Fiji Explores Deep Sea Minerals and Mining at Workshop
Tuesday, 03 April 2012 09:17
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The Director of Fiji’s Mineral Resources Department, Mr. Malakai Finau told participants in a one day Fiji National Deep Sea Mineral Consultation Workshop held in Suva recently that “with deep sea mineral exploration being granted within the Fiji waters it is important to proceed with caution, to strike a balance between economic development and the protection of the environment.”
The workshop is part of in-country stakeholder consultation process organized by SOPAC Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) through the European Union funded Deep Sea Mineral Project in fifteen Pacific ACP States. This consultation allows government officials as well as representatives of the private sector, academic institutions and civil society groups to explore issues relating to deep seabed minerals and mining.
Similar meetings have already been held in Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, Samoa and now Fiji. According to SPC-EU Deep Sea Mineral Project Team Leader, Akuila Tawake, there will be a further ten countries where the consultation workshops will be held in the next five months.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 April 2012 09:24
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Pacific GIS Units empowered with Free and Open Source Software
Monday, 26 March 2012 14:39
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Tuesday, 20th March, Suva - Using the right tool for the right job is a common mantra amongst data specialists, but in the Pacific, access to, and more importantly, knowledge about relevant software tools is not readily available.
In the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) domain, undertaking even basic tasks entails using expensive proprietary software solutions. These software solutions are beyond the budget of many government and academic GIS units in the region, and this has resulted in rampant piracy and illegal use of such software.
Seeing a need for freely available GIS software, which has no licensing restrictions, SOPAC Division of SPC actively advocates the use of, and subsequently, provides relevant training on Free and Open Source (FOSS) Geo-spatial software through the work of its SOPAC Division.
In a recent training trip to Solomon Islands Power Authority, Mr Edwin Liava'a, Utilities GIS Specialist, SOPAC Division, deployed FOSS GIS software on their network and conducted relevant training. The software package he used was specifically built for Pacific Islands GIS Units by SOPAC Division.
Last Updated on Monday, 26 March 2012 14:51
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Solomons Benefits From Mapping Technologies
Wednesday, 21 March 2012 10:02
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 “What is an absolute necessity is these Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) tools are developed in an integrated and strategic manner for all those involved in these technologies.”
Dr. Howorth, the Director of the SOPAC Division of the SPC, was addressing the first Solomon Islands National Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing Stakeholder Meeting as its keynote speaker.
He said that the goal of the SOPAC Division is to apply geoscience and technology to realize new opportunities for improving the livelihoods of Pacific communities. GIS and Remote Sensing is clearly a technology that can contribute to realizing improving livelihoods.
GIS is a computer-based tool used to collect, combine and overlay information in the form of easily understood maps constructed from up-to-date satellite images and field data, while Remote Sensing is the collection of information about the earth from a number of sources that could utilize satellites, aircraft, or electromagnetic radiation.
Dr. Howorth told the participants that Pacific islands share much in common and the Solomon Islands is no exception.
Last Updated on Monday, 26 March 2012 14:52
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Lifuka Island, Tonga, at the forefront in understanding climate change impacts on small islands
Monday, 19 March 2012 06:43
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 Nukualofa, Friday 16 March 2012: How exactly will climate change impact the lives of people living on small islands and what can be done to adapt to those impacts? On Lifuka Island in Tonga’s Ha’apai group, a project to find answers to this question is underway. The answer could help people around the Pacific and the world prepare for, and adapt to, climate change.
The project is part of the Pacific Adaptation Strategy Assistance Program (PASAP) and aims to assess the vulnerability and adaptation to sea level rise in Lifuka. It is being run by the Government of Tonga with the assistance of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Tonga Community Development Trust (TCDT).
Fuka Kitekei’aho, National Coordinator for PASAP, said that Lifuka was chosen because it had already experienced sea level rise as a result of an earthquake in May 2006.
“The earthquake measured approximately 7.9 on the Richter scale and resulted in subsidence of 23 cm of the western side of Lifuka Island,” Mr Kitekei’aho said. “In the past four years, the island has experienced significant coastal erosion over a three kilometre section of the coastline, including where the harbour, homes, and hospital are located.”
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 08:06
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