Table of contents

• Special interest Group: Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing
• Objectives
• Members
  • Chairman: Wolf Forstreuter
• Pacific Islands GIS/RS Conference December 2009, USP, Suva, Fiji
• Important Links
• Development Tasks

Special interest Group: Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing

The Special Interest Group (SIG), Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing was founded after a discussion during the PacINET meeting in 2005 in Tarawa, Kiribati. The arguments to have this avenue for GIS and Remote Sensing (RS) development within PICISOC were:

1. GIS and RS is moving towards web based applications. This is not only visible through Google Earth, but also through the MapServer? installed in 14 Pacific Island Countries. Soon all common spatial layers such as public road network, river system, other infrastructure elements including airports, harbours etc. will be downloadable for everybody. This will ensure faster GIS development and at the same everybody will speaks the same language as everybody works with the same projection, same amount of details, etc.
2. To assist GIS applications in the region SOPAC, SPC and SPREP were employing the Internet as early users. GIS-PacNet the e-mail distribution list exists for more than ten years and assisted many GIS officers in remote areas. Now-a-days SOPAC’s Skype help desk is solving many problems, when e-mail attachments and e-mail conversation are too slow.
3. Remote Sensing is traditionally closely linked to ICT sections because of large demand for data storage and advanced formats to store images. GIF, JPEG and other image formats but at the same time file compression methods were created because of the need to transfer image data through the Internet.

Utilising heavily the Internet for GIS and RS requires us playing our role in the development. The main argument, however, for being an active part of PICISOC is the need to have a voice in the international development. Pacific Island Countries are relatively isolated and PICISOC provides the avenue to publish Pacific problems on an international level and at the same time receive information from countries outside the Pacific.

Objectives

The Special Interest Group (SIG) of PICISOC, facilitates the advancement of GIS and RS technologies in the Pacific via:

• Sharing information between users
• Operation the e-mail list GIS-PacNet
• Encouraging the creation of GISRS National user groups
• Publishing the Pacific Islands GIS&RS Newsletter
• Assisting in organising a yearly Regional GIS&RS User Conference for the Pacific
• Monitoring RS and GIS development in the Pacific - Latest Articles Download Vegetation Mapping KI Report

Members

Chairman: Wolf Forstreuter

Names	Interest	E-mail	Country
Wolf Forstreuter	General		Fiji
Mike Poidevin	Survey, Photogrammetry		Australia
Franck Magron	Shallow Water Bathymetry		New Caledonia
Malcolm Archbold	Geodesy, GPS, Mapping		NZ
Conway Pene	Geography		Fiji
Elizabeth Whippy	General/utility GIS		Fiji
Vasiti Soko	General		Fiji
Joy Papao	Image Processing		Fiji
Edwin Liava'a	Utility GIS		Tonga
Robinson T. Wood	Utility GIS		Solomon Islands
Akosita Lewai	Forestry GIS&RS		Fiji
Silika Tuivanuavou	Land Mapping		Fiji
Litea Buikoto	Disaster GIS		Fiji
Vilisi Tokalauvere	Genera/Mapserver	vtokalauvere@gmail.com	Fiji
Litia Gaunavou	General	litiag@sopac.org	Fiji
James Atherton	General	atherton@conservation.org

Pacific Islands GIS/RS Conference December 2009, USP, Suva, Fiji

SPIE Asia - Pacific Remote Sensing Workshop, 17- 21 November 2008, Noumea, New Caledonia The focus of the 6th Asia Pacific Remote Sensing Symposium is “Remote Sensing for Island Ecosystem Management and the Diagnosis of Threats to the Global Environment” IRD will be assisting to conduct the above workshop in Noumea, whereby 300 participants are expected to attend Conference funded by French Government SPIE Asia - Pacific Remote Sensing Workshop Possible training workshop together with SOPAC/SPC and IRD on Remote Sensing for Watershed Management

Past Conferences Pacific Islands GIS/RS Conference 4 - 7 December 2007, USP, Suva, Fiji Pacific Islands GIS/RS Conference 27 - 30 November 2006, USP, Suva, Fiji PacGISRS 2008 Registration and Information Download PacGISRS 2008 Conference report

Important Links

Development Tasks

These topics which are of interest to the development of GIS&RS in the Pacific

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