A spatial achievement
Like any other professional field, the geospatial industry likes to recognise excellence, and that’s just what happened at the recent 2018 Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence – Queensland Awards.
Karen Joyce receives her award from Bob Markham
Awards are given out at a regional level throughout the year, with these Queensland prizes announced at a ceremony in Brisbane at the end of August.
The event showcased the most outstanding projects and the leading candidates in the spatial field. More than that – they served as inspiration for students that inspire to study spatial sciences at TAFE or university, AKA the next generation of spatial professionals. While there were many industry leaders, experts and up-and-comers recognised, there were a few in particular that stand out in that regard.
Women’s Leadership Awards Winner – Karen Joyce
With over 20 years backing her, Dr Karen Joyce is an expert is geospatial science, remote sensing and drones – not to mention one of the industry professionals that is really inspiring school students to learn more about the world of spatial studies.
In particular, she is working to inspire more women to take to the profession. Her company She Maps – previously She Flies – brings drone technology and spatial studies into the classroom, through workshops, demonstrations and lesson plans that teachers can implement on their own. Throughout it all, Karen conveys her passion for geospatial science and the changes it can deliver for our world.
As the award judges put it, “Karen’s contributions, particularly with the She Flies initiative, is a clear indication of her dedication, passion and contribution to spatial science and the community more broadly.”
Keep an eye on this website in the next few weeks to learn more about Karen’s work!
Undergraduate Student Award Clem Jones Medal Winner – Scott Johnson
Tomorrow’s students will no doubt take a lot from the hard work of Undergraduate Student Award winner Scott Johnson.
With the modern world – and modern spatial work – relying on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) so completely, it is important that the offer accuracy. Scott’s time working with the Queensland State Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy afforded him the opportunity to investigate the precision of various GNSS combinations in Australia – an opportunity he wouldn’t have been able to make much of were he not dedicated, intelligent and committed to his profession.
His work highlighted some capabilities of the GNSS and offered a glimpse of potential applications that will no doubt benefit professionals in the future.
Professional of the Year Award Winner – Roy Somerville
As the outgoing Queensland Chair of the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute, the current Chair of Destination Spatial Queensland, a managing director of his own company, and a major authority on spatial sciences in the country, Roy is an example of true dedication to the profession.
Roy’s acted as a mentor to many young people coming into the spatial arena and championed talented newcomers whenever the opportunity arose.
As the judges remarked, Roy is a, “Wonderful asset to the industry on so many fronts. His role of chair on two very vital committees is an example of the high respect by peers. Roy’s contribution to the SSSI and the profession more broadly has been significant and in recent times it has been crucial to the re-invigoration of SSSI Queensland.”
To learn more about the awards, visit the 2018 Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence website, and you can find out more about Queensland study pathways on this website here.
