Scientists, users and vendors not only from the Pacific Region, but the world at large will convene for a 4 day conference in Suva, Fiji Islands from 27th November to participate at the 2012 Pacific Island Countries Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing User Conference.
Since it’s inception in 1999, the annual conference has grown from strength to strength as evident by the increase in attendance, expertise and calibre of presentations and discussions held over the years.
The theme for this year is “Mapping Pacific Resources”, which is timely as the recently concluded Rio +20 United Nations conference noted the relevance of global mapping and recognised the value of reliable geospatial information for sustainable development and decision-making. The global conference further recognised the need to support developing countries in their efforts to collect resource and environmental data.
Each year the range of GIS/RS technologies presented cover an array of applications including the management of resources of the small island Pacific nations. Shallow water bathymetry derived from satellite imagery, land cover maps to identify areas for to be protected, areas identified for developments in flood zones are some of the applications where the development of GIS/RS in the region have been applied in various sectors.
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 distance.
As with previous conferences, there are no fees levied for those wishing to attend, and the conference is funded entirely by donations from regional organisations, technology vendors and international agencies.
For further information and registration go to http://picgisrs.appspot.com
