Community Impact Award:
Queensland Department of Environment and Science & GP One Consulting for QWildlife Koalas
The QWildlife Koalas app has been designed to help future-proof the koala population one picture at a time. The app is encouraging Queenslanders to become citizen scientists by allowing them to record Koala photos and locations in our bush or urban landscapes, assisting QPWS to ensure their mapping is current and conservation efforts are focused where they need to be. Judges said the app was easy to use and should have a positive impact on Koalas and community awareness of the need to protect koalas.
Environment & Sustainability Award:
The Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and Geoscience Australia for their National Ocean Ecosystem Account
The winning organisations have partnered to develop Australia’s first National Ocean Ecosystem Account focused on blue carbon ecosystems including mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass. The Ocean Account forms a foundation of knowledge of Australia’s ocean which can be used to make informed decisions about how we manage our marine ecosystems and resources. Judges said it was a well thought out and executed project with both economic and environmental benefits, making a valuable contribution to Australia’s work on environmental management.
Geospatial Enablement Award:
FrontierSI, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Mapizy, Veris, the Australian Road Research Board and the University of Wollongong for TMR Spatial Labs 2022
FrontierSI delivered the inaugural TMR Spatial Labs Program in 2022. The program engaged industry and research organisations who had compelling ideas about how AI, ML and deep learning could be used on TMR’s spatial data to extract information about what’s on the road, around the road and in the road corridor, in novel and innovative ways. Judges said it was a refreshing and innovative use of a diversity of data and technologies.
Technical Excellence Award:
Australian Spatial Analytics, Enzen & Energy Queensland for the Legacy Asset Migration to Utility Network project
Australian Spatial Analytics (ASA) has been partnering with Enzen for over two years, delivering value to Energy Queensland through the digital asset data cleansing & migration project. Enzen developed a solution that would deliver the required services onshore while providing a social benefit. ASA was engaged to merge and cleanse geographic asset data from Ergon and Energex’s legacy systems by employing over 60 neurodiverse young Australians, with aligned cognitive skills. The judges said this was an amazing case study, outlining the opportunities and social benefits that the geospatial industry can provide, and the ability to identify, embrace, challenge, and train people from different backgrounds to contribute to the geospatial profession.
Innovation Award for Medium to Large Businesses:
The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads & GP One Consulting for their Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Transport Analysis and Collaboration Tools
The GIS Portal is being designed to provide collaborative two-way sharing of spatial data within the transport partnership for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. One application of the tool is to assist both State and Local Government with the commitment to provide reliable, safe and timely travel for Games Stakeholders between the Athletes Villages and Competition Venues. Judges commented this is a good example of using and displaying complex and varied data in a clear way to make better decisions.
Innovation Award for Small Businesses:
Revelare Systems for their Spatial Enterprise Cloud Architecture project
Revelare Systems delivered a successful enterprise cloud migration project for Photomapping Services. Using public cloud services to deliver industry standard processing tools in a virtual cloud environment has enhanced Photomapping Services’ capability by facilitating seamless remote work with access to a nation-wide talent pool. The innovative approach has also eliminated constraints imposed by on-site data storage and computer power, enabling the client to thrive while simultaneously improving its data stewardship and environmental impact. Judges said it was great to see more modern enterprise systems being offered and implemented to small business to help them streamline and improve operational efficiencies.
Award for Workforce Development and Inclusion:
TMR & GP One once again for their Olympic and Paralympic Games Transport project
Judges said the amount of work that goes into preparing for an event such as the Games is astounding, and it was great to see a part so crucial being carefully thought-out and designed.
Educational Development Awards:
Jennah Williams
Jennah, Education Program Manager at Esri Australia, combines her passion for marine science and STEM education to inspire educators, students and community leaders to embrace geospatial science in their everyday studies and work. Her genuine love of the spatial sciences is equalled only by her passion for education. Jennah has demonstrated an incredible level of dedication to the mission of raising the profile and expanding the adoption of geospatial technology – across primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions. The judges commented it was exciting to see that so much passion and effort is being put forth to educate on the importance of spatial science/GIS across many disciplines at the school level, not just at university level.
Postgraduate Student Award:
Mohammad Abbasi
Mohammad is a PhD student at Griffith University. His innovative research project addresses a significant public health concern in Australia – the asbestos legacy in the built environment, known as the silent killer. By employing remote sensing imagery, AI, and spatial analytics, the project aims to develop a data-driven forecasting model for asbestos roofs. The outcomes of this research will provide invaluable insights for asbestos management strategies, ultimately helping to reduce asbestos-related diseases and fatalities. Judges said asbestos is a real risk to society and that it is great to see this type of study and approach to the mapping of the hotspots in particular.
Undergraduate Student Award:
Kyran Cook
Kyran is currently completing a Bachelor of Spatial Science at UniSQ. As part of his degree, Kyran is completing his honours research on the innovative use of InSAR and Coherent Change Detection to map erosion in the Quilpie region. Along with this, Kyran has a substantial involvement in the industry, having worked as a surveyor throughout his degree, working as a research assistant at UniSQ and is a member on the GCA Young and Emerging Professionals Committee. Judges commented this is a neat application of INSAR data analysis, with the potential to change the approach to erosion detection.
Future Leader of the Year Award:
Ben Dawes
Ben Dawes, from local firm Bennett + Bennett, is a surveyor, digital practitioner and outstanding performer. His intelligence, knowledge and passion for geospatial information makes him a key industry leader as we evolve in the digital world. Ben is never satisfied with the status quo and challenges everyone around him to be better. His technical knowledge is backed up by his commercial acumen to ensure that the industry and clients benefit from his solutions. Ben leads SiteDE which is a data certainty provider offering a variety of intelligent digital data solutions which are grounded by geospatial information. The judges said the nomination clearly demonstrated Ben’s technical excellence and also his leadership skills, such as communication and dedication to ongoing learning for both himself and those around him.
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