paving the way for this technology to become widespread, with Managing Director Richard Cirillo adding a new stream to the business which will focus on producing its own technology and software.

“Richard is envisioning what the industry will look like in 10 years and pushing the company to grow in that direction and stay ahead of the trends,” says Mr Emmerson.

“Taylors new technology will allow clients to effectively step into building plans, walk around and see exactly

what a project will look like once it’s completed,” Mr Emmerson says. “Not only that, but we’re developing software that will allow designs to be altered in real time. If a client wants to see what the neighbourhood looks like with more trees or a wider road we’ll be able to push a few buttons and change the plans instantly.”

Mr. Emmerson says the key difference between the software at Taylors and other virtual reality technologies is the accuracy and authenticity Taylors can produce.

“Taylors incorporates the latest in geospatial technology, photogrammetry, reality capture and reality modelling to produce a Digital Twin, creating models that are accurate recreations of real locations. These realistic conditions bridge the gap between theory and practice. This is what it means to reproduce reality, and it has the potential to change the way the industry works”.

“There are a number of virtual reality companies and many urban design firms, who specialise in certain aspects of this offering. However, Taylors is trying to create the full package, where clients can not only visualise the project but also interact with and alter designs in real time.”

Taylors Digital Twin in action Recently, Taylors demonstrated the accuracy and applications of their unique Digital Twin system with the Melbourne Arts Precinct Realm (MAPR) Project.

This is a bold proposal focused on the enhancement and expansion of creative spaces in Melbourne’s Southbank area.

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This project is closely aligned with the Victorian Digital Assets Strategy, an innovative new scheme for managing asset information and elements critical in planning, delivering, operating and maintaining Victoria’s critical state infrastructure. So rather than a traditional feature survey producing 2D CAD plans, Development Victoria (DV) made the decision to transition to a far more contemporary solution utilising 3D digital workflows.

The brief from the client included a diverse range of project objectives based on digital enablement. Taylors were engaged to deliver an innovative digital spatial solution to assist in the documentation, maintenance and redevelopment of this culturally significant area.

In order to satisfy the broad range of use cases for the spatial data, Taylors employed an unprecedented range of technologies with each selected as being the most appropriate for the application.

Taylors’ unique multidisciplinary team, which includes Japanese partner Kimoto, was able to provide the necessary technical skills in-house including terrestrial laser scanning, indoor and outdoor mobile laser scanning, advanced aerial photogrammetry, 3D modelling from point clouds, and effective data visualisation. Taylors offered a high degree of spatial consulting to the wider project team, ensuring that the benefits of each varied dataset were fully realised by both spatial and non-spatial professionals.

The primary challenge was combining multiple datasets into a single cohesive 3D environment. Taylors established a robust control network that could be adapted to suit the various surveying techniques used on the project. This required a high level of technical expertise, together with a strategic approach and reliance of surveying fundamentals such as working from “the whole to the part”.

Furthermore, Taylors generated a viewer platform that would allow clients to load and view mass data sets within a standard web browser. All datasets that comprise the Digital Twin, including the imagery and point cloud files, can then be accessed by multiple users. Consequently, this can then be incorporated into existing design and asset management workflows.

The web viewer also has additional functionality including a walkthrough function allowing easy and intuitive navigation between images. This function is particularly useful for conducting virtual tours of the facility whilst offsite.

Also, multiple windows can be opened concurrently, allowing imagery from different locations to be compared in real-

Digital Twin for Augmented Reality - Taylors Reality Model on Project Plan. Try it for yourself by scanning the QR code below.

“At Taylors we knew that our access to worldleading, geospatial technology could evolve to be shared with the broader community. We want to bring lasting, memorable AR experiences to life for all to see” Taylors’ Managing Director, Richard Cirillo.

time. The point cloud is interlaced with this imagery to allow the user to take accurate measurements within their web browser.

From Taylors own extensive experience, we know that the functionality provided by this solution is critical to the modelling and design process.

Making Digital Twin the industry standard Once the Reality Models are finalized and added to the Taylors application, clients are then able to access dynamic and precise Reality Models. All stakeholders, regardless of knowledge or expertise, are able to view any part of the model, on demand, simply by pointing and clicking on the asset to be examined.

Augmented and Virtual Reality technologies are free from the limitations of existing design techniques and provide an immersive and surreal experience for clients. Current representations of the built environment utilise either two dimensional plans, sections and elevations or three dimensional perspectives and models. The limitation of these types of representations is that viewers are always positioned outside the representation, remaining spectators rather than participants.

Augmented Reality Scan to view in app

“In 10 years, the use of Digital Twin, Reality Modelling, AR, VR and XR in the Urban Development and Infrastructure industries will be the norm for documentation, design and engagement.

Once people have the opportunity to experience how effective this technology is and see the tangible outcomes that can be achieved, it will become standard across our industry.” Mr. Cirillo says.

Taylors is committed to expanding access to this kind of game-changing technology. In September, Taylors will take this innovative technology mainstream when their incubator App AuraVista AR available only at the Melbourne Fringe Festival.

AuraVista AR is a cloud-based augmented reality platform, accessible via a downloadable smartphone app. From September 12th to September 29th, the more than 50,000 visitors to the festival will be able use the app to experience UNITY! a collaboration with artist Richard Payne and composer Probir Dutt.

“At Taylors we knew that our access to world-leading, geospatial technology could evolve to be shared with the broader community. We want to bring lasting, memorable AR experiences to life for all to see,” said Mr. Cirillo “We’re proud that our innovative AR Applications will connect curious minds with creative endeavours that need not be exclusive to just our industry and clients,” he added.

But you don’t need to wait to experience this industry changing technology. You can experience it for yourself right now, as the front cover of this magazine has been AR enabled by Taylors. Simply download the Taylors Augmented Reality App from your app store or scan the QR Code above.

Material provided by Taylors. ■ www.spatialsource.com.au 17

feature Ooraminna station and a BBS truck as seen by UAV.

Keeping the fire burning DANIEL BISHTON

A

mid the incalculable red dunes and scattered spinifex of the Central Australian desert, butted up against the staggering MacDonnell ranges lies Alice Springs (Mparntwe). Situated very close to Australia’s geographic centre, equidistant between Adelaide and Darwin, the city is built on the traditional lands of the Arrernte, and was named by surveyor William Whitfield Mills for Lady Todd, wife of Sir Charles Todd, pioneer of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line.

If you’ve never been, Alice is a town with a heart and soul much bigger and more vibrant than its 25,000-odd population and highly remote location would suggest. Its position as the largest agglomeration for tens of thousands of kilometres of incredibly challenging country sees a constant parade of overland convoys passing through its boundaries.

Out here amid the gentle desert oaks and dingo tracks, a surveying outfit long-adapted to these harsh conditions is helping to usher in a new generation of surveyors to trace the path of its founder.

Brian Blakeman towers over you upon first meeting, but his relaxed demeanor and broad smile dispel any imposition his stature might suggest. His consulting

18 position August/September 2019

team, Brian Blakeman Surveys (BBS) has been operating out of Alice for 37 years, but his own time as a surveyor in the region predates that by some stretch.

Beginning his career with the Commonwealth Department of Works, Blakeman learnt to use a level helping to build roads in town, eventually being sent out with experienced work crews on remote jobs further afield. He recalls that there wasn’t even a theodolite in Alice Springs in those days, making assignments such as setting out the Stuart highway a challenge.

“I read a bunch of books that showed how to set out curves without using a theodolite, but those old bushies also taught me a lot,” he said.

“I remember they set me up to the Gulf country with a Toyota once, and I’d never actually driven one. They wanted to put a road through because I think some parliamentarian’s son had bought a station up there at Mallapunya,” he said.

“So my job was to pick the route, then park the truck where the bulldozer could see me. So that was a bit of an experience, learning to drive one of the old threespeeds like that, in the dunes. They had steel door handles on the inside, there was blood everywhere!”

Blakeman went on to study an engineering degree in Adelaide, an arduous eight-year undertaking after being out of education for some time, carried out while variously working full time for a construction firm and in a boilerhouse.

BBS Academy Perhaps Blakeman's experience of the challenges in studying while working to support himself and a family has informed his present-day approach to his staff and new recruits. Brian runs what he affectionately calls ‘the academy’ at BBS, under which six of the nine-strong team (which includes himself) are currently studying surveying-related education units, all of them via distance at the University of Southern Queensland.

Far from developing and running a formal curriculum himself, Brian’s ‘academy’ refers to an emphasis on mentorship and a particular encouragement and flexibility that he grants his staff with respect to their education.

“While I can’t fund people’s educations directly, my approach has always been: ‘the position is here, I'll allow you as much time as you like to study,’” he said.

“Apart from it being probably the best profession, which most of your readers are probably aware of – I can’t imagine working in the city.

The work in town here is good, and in five minutes you’re in the bush, in just beautiful country.”

Brian Blakeman.

TOP: BBS survey trucks are long distance, all terrain workshops, offices and living quarters.

ABOVE: BBS quads have custom mounts to slide a GPS antenna alongside the rider, and custom mounts that allow it to be efficiently used for levelling in a difficult terrain.

“Back in the day, there were surveyors’ assistants who were content just to hammer in the marks, and that’s fine – but I think that in the new era, the guys [assisting] should be interested in going on to be a surveyor, I think. That’s how I started, from scratch – it’s the best way, having a background before you start studying that you can relate it to.”

Chris Nichols, one of the senior surveyors at BBS and a former recruit of Brian’s ‘academy’ whom recently completed registration, is also the Chief Remote Pilot at his own business, Central Drone Surveys, which operates in collaboration with and under BBS as another service that they offer.

Practice informed by geography Blakeman was back in the red centre after completing the degree in 1978, working on development projects around Uluru while he sought to set up his own operation. He was looking to recruit staff, but found that it was difficult to retain anyone at first.

“I was always trying to employ young local guys, get them into surveying. But most of them just really weren't interested, would work for three or four months and just as I was getting them useful, off they’d go again and I had to start from scratch,” he said.

Finally Brian found a recruit who shared his passion for the work and country and BBS was born.

Carrying out a safe, successful survey in central Australia requires a different set of tools than in most other Australian regions. The harsh landscape, vast distances and environmental hazards of deep sand, temperatures of up to 50 degrees in summer, scarce water sources and few settlements make it an adventurous affair.

These conditions have informed the equipment and techniques that the BBS team have relied on, which have included a Yamaha TT600 trail bike with a GNSS receiver on it (used previously for gridding and boundaries on mining leases), superseded by a set of customised quadbikes that still get a regular workout in challenging terrain, to the fleet of decked-out trucks that form the core plant of the BBS operation.

“The idea with the trucks was – everything has to be on board,” Blakeman said.

“If you’re 500 kilometres away, and somebody says: ‘Can you do this job for us?’ You want to have everything you need.”

Even with an estimated fit-out bill in excess of $350,000 each, the BBS 70 series Toyotas demonstrate a remarkable level of capability and specification. Able to support a team of surveyors for up to a month unsupported, the trucks serve as workshop, office, kitchen and bathroom – showers and all. Their roofs are covered in solar panels, providing 2kva of 240v power. Huge customspec fit outs feature cushioned compartments and mounting points for all manner of surveying www.spatialsource.com.au 19

feature

Even slight elevation changes must be used to the equipment’s advantage on long distance surveys.

equipment, recovery gear and living amenity. Side panels double as cots and table tops, tripod hooks are placed to allow mounting of a freezer or 44-gallon drum in the back for extended assignments in the desert, the first of which was the 50km road between Kata Tjuta and Uluru, and include jobs setting out boundaries for the immense cattle stations of the NT, or gas and power lines traversing great distances.

The quads and Toyotas are often deployed together, best suited to topographical surveys in difficult desert terrain, but also for setting out powerlines, according to Blakeman. The surveyor manning the quad locates the intended position and rides out just past it, followed by the Land Cruiser, whose driver takes the antenna off the quad and clips it onto the pogo stick. They locate the point, replace the antenna so the quad can set off for the next point while the Toyota driver puts in and marks the peg. BBS teams go out in groups of two at a minimum to lessen risks of calamity – dehydration is an ever-present hazard even in winter, and snake bites or mishaps with power tools, axes or hammers take on a far more serious cast when you’re thousands of kilometres from the nearest station or community.

Learning to work and handle yourself in such an environment is part and parcel with on-the-job experience. While Brian figures that most anybody interested in starting a career in surveying is likely

20 position August/September 2019

predisposed to a love of the outdoors, the nature of the work in the red centre will help imbue skills beyond the classroom.

The BBS team need to max out the range of their receivers, using repeaters and advantages conferred by elevated terrain to squeeze every last bit of range out of the gear – two of the team recently managed 17 kilometres while setting out a gas line in the desert.

Operating a 4WD in challenging rocky and sandy terrain is one of the foremost, skills like avoiding getting bogged with proper preparation, technique and precautions, and avoiding destroying your tyres in the process – particularly in a built-up truck loaded to the hilt with survey gear. Learning how to handle petrol versus diesel vehicles when taking on large sandhills is another that Blakeman says is paramount in the work they do.

Other softer but no less critical skills include gaining a natural sense of direction without equipment in terrain which may be relatively featureless and large distances are involved, making sure requisite permissions are obtained when traversing land of station owners and remote communities.

Part of the landscape Blakeman clearly sees his and BBS’ role as a contributing member of the Alice Springs community. The firm sponsors more than one local AFL team, including the Red Tails, who work hand-in-glove

with the Clontarf Foundation’s ‘Right Tracks’ program. The scheme aims to engage and support Indigenous males between 18 and 25 with a range of educational units and schemes including mentoring, life skills training, health education and leadership development, with a clever tie-in with the football club.

Capitalising on the runaway popularity of AFL in the Territory, youths may join the Red Tails only if engaged in full time employment, study or the Right Tracks program. Similarly, Blakeman says he will provide his team’s services free of charge to community groups who may not be able to afford it otherwise.

Well entrenched, adapted to the environment and happy, Blakeman reckons that anybody considering a move should give him a call.

“We’ve got 2 million square kilometres we work in, parts of WA, SA Queensland and halfway up to Darwin into Gulf country. These guys might spend a week on a job and they go off to do some sightseeing. If anyone’s keen to work at BBS, it’s a wonderful environment, we all help each other, have a ball doing it and we’re very flexible,” he said.

“Apart from it being probably the best profession, which most of your readers are probably aware of – I can’t imagine working in the city. The work in town here is good, and in five minutes you’re in the bush, in just beautiful country,” he said.

Daniel Bishton is the editor of Position. ■

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Efficiency is ‘key’ in current BIM trends SANSKRITI SHUKLA

W

ith the rapid-fire implementation of BIM (Building Information Modelling) in the AEC industry over the past decade, computer models are increasingly replacing traditional methods of data provision – gone are the days of handwritten records and twodimensional sketches. The use of models allows workflows to be streamlined, and the virtual construction site developing alongside the analogue increases the quality of the final product whilst greatly increasing transparency for actors as the project develops.

The software itself has developed exponentially in terms of capability, as the producers of such suites seek to take advantage of emerging technology and trends, and fold ever-more-numerous dimensions of project management, higher automation and greater processing muscle into their offerings.

The Internet of Things (IoT), Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and 3D printing are technologies already being integrated into BIM workflows. Time management tools are now packaged (Known as 4D BIM), costings (5D) and increasing aspects of project lifecycle management (6D). While we can’t cover the entirety of developments in this fastmoving space, join us as we lift the lid on some of the current trends, their drivers and projected trajectories.

22 position August/September 2019

4IR + machine learning The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) refers to high-level integration of advanced automation and digital technologies to create true cyber-physical systems. While present-day 3D and BIM processes aren’t this evolved, some of the core techniques and driving technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, like cloud computing and artificial intelligence are shaping the next generation of tools for the construction industry.

BIM and modelling giant Bentley Systems acquired machine learning and IOT-focused start-up AIWorx in November last year, and has been busy leveraging its IP portfolio for integration in Bentley’s vast suite of offerings. The start-up has introduced advances in data compilation and evaluation to leverage digital twins in infrastructure engineering, continually accessed with contextual information in real-time, to optimise productivity, activities and servicing.

Phil Christensen, senior vice president of reality modelling and cloud services at Bentley Systems Australia, said that the firm seeks to utilise machine learning in a number of ways.

“As we capture more and more data about projects then we can use artificial intelligence to find trends in that data. If we look at the stream of data that comes in during the engineering phase, alongside

the rate that the BIM model is developing and all the different teams are working on it, how it's evolving – it can look at that data stream and find patterns to identify projects at risk or identify where the weak points that are in the overall supply chain,” he said.

Zooming in somewhat, machine learning can be applied to the creation and analysis of 3D models in a range of different ways. Christensen says that using machine learning to identify objects within a reality mesh can translate directly into deliverables.

“If it was a civil project you could use machine learning to identify construction vehicles over then to get an accurate terrain of it would be one example,” he said.

Automating model creation from site photos with machine learning is a game that others have cottoned on to.

Leica Geosystems’ acquisition of Melown Technologies has granted them access to their Vadsten 3D model, meaning users of Leica’s Aibot aerial capture platform can now fully automate the creation of digital landscape models from sensor data, according to Craig Robertson, construction segment manager for Australia and New Zealand.

“The potential of this type of technology is unlimited for applications such as corridor design and presentation of construction data from different sensors to present to all stakeholders,” he said.

LEFT: UAVs are now well established as reality capture tools.

BELOW: Increasingly capable field devices are facilitating more complex interactions with BIM models onsite.

“Some of the current advancements we are seeing in the 4th Industrial Revolution are aiding in the speed, accuracy, quantity and quality of data available.

Cloud computing is helping UAV reduce process times, cloud hosting is enabling collaboration on data sets and share of data between the field and the office.”

Greater data flows Indeed, vastly increased data transmission between job sites, stakeholders and models is a core driver for many of the individual innovations and new feature sets of BIM and 3D tools currently being developed.

More numerous data sources are one dimension, as the number and capability of sensors – UAV-borne and terrestrial laser scanners, for example – rapidly grows.

“UAV-sourced point clouds are changing the way projects are run from start to end,” said Robertson.

“The existing conditions of a site can be validated in an efficient timeframe far more accurately than in the past.

This leads to better value engineering and design changes taking place before the commencement of construction. In turn, having more complete and accurate information earlier in the construction process leads to more competitive project bidding as some risk can be mitigated before a project starts,” he said.

There are many more dimensions for this increasing transmission and interoperability, however. The levels of the BIM maturity model essentially refer to the richness of data contained in the model itself, which by extension allows the potential for sharing those dimensions to all stakeholders with access to the model.

As hardware and software iterate on, the capabilities for sharing and processing data increase further. Total stations with 4G

modems can transmit data straight to the office, and IFC files can now be opened and processed by field instruments, allowing manipulation of 3D models and complex data objects with handheld devices onsite.

“For both the building and heavy construction industry there is a greater need to be more digital and to have direct lines of communication for data flow between the office and field and back again,” Robertson said.

“Often on construction projects, there is a data block of getting the right design to field crews at the right time, either by slow communication or the silos of traditional workflows of having to download data in the office and transfer to the instruments by USB.”

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feature PlantSight allows both physical reality and engineering information to be synchronised with as-operated and up-to-date digital twins, providing a holistic digital background for continuously understanding of active operational processes for any working plant.

The firm has also been further developing mixed reality apps for infrastructure construction projects using the Microsoft HoloLens 2. SYNCHRO XR is Bentley's new app for immersive visualisation of digital 4D building twins, taking advantage of the considerably more capable new HoloLens headset.

Bentley’s latest acquisition is Keynetix, a UK-headquartered provider of cloud-based tools for modelling and visualising geotechnical data, enhancing their subsurface modelling capabilities for their ever-expanding digital twin services for infrastructure projects and assets.

Illuminating the dark

Increasingly small and capable sensors provide new flexibility, facilitating faster model creation.

BIM maturity model Level 0: Unmanaged CAD with 2D drawings and text with paper but without common standards and processes.

Level 1: Managed CAD as it goes towards Level 2 BIM with the growing implementation of spatial cooperation.

Level 2: Managed 3D environment with data attached which may include construction sequencing (4D) and cost (5D) information.

Level 3: An online project model with construction sequencing (4D), cost (5D) and data about the project lifecycle (6D).

Level 4: Presents the ideas of better social results and well-being.

The digitisation of field instruments now extends to heavy plant. Machine control and automation of excavation machinery isn’t new in the resources and heavy construction industries, but regular use of these systems now extends well beyond tier one contractors and early adopters.

Becoming more commonly seen on major construction sites, these capabilities now integrate with off-the-shelf modelling suites to facilitate autonomous actions directly from the model.

“Products such as Leica ConX allow designs to be downloaded directly from the cloud to equipment in the field without the requirement of manual survey set out. Data can then be sent from the field back to the office, reporting production and as-built information back to project managers and the design team allow for close to real-time collaboration,” said Robertson.

From physical to digital At the nexus of these nodes sits the concept of the digital twin – that virtual doppelganger of the project and the end result that gets more detailed, closer to the real thing as the technology moves forward.

Phil Christensen of Bentley Systems, the foremost champion of the digital twin, holds that there is no completely agreed-upon definition of a digital twin, it’s a concept that is still evolving – but one that won’t be disappearing any time soon.

The term has certainly entered the lexicon.

According to a new study from Grand View Research, Inc., the worldwide ‘digital twin’ industry size is anticipated to achieve $US26.07b by 2025, across economic sectors. Another report by Global Market Insights puts the figure at $USD 20b by 2025 – not chicken feed, in either case.

Bentley has invested heavily in the concept, looking to make seeking to facilitate the creation of digital replicas as close as possible to any fully functional asset. Last year, the company unveiled PlantSight digital twin cloud services, which was developed in collaboration with Siemens.

24 position August/September 2019

Christensen posits that these added dimensions, the increased depth and richness of the model have completely altered its role in the project, representing the essence of the benefits of BIM – the medium has become the message.

“So the really the fundamental change with the digital twin is that the model and the data is the means of communication rather than drawing is the means of communication,” he said.

“Having data in a BIM model, but then creating a PDF to create drawings for construction can potentially throw away 90 percent of that data in the model. This data is valuable data, which isn’t finding its way downstream to the people who can actually consume it.”

This is essentially the definition of a current buzzword in the BIM and 3D modelling space – dark data. This refers to data created in one phase of a construction project, but is inaccessible to the other phases of the project that can benefit from it.

It could be data created from one discipline which other disciplines can’t benefit, or other forms of siloing that can segregate project actors.

The Bentley vision of digital twins attacks this problem by combining many data layers and distinct models that to form a very powerful dataset. A BIM model is just the beginning – apply analytics to it to predict structural and thermal performance, for example, combined with subsurface data and surrounding reality modelling data – and you now have an object that can be queried for business intelligence.

“The endgame is a very high fidelity digital model of the physical asset – it has the data, the algorithms and the connections to the real world to predict the future performance of the asset, and the performance of the construction projects to create the asset,” said Christensen.

“The most important thing is that it's not static.

The digital twin continues to evolve through the engineering phase, through the construction phase and through the life of the asset as it's modified,” said Christensen.

Sanskriti Shukla is a journalist and communications specialist. She has been writing for geospatial industry media for six years. ■

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Building a spatial bridge DR. ALI LAKHANI, PROFESSOR ELIZABETH KENDALL

A spatial data matrix to identify service gaps in health and rehabilitation for people who have experienced neuro-trauma

I

ncidences of neuro-trauma (a form of brain or spinal cord injury) in Australia have a considerable impact on health and social service systems.

For example, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia’s Health 2016 report clarified that during 20132014, there were approximately 37,000 hospitalisations due to stroke, and 28,000 incidences of stroke related entry into rehabilitation. As many of those engaging with rehabilitation will spend a considerable time engaging with diverse health and social services in medical and community settings, it is important that health services in community and medical environments have the capacity to meet the demand. Inevitably, capacity issues amongst health and social care providers can either necessitate or prevent the movement of people with traumatic injury across medical and community environments, and these capacity issues can have favourable or unfavourable consequences on the health and wellbeing of people who have experienced neurotrauma and their family and/or carers.

The spatial nature of traumatic injury Experiencing a traumatic injury can be regarded as the initiation of a spatial journey resulting in the consistent movement between health and community settings. For people who have experienced neuro-trauma in an urban centre, their rehabilitation journey may involve an initial entry into a general emergency department, or trauma -specific emergency department.

After, dependent on severity of injury and availability of services, they may be transferred to an intensive care unit or an acute trauma care unit, followed by a rehabilitation unit or a neurotrauma specific rehabilitation unit. Their rehabilitation journey continues upon re-entry into the community, where wraparound health and social services can support rehabilitation upon return to home.

26 position August/September 2019

Figure 1.

For people in a rural and/or remote settings within Australia, the rehabilitation journey can be described as a ‘black hole’. People with traumatic injury in rural and/or remote settings may or may not have access to the same level of hospital and community supports required to promote favourable health and rehabilitation outcomes.

For example, as highlighted in Position issue 99, people within rural and remote locations within Queensland experience statistically significantly higher travel times to disability services than those in inner regional or major cities in Queensland. The lack of proximately available services has the potential to negatively impact rehabilitation outcomes and subsequent community engagement outcomes of people who have experienced a traumatic injury.

The importance of geography At times, health service capacity gaps necessitate the spatial journey experienced by people with traumatic injury. In their 2017 article published in Disability and Rehabilitation, Abrahamson and colleagues detail the process of movement between medical and community health services that people who have experienced

a traumatic brain injury face. They highlight how the limited availability of hospital beds or clinician staff within hospital units can inhibit the receipt of care, create confusion amongst inpatients and family members, and potentially adversely impact health outcomes.

Furthermore, they confirm that these issues are also faced upon re-entry into the community, as health and social services in the community may not be proximately available or have the adequate resources to support the health needs of clients requiring support. Clearly, given the spatial nature of disability, it is important that the decisions of health and social service systems are informed by spatial data and spatial methods.

The Epidoros-V2 data matrix Researchers from The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University and ESRI Australia are developing Epidoros – V2, a spatial platform to engage GIS and non-GIS users, who are clinicians, end users with disability, social service organisations, and researchers. This platform will enable end users to engage with spatial data, raise queries, and support health and social service decision making. As a part of this work, researchers from The

Hopkins Centre have developed a data matrix underpinning the platform. The data matrix clarifies spatial data necessary to assess the responsiveness and quality of health services across the continuum of health and social systems engaged with post-injury: emergency and critical care, acute treatment, rehabilitation, and community service systems. The infographic at Figure 1 provides an illustration of the Epidoros-V2 matrix, and examples of the types of data aligned with each cell are provided within ovals.

Queensland car accidents and emergency department capacity The power of Epidoros-V2 is best exemplified by spatial queries that will be addressed via the platform and underpinning data. One essential spatial query surrounds ascertaining the capacity of emergency departments to address the needs of people who have experienced a traumatic injury due to a car accident. Maps 1 and 2 clarify the extent of car accident hotspots across the Greater Brisbane Area, and the capacity of hospitals with emergency units to support those who may have experienced an accident. Hospital locations were sourced from Health Direct’s National Health Service Directory, the extent of hospitals with a rehabilitation unit and the number of beds within the rehabilitation unit were identified from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's ‘My Hospitals’ website.

Data surrounding the number of car accidents resulting in a fatality, medical treatment, and/or hospitalisation over a 10 year period were sourced from the Queensland Government data portal.

All analysis were conducted using ESRI ArcMap 10.4.1.

Map 1 illustrates where car accident hotspots exist across Greater Brisbane’s SA4s. To produce this map, nine optimised hotspot analyses were conducted clarifying areas where significantly high numbers of car accidents were occurring across Greater Brisbane’s nine SA4s. Within the map frame, SA4s for East, West, North, South, and Inner City Brisbane are enlarged to enhance visibility due to smaller polygons produced within these areas during hotspot analyses.

Map 2 clarifies the capacity of Queensland Hospital and Health Service (QHHS) emergency departments to address the health needs of those who have experienced a car accident. A service area analysis using ESRI’s administered road network service was conducted to clarify the service area covered over

ABOVE: Car accidents resulting in casualty, medical treatment, and/or hospitalisation.

LEFT: Emergency department service area and capacity.

a 5, 10, and 15 minute drive of each hospital with an emergency department.

Combined, Map 1 and 2 support the notion that inner regional and outer regional hospitals may have limited capacity to address the health needs of those who experience a car accident across an extended geographical area.

Furthermore, dedicating greater resources towards emergency and critical care within such regions may be warranted.

The potential to reduce harm It is important that spatial data is made available to those who engage with health and rehabilitation services, and those who plan and coordinate the delivery of such services. Epidoros-V2 will inform decision making by making spatial data available and providing a portal for GIS and non-GIS users to engage with this data. Consequently, the platform has the potential to promote favourable health and wellbeing outcomes for people who have experienced a traumatic

injury. It is necessary that end users with lived experience are involved in this development process. To this aim, towards the end of the year, researchers from The Hopkins Centre and ESRI Australia will be piloting an initial iteration of the platform among people who have experienced a traumatic injury, clinicians, and policy makers.

Dr. Ali Lakhani is a research fellow with The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University. He is leading a program of research which investigates the geospatial determinants of health for people with traumatic injury. Professor Elizabeth Kendall is the executive director of The Hopkins Centre, Menzies Health Institute Queensland at Griffith University. She has run a collaborative research program for the last 25 years with several significant partners including Queensland Health, the Motor Accident Insurance Commission, Synapse, Spinal Life Australia and Health Consumers Queensland. ■ www.spatialsource.com.au 27

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The Bluefin 21 is typical of a deep diving autonomous underwater vehicle designed to dive to extreme depth and map its environment.

Image: General Dynamics.

Automaton aquatic A transformation of bathymetric surveying JON FAIRALL

A

utonomous vehicles are reshaping the possibilities of marine surveying.

They enable marine surveyors to put their instruments in places they would not have contemplated even a few years ago. Robots can peer into water that is too shallow, too turbid or too deep for manned craft. They can do it more economically and more reliably. They are making a meaningful difference to our ability to acquire knowledge of the deepest oceans and the shallowest ponds. It is a quiet revolution in our knowledge of the planet.

If this sounds too great a claim, consider the enthusiasm with which marine surveyors and oceanographers have taken up the new technology. Just one

28 position August/September 2019

company – Fugro – claims its combined fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles has surveyed a line distance equal to five times the Earth’s circumference in the last few years. And a lot of that has been accomplished, not in the balmy, placid waters of the tropics, but in some of the most malignant seas on the planet.

Or consider Texas-based Ocean Infinity, which last year donated 120,000 square kilometres’ worth of data in the Indian Ocean to the Nippon FoundationGEBCO 2030 Ocean Mapping Project.

Ocean Infinity’s data was collected by a fleet of eight Bluefin-21 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles in response to the disappearance of a Malaysian airliner in the Indian Ocean. Seabed 2030 is a project to make the world’s bathymetry

freely available in a homogenous format, at the best possible resolution.

To better understand what’s going on, it’s useful to divide the autonomous craft relevant to hydrographic surveyors into three categories: aerial, surface and underwater. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) are interesting to marine surveyors because, just like their manned cousins, they can be equipped with lasers and used to profile the bottom. Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV) are small ships.

They can be equipped with acoustic instruments that will return useful results from a few centimetres of water out to many hundreds of metres. Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) are deep diving machines capable of plumbing ocean depths on kilometre scale.

LEFT: Lt. Joseph Carrier, operations officer on NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, deploys a Teledyne Oceanscience Z-Boat from the ship. Image: NOAA. BELOW: A new hope for the reef – the COTSBot underwater vehicle is designed to seek out and kill Crown of Thorns Starfish. Image: QUT.

From the air When airborne lasers were introduced to marine surveying in the 1990s, they revolutionised the field. The Defence Science and Technology Organisation developed the Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) for the Australian Hydrographic Office. It was originally mounted in a Fokker F27 turboprop aircraft, although today it operates in a de Havilland Dash-8.

LADS generates two laser beams; one is tuned to reflect from the ocean surface and the other to reflect from the sea bottom. Water depth can be estimated from the difference in the time of flight of the two. LADS can return results down to 70m water depth.

More recently, a number of manufacturers have built instruments that use the same idea, but can be built into whatever air platform is available.

Riegl produces the BDF-1, for instance, which is designed to be carried by a UAV. It contains a laser, inertial measurement unit, GNSS, and two external cameras but it weighs only 5kg.

LADS was revolutionary. It made it possible for the Hydrographic Office to create charts of coastal areas where its survey vessels feared to venture.

Moreover, it could do it quickly at any point along the coastline. Its downside is that it is mounted on an aircraft that costs thousands of dollars to keep in the air for an hour and can only be justified by an organisation such as the Navy. UAVs are much cheaper, although they have limitation of range and payload capacity.

In many applications, especially where the region of interest is not too large or inaccessible, that may not be an issue.

From the surface Like UAVs, Autonomous Surface Vessels can be made small. That limits range and payload capacity compared to manned survey vessels but in many environments their small size is a positive advantage.

Like UAVs, Autonomous Surface Vessels can be made small. That limits range and payload capacity compared to manned survey vessels but in many environments their small size is a positive advantage.

Surface vehicles have an edge over their airborne cousins when they need to see through turbid water, which occurs frequently in rivers and lakes.

Surface vehicles for this type of application are generally small enough to be carried in the boot of a car. They have a modular design that allows equipment to be swapped in and out as required.

The CEE-USV, manufactured by Sydney– based CEE Hydrosystems, is typical of the type. It consists of a fibreglass hull with waterproof chambers for on-board equipment. It comes standard with a single beam echo sounder a GNSS receiver and live video. In operation, an auto-steering unit is programmed to follow a specific survey route, while data is transmitted from the sounder, over a radio link, to a shore station.

An alternative, but equally popular design, is the Hydropilot, produced by Barry Liston’s UAS Australia in Adelaide.

It is a one-metre-long, twin-hull catamaran design. All other things being equal, catamarans offer superior stability, better payload capacity and shallower draft than mono-hulls.

A step up from this in terms of range and endurance is a Teledyne Oceanscience Z-boat. It is 1.8m long and weights 38kg. A typical mission was recently undertaken

by Blue Ocean Monitoring in Perth. The company conducted a survey of two enclosed ponds at an oil refinery. The area of interest was about 36,000sqm. The ponds are used to store and treat oil refinery ballast water. However microbial action in the water results in a build-up of sediments.

Historically, data was collected by a man on a boat taking soundings with a pole, which is as unsafe as it is inefficient.

A team from Blue Ocean equipped the Z-boat with a single beam echo sounder linked to a differential GPS receiver. The boat and equipment were controlled over a Bluetooth link. The boat moved back and forth along conventional survey lines – it travelled 11km in about 12 hours.

Keith Wallace, the group’s Chief Commercial Officer, says the project demonstrates that “unmanned technology can improve the quality, resolution and accessibility of survey data, while reducing risks and project costs.”

These vessels are designed for closed waters and short duration missions. But autonomous surface vessels can be made very much larger, as large as small ships, in fact. They are intended for blue water environments. For instance, when Perthbased marine contractor Guardian Offshore takes delivery of its next survey vessel in 2020, it will come purpose-built to carry a fleet of four 7.7m long C-Worker-8 USVs in dedicated pods on deck. These USVs are large enough to carry a full suite of bathymetric instruments and can be used for a variety of oceanic tasks. Equipped www.spatialsource.com.au 29

feature LEFT: The C-Worker-8 is a small ship designed to be used out at sea. It can do almost anything a regular survey vessel can do.

BELOW: The Pax WaveGlider travelled autonomously from San Francisco to Cairns by gliding forward, then surfacing to recharge its batteries. Image: NASA.

with multibeam sonar, they can be used to extend the swath of the ship while on a mission. Alternatively, equipped with a met station, they can be used for long-duration ocean meteorological monitoring.

Into the deep Boats, large or small, do not overcome one limitation of all surface-borne instruments operating over the deep ocean: poor resolution. Ocean physics imposes a limit on the ability of sonars to provide high resolution image of the deep. The only answer is to move the instruments closer to the target.

This much has been apparent for a long time. The first attempts to take instruments to depth and return them to the surface seem to have taken place at the University of Washington in the 1950s. However, it is only with the advent of sufficiently advanced computing power that these Autonomous Underwater Vehicles have begun to proliferate outside military or research applications.

Engineering these devices to withstand the pressure in the deep ocean is difficult and so there are only a few large-scale manufacturers of deep diving underwater craft. YSI’s EcoMapper is an example. It is designed for water quality, water current and bathymetry mapping applications. It can dive to depth and collect up to ten water quality parameters. It is also equipped with sidescan sonar imaging and a Doppler velocity log for navigation below the surface. It’s a torpedo design with a length of 1.5m; 147mm in diameter and weighs 20kg. In that package there is a power system that allows the craft to run for up to 12 hours at 2.5 knots.

Navigation is by GPS on the surface, and bottom tracking or dead reckoning based on a compass when underwater.

30 position August/September 2019

Its electronics is based around an Intel processor with an 80GB hard drive for data collection.

From a mapping point of view, one of the key challenges is positioning. It’s nontrivial in the AUV space because radio waves do not penetrate water, so as soon as it dives, it loses the ability to detect GNSS signals. One method of dealing with the problem is to use an Inertial Measurements Unit. The problem with an IMU is that it’s a dead reckoning device and so its errors accumulate over time.

This is often solved either by making the AUV surface periodically so its IMU can be recalibrated, or using acoustic ranging to a support vessel on the surface. A more sophisticated version of this technique is to use sonar to measure movement relative to the ocean floor, which can be used to tailor the IMU results.

A significant issue for AUV designers is range, which is limited by the charge of the battery; the mission duration of most production devices to a few days at most.

One way around this is the glider. This is a standard AUV equipped with wings. By adjusting buoyancy and trim, the AUV can be made to ‘glide’ through the water.

It can cycle endlessly, gliding down to depth, surfacing, recharging its battery

and gliding down again. This is not the same thing as being able to stay on the bottom for a long period of time, but for oceanographers who need to know how the ocean changes with depth, it can be an interesting way of collecting data.

In fact, endurance—the ability to undertake a task for weeks or months – is one of the big stories in modern UAV design. Companies such as Oceanaero are developing wind and solar recharging systems for their units so they can undertake missions of indefinite length.

This can be a valuable characteristic of a UAV particularly for monitoring environmental variables.

But not all AUVs need to dive to great depth. One example of this is COTSBot. In October 2018, researchers at the Queensland University of Technology announced they had successfully used an AUV to detect and kill Crown of Thorns Starfish on the Great Barrier Reef. The Crown of Thorns is a prolific threat on the reef. COTSBot is designed to find the Crown of Thorn and inject a lethal dose of bile salts. The researchers say the robot’s vision system can reliably identify the starfish even under the most trying lighting conditions.

COTSBot is interesting because it demonstrates one of the most significant trends in the technology: the increasing diversification of design as commercial rather than research interests come to dominate the market. Traditionally, AUVs were streamlined torpedo shaped devices. This is the shape that gives the best compromise between hydrodynamic efficiency and payload space. If you want to make a device to go as deep as possible, as far as possible, while carrying the maximum payload, a torpedo is the optimum solution. But as commercial tasks are more readily identified, so the design of AUVs is diversifying as fast as the tasks that can be assigned to the technology.

Advances in sonar signal processing, for instance, is generating valuable images of underwater structures such as bridge footings, dams and so on. These were tasks that used to be carried out by divers, and great risk and expense. Robots do it better.

Jon Fairall is the founding editor of Position. ■

partner feature

Founder Clement Robertson Kennedy, middle, at the official opening of the Melbourne premises.

The C. R. Kennedy stand at a trade show in Melbourne in the late-1950s.

Family ties keep C.R. Kennedy strong in 85th year

C

.R. Kennedy has built a solid reputation as a leading distributor of surveying equipment. But the company has been earning trust across a number of industries since 1934.

Celebrating its 85th birthday this year, the company is marking the success its employees and the Kennedy family have enjoyed since family patriarch Clement Robertson Kennedy began importing photographic and optical products into Australia all those years ago.

While the product line-up at C.R. Kennedy has certainly changed, one thing has not. The company Clement created is still 100 percent family owned, and family values driven.

Clement stayed at the helm for more than 30 years until his death in 1975, when his son Malcolm stepped in to fill the void at just 23 years old. Now 44 years later, Malcolm is still on the scene and four of his children have executive and director roles in the company.

One of those kids in control is Robert Kennedy – he is director in charge of the company’s thriving survey business, an industry C.R. Kennedy has been serving since 1968. Robert said the company’s roots in photographic equipment have given

Brothers in arms. From left: Douglas Kennedy, Clem, Stuart and Robert.

it a competitive advantage in serving its surveying and geospatial partners.

“Every year, there are more and more synergies between our optical and surveying or geospatial businesses,” he said.

“No company has more experience importing high end photographic cameras and equipment to Australia,” Robert said. “And now these are not just used by studio professionals, but also by airborne surveying companies.

Also, it seems hard to believe now, but we first started importing drones for the consumer market, but this quickly grew to supplying the geospatial market for mapping and inspection.”

Under the guidance of Robert and the rest of the Kennedy family, C.R. Kennedy has become the solutions provider for the surveying, construction, mining, mapping and wider geospatial industries.

“By partnering with world leading manufacturers like Leica, we can offer the industry the best instruments and workflows, together with the highest level of customer support and training,” Robert said.

The wide list of offerings now includes land surveying equipment, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), high definition 3D scanners, machine control, mobile mapping tools, underground service locators, ground penetrating radar, geospatial information systems (GIS) and an extensive array of software packages to suit the equipment and the application.

The firm has grown to more than 260 employees spread across spacious head offices in Port Melbourne with branches located in Sydney, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide, Perth, Auckland as well as a sub-branch in Mackay.

Malcolm Kennedy, who took over the reins in 1975.

Robert’s brother, Marketing Manager Douglas Kennedy, said the company has always felt the need to be where its customers are in order to be able to deliver on the company’s longstanding promise of high-level service.

Douglas attributes the company’s ability to attract and retain highly skilled and dedicated staff as the company’s key to its success.

“There is no real secret but we do rely on family values and have a very long-term bank of employees, many of whom have been here for 30-odd years or so,” he said.

“We are not bureaucratic and encourage free thinking. This means that someone who starts out in the warehouse can easily finish up in the managerial ranks.”

Douglas’ father Malcolm put it in even simpler terms: “Service, service and service!”

While there are no concrete plans to formally celebrate the 85th anniversary, that mantra will continue to drive C.R. Kennedy through the rest of its ninth decade and beyond.

Information provided by C.R. Kennedy. ■ www.spatialsource.com.au 31

feature

AUSGeoid2020 improves AHD height determination in NSW VOLKER JANSSEN, TONY WATSON

T

he Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020) was gazetted in October 2017 and is to replace GDA94 in practice by 2020. GDA2020 also requires a new quasigeoid model, AUSGeoid2020, to provide an improved connection between ellipsoidal heights derived from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) observations and the Australian Height Datum (AHD). This article quantifies the improvement of using AUSGeoid2020 with GDA2020 ellipsoidal heights over using AUSGeoid09 with GDA94 ellipsoidal heights to access AHD. Over the last three decades, NSW Spatial Services has evaluated and reported on the performance of each new AUSGeoid product within the bounds of mainland NSW. To enable the discerning reader to evaluate the significant improvements in AUSGeoid products (AUSGeoid98 to AUSGeoid09 – see Position 53, June 2011 – and now AUSGeoid2020), we have intentionally re-used the same test methodologies and re-visited the same datasets (with some improvements of course) to allow those improvements in AUSGeoid to be more visible.

Three tests were performed to investigate how well the two most recent quasigeoid models fit known AHD heights across NSW, based on (1) 138 CORSnetNSW sites, (2) seven GNSS-based adjustments of varying extent and size, and (3) numerous height control points from these adjustments. The first test replicates what users of AUSPOS and CORSnet-NSW services can expect, while the other two tests replicate what can be expected when processing and adjusting baselines.

Background In NSW, the move from GDA94 to GDA2020 causes the horizontal coordinates to shift by about 1.5m to the north-east, due to tectonic motion of the Australian plate from 1994 to 2020. The ellipsoidal height decreases by about 0.095m, due to improvements from the global ITRF92 to ITRF2014 reference frames to better define the shape and size of the Earth.

Vertical coordinates continue to be referenced to AHD. In order to connect to AHD via GDA2020 ellipsoidal heights, a

32 position August/September 2019

Figure 1: GNSS datasets (6+ hour duration) observed on levelled marks by NSW Spatial Services, contributing to AUSGeoid2020.

new quasigeoid model (AUSGeoid2020) has been produced (see Position 98, December 2018).

Due to the difference in ellipsoidal heights between GDA94 and GDA2020, it is crucial for users to apply only AUSGeoid2020 to GDA2020 ellipsoidal heights, while its predecessor AUSGeoid09 must be used to convert GDA94 ellipsoidal heights. These quasigeoid models and datums cannot be mixed and matched.

AUSGeoid2020 Just like its predecessor AUSGeoid09, AUSGeoid2020 is a combined gravimetricgeometric quasigeoid.

The gravimetric component is a 1’ by 1’ grid (about 1.8 by 1.8km) of improved ellipsoid-quasigeoid separation values created using data from satellite gravity missions, re-tracked satellite altimetry, localised airborne gravity, land gravity data from the Australian national gravity database, and a Digital Elevation Model to apply terrain corrections. It is known as the Australian Gravimetric Quasigeoid 2017 (AGQG2017).

The geometric component is basically a 1’ by 1’ grid (about 1.8 by 1.8 km) of improved quasigeoid-AHD separation values, derived from a much larger dataset of collocated GNSS ellipsoidal heights and AHD heights across Australia. Its purpose

is to account for the offset between the quasigeoid and AHD. Note that only a single grid, which combines these two components into ellipsoid-AHD separation values, is made available to users.

While AUSGeoid2020 has the same extent and density as its predecessor, it is based on a much larger and much more homogeneous dataset. For example, NSW Spatial Services has collected over 2,500 extended GNSS datasets (at least 6 hours but generally 12-24 hours duration) on levelled benchmarks across NSW (Figure 1).

These datasets inform the geometric component of AUSGeoid2020, thereby helping to provide a much improved connection to AHD across the state. For AUSGeoid09, only 100 such control points were available.

AUSGeoid2020 provides a rigorous uncertainty value at each grid node, associated with the separation between the ellipsoid and AHD. In contrast, AUSGeoid09 only provides a constant uncertainty estimate (±0.05 m at 1 sigma) for the entire area. Consequently, AUSGeoid2020 users are expected to benefit from more realistic uncertainty information, particularly in the coastal zone where offshore data is included in the model computation and in mountainous regions or other areas that exhibit sparser input datasets.

AUSGeoid2020 performance A comparison between AUSGeoid09 and AUSGeoid2020 necessitates the availability of both GDA94 and GDA2020 coordinates for the test points utilised.

We can quantify the expected improvement in the derivation of AHD via comparison to known AHD heights of sufficient quality on public record in the Survey Control Information Management System (SCIMS). SCIMS is the State’s database containing about 250,000 survey marks across NSW, including coordinates, heights and metadata.

Since it is necessary to consider coordinate differences of opposite signs, the Root Mean Square (RMS) is used to quantify the average agreement to AHD.

Test 1: CORSnet-NSW sites CORSnet-NSW is Australia’s largest state-owned and operated network of GNSS Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS). It is built, owned and operated by Spatial Services, a unit of the NSW Department of Customer Service.

NSW is the nation’s largest contributor of CORS to the Australian government’s National Positioning Infrastructure (NPI), which aims to deliver instant, reliable and accurate access to positioning and timing information anytime and anywhere across Australia.

As of June 2019, CORSnet-NSW consists of 202 reference stations, providing fundamental positioning infrastructure that is authoritative, accurate, reliable and easy-to-use for a wide range of applications (Figure 2). Further expansion of CORSnetNSW is being considered to include up to 220 CORS. 138 of these CORSnet-NSW sites were selected for comparable test calculations. At the time, these sites had both Regulation 13 certified GDA94 coordinates and a locally ‘established’ SCIMS AHD height (obtained by NSW Spatial Services through an A1 class/

Adjustment

Extent (km)

Figure 2: CORSnet-NSW network map as of June 2019.

order GNSS-based local tie survey).

The GDA2020 coordinates of these sites were obtained directly from the national GDA2020 adjustment and can be assumed equivalent to the GDA2020 certified Regulation 13 coordinates issued later.

Applying AUSGeoid2020 to GDA2020 national-adjustment derived ellipsoidal heights as opposed to applying AUSGeoid09 to Regulation 13 GDA94 ellipsoidal heights revealed an improvement by a factor of 2.7 in the agreement to AHD with the RMS dropping from 0.054m to 0.020m. The range of residuals improved by a factor of 2.2, decreasing from 0.25m (-0.107m to +0.142m) to 0.12m (-0.053m to +0.063m).

As we will see below, this is within the published range of AUSGeoid2020 uncertainty values.

Test 2: Overall fit In order to investigate the performance of the new quasigeoid model in practice,

Height Range (m)

Number of Sites

Number of Obs

seven 3-dimensional GNSS-based least squares network adjustments were run with GeoLab using GDA94+AUSGeoid09 and GDA2020+AUSGeoid2020.

Height control points used for these adjustments had accurate (i.e. LCL3 or B2, or better), predominantly levelled AHD heights that were converted to ellipsoidal values before the adjustment using the selected quasigeoid. All accurate height values were tightly constrained and the resulting variance factor and flagged residuals were inspected to evaluate the overall fit of the adjustment to AHD across NSW. Seven GNSS-based adjustment datasets were examined, increasing in size, extent and height variation from small to a statewide network. Table 1 summarises relevant information about these adjustments, while Figure 3 illustrates their location and extent in NSW. Each baseline component is represented as a separate observation.

Number of Hgt Constraints

Baseline Length (km)

Average Bsl Length (km)

1: South Coast

21 x 18

7 – 296

18

159

12 (67%)

0.4 – 12

5

2: Oxley Hwy

53 x 35

116 – 1,208

13

108

6 (46%)

0.03 – 53

16

3: Singleton

33 x 42

30 – 442

87

631

55 (63%)

0.6 – 30

5

4: Bellingen

40 x 27

2 – 1,041

107

565

63 (59%)

0.3 – 23

2

5: Bland

212 x 162

167 – 544

155

1,075

70 (45%)

0.1 – 67

12

6: SW NSW

633 x 553

20 – 645

34

752

26 (76%)

8 – 270

128

1,000 x 800

2 – 2,229

89

1,721

11 (12%)

3 – 393

130

7: NSW

Table 1: GNSS-based adjustment datasets used in this study.

www.spatialsource.com.au 33

feature increased from 0 to 2. However, this does not necessarily mean that AUSGeoid2020 performs worse than AUSGeoid09 in this case. A possible explanation is that previously hidden outliers are now detectable.

From the limited amount of data analysed here, no correlation is evident between the number of constrained AHD heights included in the adjustment and the improvement gained by utilising AUSGeoid2020.

Figure 3: Location and extent of the GNSSbased adjustment datasets investigated.

Test 3: Height observation residuals

In general, AUSGeoid2020 improved the variance factor and resulted in a comparable number of flagged residuals, indicating a better adjustment result in comparison to using AUSGeoid09.

The largest improvement was gained in adjustment 5, with the variance factor improving by a factor of 2.3, while the number of flagged residuals was reduced from 1 to 0. This adjustment covers a moderately sized area and exhibits a moderate variation in height, illustrating the positive effect AUSGeoid2020 can have on GNSS-based height determination in NSW. Adjustments 3 and 4 cover equally small areas and contain rather short baseline lengths. However, the improvement gained by using AUSGeoid2020 is much more pronounced for adjustment 3, which exhibits a moderate variation in height (variance factor improving by a factor of 1.8).

For adjustment 4, which incorporates a large variation in height, the variance factor improves by a factor of 1.2, suggesting that most improvement is gained in areas exhibiting moderate height variations. Intuitively, this makes sense as input data density for AUSGeoid modelling is routinely lower at higher elevations.

The overall fit of the large adjustments (6 and 7) also improved but only slightly (factor of 1.1). These adjustments cover very large areas with average baseline lengths of 130km, reaching up to 270km and 390km respectively. It can therefore be expected that distance-dependent error sources mask the improvement achieved by using AUSGeoid2020 somewhat.

In one case, adjustment 2 (a small adjustment exhibiting a large variation in height), the variance factor increased slightly, bringing it a little closer to unity, while the number of flagged residuals

34  position  August/September 2019

Based on the seven adjustments mentioned above, a third test was performed. Here, only one observed AHD height was held fixed (a stable mark located in the centre of the adjustment area), while the others were introduced as observations and allowed to float.

Therefore, the adjustment was minimally constrained in height. For the marks that had accurately known AHD heights, the adjusted heights (obtained by applying AUSGeoid09 to GDA94 ellipsoidal heights or AUSGeoid2020 to GDA2020 ellipsoidal heights) were compared against their known AHD values by analysing the residuals of the height observations after the adjustment.

The values of these residuals indicate how well the quasigeoid model fits the AHD heights. For each of the seven adjustment datasets, the height observation residuals are summarised in Table 2.

It is evident that AUSGeoid2020 considerably improves the residuals in most cases with improvement factors generally around 1.4.

Adjustment

Parameter

AUSGeoid09

AUSGeoid2020

Improvement Factor

1: South Coast (11 marks)

RMS (m)

0.024

0.022

1.1

Range (m)

0.070

0.059

1.2

RMS (m)

0.034

0.038

0.9

Range (m)

0.050

0.076

0.7

RMS (m)

0.029

0.021

1.4

Range (m)

0.104

0.076

1.4

RMS (m)

0.053

0.044

1.2

Range (m)

0.340

0.246

1.4

RMS (m)

0.049

0.027

1.8

Range (m)

0.281

0.115

2.4

RMS (m)

0.087

0.061

1.4

Range (m)

0.408

0.234

1.7

RMS (m)

0.144

0.071

2.0

Range (m)

0.411

0.231

1.8

2: O xley Hwy (5 marks) 3: Singleton (53 marks) 4: Bellingen (60 marks) 5: Bland (68 marks) 6: S W NSW (24 marks) 7: NSW (9 marks)

Table 2: Results of the height observation residual analysis.

Figure 4: Distribution of absolute AUSGeoid2020 uncertainty across NSW.

It is evident that AUSGeoid2020 considerably improves the residuals in most cases with improvement factors generally around 1.4. By far the largest improvement is achieved for adjustment 5 with improvement factors of 1.8 for the RMS and 2.4 for the range of the residuals.

In all but one case, the RMS values of the AUSGeoid2020 results show significant improvement and fall well within ±0.05m, i.e. the accuracy estimate stated (and verified) for AUSGeoid09, although the range of residuals remains rather large in some cases.

However, while adjustments 6 and 7 show improvement in RMS, the actual RMS values are greater than 0.05m.

This was expected because these two adjustments cover large areas and contain relatively long average baseline lengths of 130km. On the positive side, the range of residuals is significantly reduced in these two cases (by factors of 1.7 and 1.8 respectively).

Only adjustment 2 shows no improvement over AUSGeoid09, with both the RMS and range of residuals increasing slightly. Considering the small sample size and the large height variation of this adjustment, this result needs to be taken with caution.

Rigorous AUSGeoid2020 uncertainty AUSGeoid2020 provides a rigorous uncertainty value associated with the separation between the ellipsoid and AHD, varying as a function of location.

This is a world first – no other nation has successfully computed rigorous geoid uncertainties.

Figure 5: Difference in metres between AUSGeoid2020-derived AHD and AUSGeoid09-derived AHD across NSW.

These uncertainties are based on a linear combination of errors from the gravimetric quasigeoid, the published AHD heights and the GDA2020 ellipsoidal heights. This was deliberate to account for errors originating from all data sources contributing to AUSGeoid2020.

In order to briefly investigate the practical usefulness of the new uncertainty component of the AUSGeoid product, absolute uncertainty values were calculated for each survey mark used in this study (approximately 610 in total).

About 70 percent of these AHD heights are independent of the data used to compute AUSGeoid2020. The resulting absolute (1 sigma) uncertainty values were determined via bi-cubic interpolation and ranged from about 0.07m to 0.11m, with a mean of 0.086m.

Figure 4 illustrates the distribution of this AUSGeoid2020 uncertainty across

NSW, as obtained from the official AUSGeoid product. The location of levelled benchmarks along major roads, observed by NSW Spatial Services in preparation for the AUSGeoid2020 product (see Figure 1), is clearly visible with a commensurate improvement in uncertainty at those locations.

The results presented in this article (with RMS on small to medium sized jobs well within ±0.05m) show that these uncertainty values appear overly conservative. Furthermore, the smallest rigorously propagated uncertainty value (0.07m) is larger than the (constant) ±0.05m accuracy estimate stated (and verified) for the previous product (AUSGeoid09), although the new product is based on much improved input datasets and modelling.

Consequently, the absolute AUSGeoid2020 uncertainty grid currently should be used as a guide only.

Note that we have not investigated the relative uncertainties of the AUSGeoid2020 uncertainty grid (between marks). These will be much smaller – GNSS heighting using AUSGeoid2020 was recently demonstrated to be better than third-order levelling at distances of more than 3km (see Position 98, December 2018).

Our brief comparison can only provide a general assessment of the current rigorously calculated AUSGeoid2020 uncertainties.

ICSM plans to refine AUSGeoid in the coming years, so more thorough investigations will be required in the future.

Conclusion All three tests have shown that AUSGeoid2020 substantially improves access to AHD for GNSS-based positioning in NSW. Furthermore, our results agree with absolute testing performed on a national level.

Note that derived AHD values generally change by a few centimetres in NSW when moving from GDA94+AUSGeoid09 to GDA2020+AUSGeoid2020, but larger changes of up to ±0.3m occur in some areas (Figure 5).

Considering that AUSGeoid2020 is based on a much larger dataset and better modelling than its predecessor, this was expected. The effect of this offset will be much smaller for relative GNSS heighting between marks located nearby.

Dr Volker Janssen and Tony Watson work at Spatial Services, a unit of the NSW Department of Customer Service. ■ www.spatialsource.com.au 35

new products

SimActive launches new UAV-focused data processing service Photogrammetry tool developer SimActive has introduced a new drone data processing service based on Correlator3D. A unique aspect of SimActive’s new offering includes the ability to invoke quality control by photogrammetry specialists.

According to the company, users can upload full projects and assign SimActive experts to generate products for ‘optimal results’ from their imagery, including 3D models, DSMs, DTMs, and orthomosaics.

The service also supports manual tagging of ground control points.

Nexar takes on Google Street View with Live Map Nexar has launched a free, online, interactive digital map made of what it claims are billions of real-time images and metadata from dash cameras in the Nexar network.

Nexar says the mission behind its new Nexar Live Map platform is to eliminate road collisions worldwide by alerting drivers to dangers ahead in real-time.

When people pair Nexar’s smart dash cams with the Nexar app, they join a

DroneGun MKIII promises a quicker draw on rogue drones Australian anti-drone tech manufacturer DroneShield has rolled out the DroneGun MKIII, a portable pistol-shape drone jammer weighting under 2kg.

The product is available for purchase to qualified end-users, where lawful.

The ASX listed company says DroneGun MKIII is designed to be an alternate rather than a replacement for its highly successful DroneGun Tactical unit, having a shorter effective range of 500m versus 1-2km for larger unit.

DroneShield says the new DroneGun MKIII can also be used in combination with other DroneShield products, including the RfPatrol body-worn detection device and the DroneSentinel stationary multisensor detection system.

36 position August/September 2019

connected network of vehicles learning from each other about what’s happening on the road.

The company says that that its community of drivers is large enough, it has started rolling out these driver alerts that flag upcoming hazards before they get to them.

Nexar is beginning with the launch of Live Map in New York City, and expanding coverage across the United States.

Trimble launches usage plans for Catalyst

Image provided by Trimble.

Trimble has launched usagebased service plans for its Catalyst GNSS receiver for Android devices.

The announcement heralds a flexible payment model for organisations and individuals that may not need to use the high-accuracy GNSS service day-in, day-out.

Trimble Catalyst is a mobile GNSS receiver designed to be used with an app on Androidbased phones and tablets.

Catalyst business development manager for Trimble, Gareth Gibson, said that the firm was looking to increase the availability of highly accurate positioning to new market segments.

Tokyo, as represented in the Advanced 3D World Map. Image: NTT Data.

Altus NR3 lightweight GNSS receiver now available

NTT Data, RESTEC double resolution with new digital elevation model NTT Data and the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC) have doubled the resolution of their core data product, their ‘AW3D Standard’ map, a global digital elevation model.

First launched with 5m resolution in 2014, AW3D is currently used in more than 115 countries.

Using DigitalGlobe imagery, this baseline product is now available at 2.5m resolution.

RESTEC and NTT Data say that this new version of AW3D Standard will be used for an assortment of applications worldwide, with the increased detail lending itself to more accurate disastersdamage forecasting and urban planning.

The 2.5m AW3D map offers a much finer expression of coastal landfills, narrow rivers, and waterways, a fine expression of terrain undulations, opening up utility in monitoring and management of waterways and coastal landforms.

Septentrio has launched a new lightweight surveying receiver, the Altus NR3 that utilises all four constellations and provides triplefrequency tracking.

The new NR3 can be used as a base or rover and provides triple-frequency tracking on GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo.

Incorporating multipath and ionospheric detection, the Altus NR3 maintains accuracy and continued operation despite shocks, vibration, or other interference.

According to Septentrio, ease of use is another key benefit of the Altus NR3, with one-touch logging and a very simple setup procedure.

Image: Septentrio’s Altus NR3 GNSS receiver.

Nearmap 3D accelerates access to 3D imagery Aerial imagery specialists Nearmap have unveiled their Nearmap 3D product, enabling clients to stream and export 3D images on-request at a huge scale, through its MapBrowser web application.

Tony Agresta, executive vice president of product at Nearmap, said that their new product had potential to transform the way industries such as construction,

Courtesy of Nearmap

architecture, government and councils view and shape cities across Australia and the US. “This represents the single largest, most frequently updated footprint of 3D accessible through a browser,” he said.

“The ability to measure in 3D space, size up an area and then export Nearmap 3D for use in other platforms will transform the aerial imagery market.”

Image courtesy of Leica.

Leica unleashes Cyclone 3DR Leica’s new point cloud processing tool features automated analysis and modelling courtesy of 3DReshaper’s capabilities.

The new tool offers the flexibility of being able to serve users of Leica’s Cyclone family and those who use 3DReshaper, which the firm says ‘delivers a simplified platform for surveying, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) and tank inspection applications.’

Leica says the new suite also supports specific applications with industry-centric specialised workflows available: construction monitoring, tunnelling surveying and tank inspecting, andbroad support for data formats, including IFC, STL, OBJ, VRML, DXF, STEP and IGES file extensions.

www.spatialsource.com.au 37

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News and views from the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute

SSSI Board – 2019 President – Dr. Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse President-Elect – Paul Digney NSW Director – Wayne Patterson NT Director – Rob Sarib QLD Director – Lee Hellen SA Director – Franco Rea TAS Director – Paul Digney VIC Director – Richard Syme WA Director – Kerry Smyth ACT Director – Vacant Hydrography Commission Director – Richard Cullen YP representative (Observer) – Roshni Sharma Company Secretary – Jonathan Saxon, Peter Olah

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CEO’s report

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or those SSSI members running a business – whether it’s your own or someone else’s – congratulations on surviving the end of the financial year!

It’s a challenging time. Closing off end of year accounts, getting invoices finalised, putting together your projected budget for the coming year, then dealing with the Tax Office red tape…

It is the same here as SSSI. We are a member institute, first and foremost, and then a not-for-profit organisation.

But these must be underpinned by a successful and efficient business, because without that we have little hope of delivering what our members need of us.

So we’ve been doing all the end-offinancial-year things, whilst also starting the membership renewal process to ensure that our recent membership growth continues. The end of 2018-19 also signifies the end of the first year of delivery of our Strategic Roadmap 2018-2021. It has been a tough year with some very significant changes; it has not been perfect, and we have learned some lessons along the way. All in all though there has been much more positive than negative, and most of our three-year goals are closer than they were a year ago. To paraphrase Churchill: it’s not the end, it’s not even the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning.

That said, we are about to start the second year of delivering our three-year Roadmap and it is the year which will deliver some of our greatest results and challenge us with many of our hardest choices. Each of these steps – every decision – is about choice and change.

I will come back to these choices and changes in a future column here; for now, I’d like to give you some of my thoughts about change, and why it is both important and inevitable for SSSI. In truth, change is easy because it will happen anyway, whether we drive it or not. The change we really need is hard because it involves judgements about priorities, and resources, and timings, and a hundred other variables.

Consider your own business or organisation. Is it completely static - the same internally and externally as 10, 5 or 2 years ago? Of course, the answer is no.

This is the single most important thing I have learned in nearly 30 years of change management: every single organisation changes constantly. There is no such thing as a status quo. Nothing you want to change is from a standing start.

SSSI CEO Peter Olah.

An organisation taking over the world is changing. A business going broke is changing. A corner shop, in the same place with the same owner doing the same things for 50 years is changing, because its supply chain and its market is changing.

And a professional institute, doing the same things for 10 years is changing, because its members and its clients and its supporters and its operating environment are changing.

Whether change is planned or unplanned, focussed or scattergun, strategic or short term, useful or selfdestructive, it is real and always present.

This is important because we want to focus change, so that it is planned and strategic and useful.

We often hear about how member organisations have inertia, but I believe that this is wrong. If organisations are always moving, always changing, then what they possess is not inertia – it is momentum.

A Formula 1 car about to win the Australian Grand Prix has momentum.

So does the car about to hit a tree. And so does the car which has taken a wrong turn, and needs just a slight nudge on the steering wheel to get back on course.

I have been behind the steering wheel of each of these cars in my career and I am guessing, so have many of you. And being honest, I have been behind the wheel in the car about to hit the tree more often than I’ve won the Grand Prix.

And yet, more than 20 years on, I am still managing change. Why would anyone trust me with the keys?

Because it’s not about the Grand Prix or the tree, but about recognising and knowing when to apply that slight nudge on the steering wheel. It’s about using the momentum which is already there to get on track. And that is what makes it hard.

SSSI sustaining partner

It’s hard because it’s about timing, and decisions about resourcing, and what to do and what not to do, and decisions about what to say no to. And it’s about doing the right thing, for the right reasons, every time. Which is why SSSI exists, and why we are all part of it.

Finally, a special thank you to the many SSSI members who have renewed their membership for 2019-20. This year we have

had the strongest early renewal figures for many years, which is vital for us to enable the delivery of the changes to build a better, stronger and more responsive SSSI. If you haven’t renewed yet, please think about doing so today. SSSI is only as strong as the commitment and unity of our members, and we are determined to be the very best professional organisation possible for our sector. ■

President’s report

Engineering & Mining Surveying Chair Andrew Edwards chair.emsc@sssi.org.au Hydrography Commission Chair Richard Cullen chair.hc@sssi.org.au Land Surveying Commission Chair Lindsay Perry chair.lsc@sssi.org.au Remote Sensing & Photogrammetry Commission Chair Petra Helmholz chair.rspc@sssi.org.au

I

am looking forward to attending the South East Asia Survey Congress held in Darwin, 15–18 August, to join decision makers, industry leaders and next generation survey and spatial professionals. The conference will host leaders from the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management, World Bank, International Association leaders, top surveying firms and our colleagues from ASEAN Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics. The program has excellent speakers as well as a dedicated Young Professional’s day.

It is one of the best international events of the year for our profession. Thanks to Rob Sarib (SSSI Board Member), Lee Helen (SSSI Board Member), Gerry Ong (ASEAN Flag, Singapore) and Peter Olah (SSSI CEO) for their contribution to developing a strong congress program.

The social events will also recognise and celebrate leaders of our spatial and surveying profession. I am confident that the congress will provide a strong platform to network, exchange ideas, knowledge and skills including business opportunities with international delegates. I encourage our members to register for the event if they have not done so already to avoid disappointment later.

I have renewed my SSSI membership and please renew yours to provide continuity in our services to develop your professional development. The new financial year is a year of change in our activities and programs. The regional conferences are shaping up well. If you have a desire to share your experience, please submit your abstracts through respective SSSI State conference websites or contact your SSSI Regional Operation Manager. I also encourage you to nominate your peers for respective regional APSEA individual awards to recognise their valuable contribution to the profession.

Commission Chairs

Spatial Information & Cartography Commission Chair Kerry Smyth chair.sicc@sssi.org.au

Regional Committee Chairs ACT Regional Chair Noel Ward chair.act@sssi.org.au

SSSI President Dr Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse.

UNGGIM IGIF I had a great opportunity to join global leaders with my World Geospatial Industry Council hat at the fourth United Nations Expert Consultation and Meeting on the implementation guide of the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework held 18–21 June 2019 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

From Australia, Dr Andrew Barnicoat, President UNGGIM-Asia Pacific & Chief, Positioning & Community Safety Division, Geoscience Australia and Dr Lesley Arnold, UNGGIM Resource person and our SSSI Chair WA, participated in the consultation. The IGIF Framework aims to assist countries to move towards e-economies, e-service and e-commerce to improve services to citizens, build capacity for using geospatial technology, enhance informed government decision making processes, facilitate private sector development, take practical actions to achieve a digital transformation, and to bridge the geospatial digital divide in the implementation of national strategic priorities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

NSW Regional Chair Mary-Ellen Feeney (Co-Chair) and Liz Fulton (Co-Chair) chair.nsw@sssi.org.au NT Regional Chair Rob Sarib chair.nt@sssi.org.au QLD Regional Chair Paul Reed chair.qld@sssi.org.au SA Regional Chair Franco Rea chair.sa@sssi.org.au TAS Regional Chair Paul Digney chair.tas@sssi.org.au VIC Regional Chair Lindsay Perry chair.vic@sssi.org.au WA Regional Chair Lesley Arnold chair.wa@sssi.org.au SSSI National Office 27-29 Napier Cl, Deakin, ACT 2600 (PO Box 307) Phone: +61 2 6282 2282 Email: support@sssi.org.au

Dr Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse President SSSI www.spatialsource.com.au 39

sssi Young Professionals Commission report realise how much they have to give and how enjoyable they find it to share lessons they’ve learnt during their career. It is just as fulfilling to see students, graduates and young professionals develop some of the soft skills they need for short- and long-term career success, developing confidence to set courageous career goals and step into the workforce.

An Interview with the SSSI Young Professionals Chair

Young Professionals (YPs) of all disciplines are set to become the next generation of highly skilled professionals who have a responsibility for building and maintaining our country. To ensure that we are always moving forward with our bearings taken from lessons of the past, the transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next is a process that must be cherished. This year the SSSI Young Professionals are pioneering a national mentoring program that now has over 200 participants from across Australia and abroad. The program aims to facilitate communication between experienced members of our community with those who are only just beginning.

Leading this program is the YP Chair, Miss Roshni Sharma, who works as a GIS Specialist at Umwelt Social and Environmental Consultants. In her spare time, Roshni enjoys spending time with family, especially her dog, playing the harmonium and reading whatever she can get her hands on. Today, we take the opportunity to catch up with Roshni about her volunteer work with Young Professionals in the industry.

What do you get from volunteering your time for the industry?

There is a lot of work to be done, but we have a small group of people who put in the hours and dedication consistently.

I volunteer 5-15hrs/wk outside of work, and with SSSI being a not-for-profit organisation, the national and regional YP committees are made up entirely of volunteers who all also have careers to develop, sometimes study commitments, and families. We don’t get paid and need to bring the initiative, dedication, commitment and passion to create projects and keep them going even when the rest of our life gets busy – but the rewards are worth it.

The drivers for me are seeing opportunities to make a positive difference to improve our industry - there are many ways in which industry can support tertiary institutions to deliver more job-ready graduates; there is a clear need for a stronger medium for the exchange of knowledge, experience and inspiration inter-generationally within our industry (such as our free mentoring program); there is a clear desire for accessible, cutting-edge knowledge available in a way that transcends geography (such as our monthly career development webinar series).

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Recently you attended the United Nationals World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) - how did this change you?

Young Professionals Chair Roshni Sharma

I find that the volunteer work I do brings me so much more than money can buy. It has accelerated development of project management, time management, strategy and visibility massively. I have also established a broad and diverse network of peers and mentors that I would not have been able to access in my work alone - not by gaining from them, but by giving to them. I have also been able to better understand this multifaceted industry and what needs to be done to have a better future for our industry.

What do you think of this year's mentoring program?

In the (inaugural) 2018 program, we had 82 graduates. In the 2019 program, which began in July, we have almost 250 participants (mentors and mentees) – a 300% increase in people showing their dedication to and thirst for sharing professional knowledge and wisdom between generations in the industry. I’m a firm believer that in this traditionally male-dominated industry which hasn’t had a strong focus on soft skills, mentoring holds one of the keys to increasing diversity and inclusion in tangible ways.

Mentoring increases visibility of career pathways available in our industry and different stages of careers, helping to strengthen the way that we as an industry talk to ourselves so that we can create a future where we talk more effectively to the other industries we interface with.

It’s extremely rewarding to see mentors

I was invited to attend this congress to represent Australia as part of the Young Geospatial Professionals Summit, part of the UNWGIC in November 2018. The experience of attending the UNWGIC pushed me to challenge myself to break out of silo’s and think in a global context about the Australian geospatial industry and its future. I built networks with global young professionals and realised the need to unite the national and regional young professionals so that we can break down silos and more effectively support each other for a broader vision.

I’m fortunate to also be part of the Homeward Bound 5 team, and look forward to learning about leadership, visibility, strategy, science and wellbeing with a team of 60 other women internationally, including journeying to Antarctic in November 2020. Most importantly, I’m looking forward to bringing my learnings back and creating initiatives to build up YPs in Australia.

If you would like to contribute to fundraising to help me get there and come back to create initiatives (I will need to raise approximately AU$30,000), please search for me on Chuffed.org for “Roshni Sharma’ and ‘Homeward Bound 5’ to make a tax-deductible donation - I will appreciate it very much.

If you could provide a wise word of advice what would it be?

“Life is short - be part of the solution” these are the words that I live every day by.

Set goals for yourself that are more courageous than you can imagine, and allow yourself to consider - if - it were possible to achieve them, what would be the journey, who would you need to talk to, what would be the first step? Make these goals about more than your own self-development – put them in a bigger context. Always look for ways to make a positive difference, no matter how small - and keep on doing that. Nurture your networks, and always stay curious about how you can help those in your network. ■

SSSI sustaining partner

Young Surveyors Needed

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s you read this edition, it will be close to the 15th South East Asia Survey Congress (SEASC) being held in Darwin. One of the objectives of this Congress is to further build the Survey and Geospatial Capacity in Asia and the Pacific Region through the FIG AsiaPacific Capacity Development Network.

The Asian Pacific Network is a very active, lively and vibrant Network with a lot of meetings and activities already planned in the future. One of the highlights at SEASC will be the Young Professionals Day. It is events such as this that help our future leaders learn and grow.

There is also a FIG Young Surveyors Asian Pacific Network (YSNAP) which was established during the XXV FIG Congress. Eighteen countries including Australia, were represented at the initial forum which identified the following goals for the Asia Pacific Network:• Development of network strengthening programs • Identify opportunities for collaborative events in the region • Establish a regional social media platform on Facebook https://www. facebook.com/groups/ysnap • Capacity development of Young Surveyors focussing on challenges in the Asia Pacific Region • Exploring funding opportunities to support the events organised by the YSNAP These goals complement the objectives of the FIG Young Surveyors Networks which are:-

• To improve the number of young professionals participating within the FIG. • To help young professionals in the beginning of their careers with contacts.

• To increase co-operation between the commissions and the students and young professionals network.

The FIG Young Surveyors Network (YSN) was first established at the FIG Congress in Munich in 2006 and since that time FIG Young Surveyors Networks have been established in the North America and South America Regions and Europe as well as the Asia Pacific Network, forming a significant global network for Young Surveyors and Geospatial Professionals.

If you are a Young Professional these are some of the opportunities that being a member of SSSI opens up for you. If you have missed out on Darwin there are still further opportunities to be involved in the FIG Young Surveyors Network through the SSSI YP’s. We are encourage you as champions of the future and looking for further involvement to contact the Land Surveying Commission at chair.lsc@sssi.org.au or the Young Professionals chair.yp@sssi.org.au if you want to participate further and move to a further level of experience.

Accreditation Professionals Scheme in South Australia

The Government of South Australia last April introduced an Accredited Professionals Scheme for planning and building professionals

The Scheme will require all planning and building professionals to become accredited within certain classes in order to make key decisions in the planning and development system. As part of the accreditation process, they will be required to undertake and keep records of relevant CPD to demonstrate that they are sufficiently skilled and experienced to operate within their chosen class and will also need to abide by a strict code of conduct that has legislative status.

The Scheme will help establish a highprofile community of practice that values ongoing professional development and embeds a culture of integrity and excellence in the planning and development sector.

The Accredited Professionals Scheme will include a new auditing and compliance process to ensure that there is a clearer line between development decisions and outcomes and that all complaints can be investigated swiftly and fairly.

From July 2019 onwards, all accredited professionals will be registered on a central directory on the SA Planning Portal, making it easier for practitioners and applicants to access up-to-date information on all planning and building decision-makers, including their areas of expertise. There are already similar moves in other States and SSSI is structured to play a valuable supporting role in developing the required technical skills. ■

Spatial Information & Cartography Commission report Focus on Certification

The SI&C Commission is open to hear from you about industry issues and seeks to influence at a National level access to leadership opportunities for all our professionals. We are here to influence the national agenda and need your feedback and support. Contribute a professional profile for yourself or a colleague to highlights the emerging trends in leadership development.

SICC Upcoming Elections

Nominations for the 2019-2021 commission representatives will open next month, two positions for each region. I encourage you to give serious consideration to stepping up as a SICC National representative. Professional volunteers are the life blood of SSSI, your time and skills can make a difference

to the national agenda for this industry.

Don’t under estimate the benefits to your long-term career that a national and international profile generates.

Geographic Information System Professional – Asia Pacific (GISP-AP)

Did you know that over 140 individuals have attained GISP-AP Certification since its introduction in 2007. Some have retired and adopted Emeritus status, many have renewed, others have lapsed. One thing is certain there are still professionals who value the edge that GISP-AP provides in the job stakes. So get cracking dust off your creds and make the effort to polish up your post-noms.

The SICC team and certification panel have been on a campaign to revamp the process, adopt the Body of Knowledge Mark2, and promote certification to

employers. This means more work for the wicked (volunteer assessors), so to gauge the likely return benefit, we need prospective GISP-AP candidates to express interest. We propose to contact all on register for feedback, so please update your contact details.

Victorian Digital Asset Strategy

Report by David Kelly, Victoria’s representative on the SICC national committee and a committed YP. Office of Projects Victoria (OPV) has developed a Victorian Digital Asset Strategy (VDAS) to set expectations www.spatialsource.com.au 41

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and coordinate the delivery of digital data and information from throughout the asset lifecycle. The VDAS seeks to "create, deliver and enhance digital assets that inform the delivery and whole-life management of world-class, effective and efficient physical assets" (VDAS, 2019).

Following the release of the VDAS in February, OPV has begun undertaking workshops with the industries involved in an assets life cycle to develop guidance around the interaction of data, information and workflows.

The surveying and spatial industry's initial workshop was held in late June,

with stakeholders from government and private sector, to discuss the implications of VDAS on the practice of GIS and survey and the interfaces with BIM and Digital Engineering.

The workshop will be followed up by additional consultation and feedback as the guidance is developed. www.opv.vic.gov.au/Victorian-ChiefEngineer/Victorian-Digital-Asset-Strategy

do with applying for certification, upcoming events or the promotion and encouragement of the spatial industry. https://sssi.org.au/about-us/committees/ spatial-information-cartographycommission. All communications to chair.sicc@sssi.org.au Kerry Smyth National Chair, Spatial Information & Cartography Commission

Book Mark SICC Web Pages

The Spatial Information and Cartography Commission welcomes any feedback, queries or suggestions, whether to

Obituary for Mr. Ian Halls

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an Halls, who passed away at the age of 58 on 28 May 2019, was a leading Australian geospatial professional at the forefront of many ground breaking initiatives during his lengthy career.

Ian’s uniquely wide expertise and experience were the driving forces underpinning how Australia approaches the contemporary collection and management of hydrographic data. His career straddled multiple domains: government and corporate; cartography and hydrography; business owner and public servant; collaborator and contributor.

Since 2009 Ian held several leadership roles within the Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO) and, at the time of his passing, was Director National Hydrography Program, responsible for the establishment of the Hydrographic Industry Partnership Program – a government and industry initiative for a more agile and responsive hydrographic capability in Australia's waters.

“I will miss his wise counsel, his words of advice about all things ‘hydrographic’ and his ever-present support and gentle assurances that things were on the right path,” Hydrographer of Australia and head of the AHO, Commodore Fiona Freeman, said.

“Ian’s knowledge, vision and drive will leave a lasting legacy.”

Ian completed high school at Hurstville Boys High, Sydney, and joined the AHO in North Sydney in 1979.

As his friend and former AHO colleague Ron Furness remembers, “Ian quickly understood the essence of hydrography, quickly grasping the significance of data, the future roles of computers and graphics. This came at the time when chart production was still paper-oriented, with

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scribing and photography the main means of production.”

Ron recounts a business trip to Monaco with Ian when their luggage was lost in transit.

“There we were, Ian so tall and me so wide, trying to buy clothes in Singapore.

We found some Billabong emblazoned surfing shirts which we were still wearing three days later when we were introduced to Prince Albert of Monaco. When he heard ‘Australia’, the Prince looked us up and down with the comment, “Ah”.

As if coming from Australia explained everything, why we were not dressed like everyone else in suits.”

From 1994, Ian worked for ten years at L-3 Nautronix (formerly Hydrographic Sciences Australia) as both a Manager and Director; participating in the first real-time Electronic Chart Display Information Systems (ECDIS) sea trials in Australia and developing one of the world’s first ECDIS systems. He also developed hydrographic cartography training materials, which influenced a generation of hydrographers.

Friend and former L-3 Director, Phil O’Neil, said, “One of his greatest strengths was his ability to educate, train and mentor staff who were new to the industry.”

From 2004 to 2009, Ian was selfemployed and delivered on a number of key hydrographic surveying and cartographic compilation and auditing projects for a range of clients.

Ian’s influence extended far beyond the work place. He contributed to more than 20 articles to industry journals and publications, and had been editor of the Australasian Hydrographic Society’s (AHS) Hippocampus newsletter and also of the International Hydrographic

Organization’s International Hydrographic Review since 2010. This academic engagement fulfilled one of his personal career goals: to share his knowledge to improve data, product and processes across the international hydrographic community.

His opinions and advice were highly valued, but given with a unique blend of authority and humility.

Ian was a member of the AHS for 35 years and awarded an Order of Merit for service to the AHS in 2017.

It is a reflection of the high esteem in which Ian was held by the wider hydrographic community that, at news of his premature death, condolence messages poured in from across Australia and across the world.

Ian is survived by his wife Robyn, their three children, Alicia, Heather and Laura, and one grandchild. Beyond the workplace, Ian’s commitment to community was shown through his 15year leadership role as a Master Trainer in the Dads4Kids Fatherhood Foundation.

Ian was generous in sharing his time, expertise and wisdom with all those he came into contact with: a true gentleman, a very dear mate.

Ian, we shall miss you dreadfully.

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