The
Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI) undertakes collaboration on research and education issues that involve spatial aspects in an attempt to accelerate the take up of spatial technologies by end-users.
CRCSI works in the key industry sectors of agriculture, natural resources and climate change, defence and security, energy and utilities, health, and sustainable planning for urban development. Spatial information is central to addressing the serious challenges facing Australia today. It is as essential to society as energy and roads. Eighty per cent of government decisions involve spatial information.
The potential for further practical and creative uses, leading to improved productivity and innovation, is limitless. But it can only be achieved through a spatially enabled Australasia, where everyone has affordable access to location-specific data and information from anywhere for social or economic purposes.
The CRCSI research and development (R&D) program is designed to meet the two strategic objectives for spatially enabling Australia that have been developed by the Australia and New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC) representing federal, state and territory government agencies, and endorsed by industry.
The first objective is to create a coordinated national network of satellite system reference stations to permit real-time positioning to 2cm accuracy. This system will provide precise information on the positions of people, vehicles, built infrastructure and natural assets across the nation. Realising such a network requires substantial research to optimise use of existing and new reference stations, including the 75 positioning satellites being launched by Europe, Russia, China, Japan and India over the next five years.
The second objective is to establish a fully functioning market place for spatial information, realised through the ‘ANZ spatial marketplace’ strategy. This will enable government agencies to lift the licensing, governance and technical restrictions on providing the vast stores of government-held spatial data to the open market and to encourage other users to trade and value-add their data as well.
A highlight of CRCSI’s work internationally was working with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to establish the Centre for Earth Observation and Digital Earth. This Centre was used to help during the Sichuan earthquake crisis.
The Cooperative Research Centres, generally known as
CRCs, work with researchers from universities,
CSIRO, other government laboratories, and private industry or public sector agencies. CRCs help to establish long-term collaborative arrangements which support research and development and education activities that achieve real outcomes of national economic and social significance.
For more information on CRCSI, please visit:
www.crcsi.com.au