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Australia's most innovative in ICT hailed at 2013 National iAwards

THERE was enormous diversity in this year's national iAwards. CSIRO won the R&D prize for its Zebedee Mobile Mapping project, GS1 Australia and Australian Food & Grocery Council won the Consumer award for its GoScan program, while Geomatic Technologies and Sydney Trains won the Industrial prize for developing GT AIMS in support of Sydney Trains Mechanised Track Patrol (MTP).

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Federal Minister Kate Lundy presents the Pearcey Foundation Medal to Alex Zelinsky and inducts Rod Tucker and Robert Elz into the Pearcey Hall of Fame

 

Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads took the Government gong for its work with Transmax on the Queensland Emergency Vehicle Priority system, while the New Product winner was Avoka Transact's Transaction Experience Management Platform, an area in which UnityHealth and Xero also won a Merit award.

In addition, the evening saw Dr Alex Zelinsky of the ACT awarded the Pearcey Medal and the induction of two new ICT luminaries into the Pearcey Hall of Fame: Robert Elz (of Thailand) and Prof. Rod Tucker of Victoria.

The National 2013 iAwards winners were announced last week at the iAwards Presentation Ceremony and dinner held at Crown Melbourne. The 2013 iAwards was an impressive showcase of innovations in ICT and highlighted the many ways in which ICT is delivering innovation and can help to drive productivity and economic growth.

The iAwards is widely regarded as Australia's premier technology awards program, focused on recognising the contributions that ICT makes across all sectors of the Australian and global economies. The program provides a pathway for ICT professionals and students to achieve international recognition, with the journey for iAwards winners beginning each year with success at a local State or Territory level.

iAwards chair Russell Yardley said, "It's always rewarding to see the far reaching impact which the use of innovative technology has on our economy. ICT can lead to improvements in productivity and can also have a tangible impact on society in areas as vast as health, education, mining and the environment.

"This year's iAwards program again uncovered some exceptional innovations in the application of ICT across many different industry areas and showcased the true value of ICT to our nation. We congratulate every nominee, state and national winner for participating in this year's program and wish them well for the future."

In support of the continuing development of the program, the 2014 iAwards will include a new award, presented in conjunction with Hills Holdings: the Hills Young Australian ICT Innovator of the Year iAward.

Mr Yardley said of the new award, "By coming together to support these wonderful awards the three host organisations ACS, AIIA and the Pearcey Foundation are striving to engage industry, government and academia, to celebrate the incredible value that the ICT industry offers and to motivate our young people to aspire to follow careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

As the only truly international ICT awards program in Australia, company winners of the 2013 iAwards have the opportunity to compete with businesses from across the Asia Pacific region at the 2013 Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards.

Each year APICTA recognises the best in innovation from across the Asia Pacific ICT community. Past winners have gone on to international business success, secured funding, formed new partnerships and realised significant business growth as a result of their expanded horizons.

The Australian iAwards evening was attended by Minister Assisting Innovation and Industry, Senator Kate Lundy, and Victorian Government Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier Craig Ondarchie along with hundreds of guests from across the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, the wider business community, government and the education sector.

APICTA representative and Hong Kong Computer Society vice president, Stephen Lau, attended the evening to show the Asia Pacific ICT Alliance's endorsement of the 2013 iAwards program. The 2013 APICTAs will be held in Hong Kong 0n November 24 - 27.

About the iAwards
Over 19 years, the iAwards has become the premier technology awards platform in Australia delivering the most comprehensive awards program in the technology industry. Since 2011 the iAwards have been open to both the companies at the cutting edge technology innovation as well as leading professionals across the industry. The iAwards are judged by industry, for industry and provide achievements with public recognition that extends across the ICT sector to government, community and beyond. They are strongly focused on promoting essential relationships between the ICT industry and vertical business sectors in every field to promote the value of our industry where it counts most. Many winners of the iAwards have the opportunity to compete with businesses from across the Asia Pacific region at the APICTA Awards (Asia Pacific ICT Awards).

The organisations partnering the iAwards are the Australian Computer Society (ACS). The Australian Information Industries Association (AIIA) and The Pearcy Foundation.

www.acs.org.au

www.aiia.com.au

www.pearcey.org.au

For more information about iAwards or APICTA, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.iawards.com.au

The 2013 Australian iAward winners are:

Research & Development winner: CSIRO (Qld) for Zebedee Mobile Mapping. Merit: Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO (WA) for the Computer-aided Ocular Biomarker Suite for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease; eWAY (ACT) for Rapid 3.0.

New Product winner: Avoka (NSW) for Avoka Transact - Transaction Experience Management Platform. Merit: Smart Services CRC & University of Sydney (NSW) for Cruiser Connected Surfaces Platform; Organic Response (Vic) for Organic Response.

Tools winner: Podzy Pty Ltd (Vic) for Podzy.

Financial winner: Xero and Payroll (Vic) for Payroll by Xero.

Industrial winner: Spectra QEST (SA) for QEST Quality Platform. Merit: Geomatic Technologies and Sydney Trains (NSW) for GT AIMS in support of Sydney Trains Mechanised Track Patrol (MTP) process.

Resources winner: V2i Pty Ltd (Qld) for the V2i immersive, integrated, content rich, eLearning platform for induction, OH & S and training. Merit: ITC Global (Australia) Pty Ltd (WA) for the BHP Billiton Iron Ore Integrated Remote Operations Centre (IROC) Satellite Service.

Consumer winner: GS1 Australia and Australian Food & Grocery Council (Vic) for GoScan. Merit: ISD Analytics (SA) for Simulait Online.

Education winner: SEQTA Software (WA) for The SEQTA Suite. MeritL Jacaranda and Media Saints (Qld) for Knowledge Quest: English; Genix Ventures Pty Ltd (Vic) for ProTRACK Lifecycle Management Platform.

Health winner: UnityHealth Pty Ltd (Vic) for The Integrative Medicine Gateway. Merit: SRA and NT Government Department of Health (NT) for ISARS; Australian e-Health Research Centre, CSIRO (WA) for the Automated Disease Grading and Clinical Decision Support for Diabetics Related Eye Disease.

Government winner: Queensland Department of Community Safety, Transmax and Qld Department of Transport and Main Roads (Qld) for Emergency Vehicle Priority. Merit: Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games (Qld) for the Business Industry Portal; CSIRO Computational Informatics and Bureau of Meteorology (ACT) for Environmental Linked Data.

Community winner: Gridstone (Vic) for EmergencyAUS. Merit: The Australian eHealth Research Centre, CSIRO (Qld) for Smarter Safer Homes Platform; Vision Australia and The Mastermind Group (Vic) for the Accessible Warehouse Manager System.

Regional winner: Landgate, University of Western Australia and Department of Fire and Emergency Services (WA) for Aurora for the Regions. Merit: Sense-T, University of Tasmania, Dept of Health and Human Services and CSIRO Intelligent Sensing and Systems Laboratory (Tas) for Sense-T Aquaculture Decision Support System (AquaDS). Merit: Centre for eCommerce & Communications, University of Ballarat (Vic) for Visualising Victoria's Groundwater.

Sustainability winner: Lingo Systems Pty Ltd (Vic) for PoolCar.

Secondary Student Project winner: Deinyon Davies of Oxford Falls Grammar School (NSW) for InRoad.

Undergraduate Tertiary Student winner: Jose Alvarado, Adriansyah, Huihyon You of Edith Cowan University (WA) for Parkinson iTest - A System to Provide Collaboration Between Patient and Supervising Clinician. Merit: F X Dio Budiraharjo, Scott Lambert, Anij Shrestha, Stephanie Pearl Siao, Curtin University (WA) for Project Zero Harm.

Postgraduate Tertiary Student winner: Jeremy Breen of the University of Tasmania School of Computing and Information Systems (TAS) for Autonomous analysis of marine sediment chemistry using an underwater robot.

CIO of the Year winner: Susan Sly (Vic).

ICT Professional of the Year winner: Dr Rod Dilnutt, FACS (Vic).

ICT Woman of the Year winner: Yvette Adams (Qld).

ICT Educator of the Year winner: AProf. Richard Buckland (NSW).

Start-Up winner: Organic Response (Vic) for Organic Response.

Victorian Government Inspiration Award winner: Organic Response (Vic) for Organic Response.

2013 CSIRO Benson Entrepreneur Award winner: Leni Mayo (Vic).

Pearcey Medallist: Dr Alex Zelinsky BSc, Phd (ACT).

Pearcey Hall of Fame: Dr Alex Zelinsky BSc, Phd (ACT).

Pearcey Hall of Fame: Robert Elz BA, LLB (Thailand).

Pearcey Hall of Fame: Prof. Rod Tucker, BEng, PhD (Vic).

ends

New social media management software HEARIS opens up business opportunities

 

QUEENSLAND-DEVELOPED social media management software (SMMS) platform, HEARIS, is starting to collect awards for its platform which enables business to manage all social media activities through a single system.

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HEARIS was developed originally to meet the social media management needs of the Lorna Jane group.

 

HEARIS last month won the Queensland iAward for Best Consumer IT Product, presented at a state dinner at Rydges South Bank hotel, for its system originally developed to meet the needs of laisure fashion client, Lorna Jane.

HEARIS was the brainchild of Traffika managing director Matt Forman and created by 4impact, both Queensland firms, and they will now take on the category winners across Australia in the national iAwards to be announced in Melbourne on August 8.

Launched late last year, HEARIS describes itself officially as "an enterprise SMMS platform that allows organisations to get maximum client reach and manage social media conversations in an efficient and cost-effective way".

HEARIS addresses a growing business problem for enterprises trying to understand and grow an effective social media presence.

Newly appointed CEO, Cat Matson said HEARIS helps businesses to achieve maximum reach "and bang for buck".

Ms Matson said HEARIS was "perfect for franchise groups and multi-location retailers". She said HEARIS has been adopted by leisurewear giant Lorna Jane, as well as Poolwerx, GJ Gardner Homes, and Goodlife Gyms, through their agency, Pusher.

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4Impact's Chris Eldrige (left) and HEARIS CEO Cat Matson.

 

Ms Matson said there has also been significant interest from real estate chains, the automotive retail sector, quick service restaurants and advertising agencies.

The Queensland iAward for best new IT product was judged on five key criteria including uniqueness, marketability, features and functionality, quality, and application.

Traffika managing director, Matt Forman, said the award built on the market validation that HEARIS has received.

"Before HEARIS, solving the complex problems of managing social media at enterprise scale, mitigating potential risk, and monetising a brand's social media audience were difficult and unattainable for many organisations," Mr Forman said.

Chris Eldridge, who describes himself as chief storyteller at 4impact Group, said the HEARIS platform was developed locally with a team of six developers in just seven months.

"We continue to add functionality, and keep up with social media platform changes, with fortnightly agile development sprints, regularly delivering new features to our customers without service interruption," Mr Eldridge said.

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Matt Forman of Traffika

 

Traffika is a Sunshine Coast-based firm that helps medium and large organisations navigate the digital landscape, Mr Eldridge said.

Mr Forman said 4impact is a Brisbane-based company "specialising in business solutions for clients, from technology to organisational".

www.hearis.com

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NEXTDC warns Australia's data fabric is one disaster from unravelling

ENERGETIC and innovative data centre operator, NEXTDC, has spearheaded research with the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Baker & McKenzie and Aon which reveals the complexities and vulnerabilities for business in managing data in current ‘cloud' environments.

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Cloud computing's advantages bring vital data protection responsibilities.

 

While recent data breaches afflicting high profile organisations like Facebook, Google and Commonwealth Bank have made headlines, as have internet security and corporate espionage issues internationally, there has been little in the way of considered advice offered to business leaders and owners in Australia.

This research looks specifically at Australia and New Zealand contexts and is designed to offer a series of signposts - including ‘10 Commandments of Data Sovereignty' -- for executives who need to understand the law, their responsibilities, and best practice measures for managing data in the cloud, according to NEXTDC CEO, Craig Scroggie.

Mr Scroggie said NEXTDC was a sponsor of the whitepaper research, titled Data Sovereignty and the Cloud - A Board and Executive Officer's Guide, because it "needed to be produced to shine light on the much debated issue and guide organisations" on their technology journeys.

"Most customers in our data centres have an interest in the issues relating to their obligations and concerns regarding data sovereignty, yet there wasn't a comprehensive piece of work available to advise them on the topic," Mr Scroggie said.

"We supported this project to ensure they have access to the important need-to-know facts."

At the whitepaper launch Mr Scroggie shared his view of the 10 Commandments of Data Sovereignty- a core list of considerations for executives.

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Craig Scroggie, NEXTDC

 

"These are essential points that should be factored into all future plans to maintain confidence in the cloud," he said.

The report shows that data sovereignty and the selection of a cloud provider extends beyond the domain of the chief information officer (CIO), and should draw on expertise from corporate security, risk management, and legal counsel within the organisation.

According to a recent Ponemon survey, corporate security professionals are involved in the vetting process for cloud providers only nine percent of the time - and this report described that as unacceptable.

The whitepaper surmised that once the cloud data location and jurisdictions are identified and analysed, the obligations for each option understood, the assessment criteria developed, and procedures trialled, these components can be drawn together and integrated into normal operations.

FEAR OF DATA BREACHES

The whitepaper has been produced just as Australia's Privacy Amendments (Privacy Alerts) Bill 2013, which stated that mandatory data breach notifications will benefit both Australian consumers and industry stakeholders, was postponed.

Academic and chief author of the 90-page whitepaper, David Vaile from the Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre at the UNSW Faculty of Law, Sydney, said the analysis has taken the better part of a year to compile and includes information as recent as the commentary on PRISM, the national security electronic surveillance program operated by the United States National Security Agency.

"There is no other document in Australia which has this much detail on the issues around data sovereignty," Mr Vaile said.

"Knowing where and under whose jurisdictional control your data is held can be a fundamental issue for transparency and risk assessment. To date it has been overlooked among all the excitement and enthusiasm about the new cloud tools and techniques. Hopefully this guide will help change that."

The whitepaper was launched in Sydney this week following a panel discussion on data sovereignty and the cloud. The panel included perspectives from the academic, legal, risk, and technology sectors to give a view of the business considerations decision makers in Australia need to assess when moving or storing data in the cloud.

Panel members included co-authors Mr Vaile, global law firm Baker & McKenzie partner Adrian Lawrence, and global insurer Aon risk expert Eric Lowenstein.

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NEXTDC's new Sydney data centre is close to opening.

 

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) chairman Chris Chapman was also at the launch.

"The whitepaper highlights a series of important issues central to digital data protection in the cloud which are of important interest to the Australian Communications and Media Authority," said Mr Chapman.

"The ACMA has been closely monitoring these issues and working with industry and citizens to facilitate a safe transition to cloud services. Our recent research paper emphasises the need for a coherent regulatory framework for cloud computing."

The whitepaper indicated that the smooth operation of a Cloud Data Location and Jurisdiction Policy will depend on how well it interacts with and is supported by, current and future online tools and data related policies.

Researcher Mr Vaile said it was important to design a development, audit and evaluation process to assess and help refine the operation of each part of the policy.

Mr Scroggie said NEXTDC's purpose-built facilities in Brisbane, Melbourne and Canberra -- with centres soon to open in Perth and Sydney -- have been designed to address the emergence and growth of cloud internet-based computing and the market's growing appetite for energy-efficient, independent data centres in which organisations can host their critical IT infrastructure.

www.nextdc.com

www.bakermckenzie.com

www.aon.com.au

www.unsw.edu.au

ends

 

Australians lead the charge in apps development: Creative Industries Innovation Study

AUSTRALIAN Australian organisations big and small -- and a flotilla of individual entrepreneurs -- are applying 'apps' at world-leading levels, according to research by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).

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It may be as American as Apple pie, but Aussie organisations and entrepreneurs are taking a lead in 'apps'.

In what is already a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide -- 'apps' is a phrase coined by Apple Inc to describe mobile 'applications' -- designing for the mobile and tablet applications industry has enjoyed a spectacular take-up in Australia.

From broadcast media to start-up companies, the nation is taking advantage of the booming apps market, helping to create more jobs and attracting businesses worth millions of dollars, according to Dr Ben Goldsmith of the CCI.

“The IBISWorld Survey shows that there are 364 apps companies in Australia,” Dr Goldsmith said. “The report reveals that the industry employs 1,500 people, generates $295 million every year and has an annual growth of 177 percent.”

Dr Goldsmith has found these companies create apps in all areas including games, finance, books, education, health and maps, and around 200 of the apps companies are in Sydney.

“The apps industry is spawning a range of business opportunities because it’s something that both companies and individuals can do,” he said. “You don’t have to build a large development studio to be in the business.

“There isn’t a ‘typical’ apps entrepreneur – they come from different backgrounds, such as software development, marketing, design, investment and venture capital. Some are just very gifted kids.”

Dr Goldsmith said the industry was not just about designing and developing applications for mobile phones and tablets – companies have begun to specialise in areas such as mobile marketing, advertising, security, testing users’ experience and developing templates for others to build their own apps.

Using Westpac as an example, Dr Goldsmith said the bank currently has 70 people in their internal apps development team, which isn’t a huge part of their workforce of 36,000. However, they also subcontract a lot of work to outside firms in different stages of the development, including those that specialise in mobile security.

“There are also services that nobody imagined we needed before apps became such an important part of our lives,” Dr Goldsmith said.

“For instance, Apple just bought an Australian developed search engine for apps called ‘Chomp’, and has incorporated the search service into their online store.

“These are examples of how the apps market has created new job opportunities in existing companies, but also for consultants that provide related services.”

MEDIA GETS CREATIVE

At the same time, broadcast media is boosting its chances of survival in the digital age by jumping into the growing apps industry, Dr Goldsmith said.

“Traditional broadcast media are beginning to recognise that the apps industry isn’t competition, but a way of expanding their businesses,” he said.

“As an example, ABC iview started as an internet service for people to watch ABC programs on their computers.

“But they’ve since developed an app so people can watch the programs on wireless devices, and they found out that more people watch the programs on mobile phones or tablets than on computers.”

Foxtel has also expanded into the mobile space very quickly, Dr Goldsmith said.

Their London 2012 Olympics app as well as their new Foxtel Go app that allow subscribers to watch live programs on the move have met with great success.

“Networks have developed ‘companion apps’ that prompt viewers to fill in surveys, answer questions or access extra content while the program is running,” he said.

“So creating apps that cater to the viewers’ needs isn’t just a way to survive – it also encourages conversations between consumers and companies.”

Dr Goldsmith said Sydney is emerging as the centre of the Australian industry with a vibrant start-up culture.

The software company Atlassian, started by two Sydney friends in an apartment, now sells $100 million worth of software a year worldwide and is worth $1 billion.

Another Sydney based company, Gruden, has also expanded internationally and has helped build the app store for China Mobile, he said.

“With the growth of the mobile and tablet market, the apps industry is a diverse and rapidly growing area," Dr Goldsmith said. "So there’s immense potential for Australian companies and I’m optimistic that we’ll rise up to the challenge.”

www.cci.edu.au

 

*The ARC Centre for Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation is helping to build a creative Australia through cutting-edge research spanning the creative industries, media and communications, arts, cultural studies, law, information technology, education and business. It is funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) and is based at QUT, Brisbane.

ends  

 



For 'Green IT Week' Aussie organisation launches international data centre power certification

IT MAY NOT have received much mainstream publicity, but this is International Green IT Awareness Week and significant announcements have been made - especially the news that environmental power certification has been established for data centres.

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Mark Winter, Foundation for IT Sustainability CEO.

 

It is the work of Australia-based Foundation for IT Sustainability (FFITS.org), a non-profit organisation known primarily for developing the first Green IT training and certification labelling program. 

Data centres are major consumers of electricity, mainly for cooling ever-more-powerful server systems. The Foundation for IT Sustainability, to mark Green IT Week, has launched Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) Certification for data centres and its validation system was developed and tested in Queensland.

"Although the identity of the data centre must remain confidential for commercial reasons, we are grateful to a member organisation for ‘donating' the use of their data centre to validate the entire testing and validation process," said FFITS.org board member, William Ehmcke.

FFITS.org is launching the standardised PUE Balanced Scorecard program to provide "an apples to apples comparison" of data centres, Mr Ehmcke said. He said the PUE Certification can provide the initial first step for Australian companies considering undertaking the new NABERS for Data Centres accreditation.

"The FFITS.org PUE Certification provides data centre operators with an independent verification of their PUE claims," said Mark Winter, founder and CEO of FFITS.org.

"With the rapid rollout of cloud computing services the demand has never been greater for data centre real estate; and as organisations evaluate these providers they are looking for more than just available space."

Mr Winter said in today's data centre marketplace ‘green' or environmental issues are increasingly at the forefront of purchasers' minds and the distinctive PUE Certification Label provides data centre operators with a competitive differentiator, enabling them to stand out in the industry.

"Many data centre providers have flagged that PUE is being used out of context by data centre providers seeking to promote their ‘green' credentials," Mr Winter said. "By offering a third party and independent certification service, FFITS.org is able to level the playing field and provide an immediately recognisable validation of efforts toward energy efficiencies.

"The FFITS.org PUE certification will assist our industry in cleaning up our act as well as provide confidence around problematic PUE claims in the marketplace."

FFITS.org is based on the Gold Coast and operates as a global, non-profit organisation whose mission is to promote the sustainable use of technology.

Australian IT companies have been a leader in the field for some time, through data centres such as Ecohost in Brisbane and Macquarie Telecom in Sydney.

FFITS.org has an online eLearning training platform, promoting and encouraging the implementation of IT sustainability best practices and recognition and certification of organisations that are doing their part to reduce their power consumption and in turn reducing their carbon dioxide emissions.

Mr Winter said all profits from certification, training, donations, sponsorships and activities fund collaborative IT sustainability education programs at local, regional and international levels.

http://www.ffits.org/

ends

Could SMEs ditch accountants in favour of cloud services?

ACCOUNTING professionals in Australia are facing up to the uncomfortable realisation that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may be ditching their services in favour of cheaper ‘cloud’ based accounting systems.

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Accounting for SMEs is blurred by opportunities in 'cloud' services.

The realisation has come out of national research by software developer CCH in alliance with Brisbane-based coaching, content and technology firm, Proactive Accountants Network.

The research found that almost two thirds (64 %) of SMEs would consider replacing some of the roles that their accountant currently performs with a cloud-based accounting system.

Already 14 percent of SMEs use cloud-based software to manage their accounts, the survey found. Online programs such as XERO, SAASU, MYOB and the soon to be released CCH iBizz are making it easier for SMEs to bypass their accountants, and lodge their Business Activity Statements (BAS) through lower priced avenues.

CCH has teamed up with Proactive Accountants Network to educate accountants on the move towards cloud based accounting.

The firms are conducting a tour – titled Remaining Relevant and claimed to be the biggest accounting event ever staged in Australia – to 13 Australian cities and likely to be attended by 2,000 accountants.

Proactive Accountants Network CEO Rob Nixon said accounting firms were an intermediary that process and compile data and they were in the firing line of being drastically disrupted by the internet.

“It’s not years away – it is happening right now,” Mr Nixon said. “I already know of accounting firms who have had ‘ethical clearance’ letters from Asian accounting firms doing the work directly for their clients.

“They can do this because the accounting data is ‘light’ (a login) and not ‘heavy’ (a USB stick or disk.) When the data is light it is more transportable. “Compliance is being commoditised with these tools. You can go to accountant websites right now and see ‘packaged’ compliance services advertised at set fees per month.”

Mr Nixon said the situation was “not all bad”.

For those accountants who are embracing the technology, he said, 62 percent believe the biggest benefit of using a cloud-based system was that it could be accessed from multiple locations. He said 32 percent felt cloud accounting technology meant they did not need to worry about maintenance or purchasing hardware or accounting software.

Mr Nixon and the CEO of CCH Wolters Kluwer Asia Pacific, Russell Evans, want to stem the tide of SMEs doing it on their own because research found that SME businesses failed, in part, due to failures in seeking professional advice (about 26% in the report) and receiving poor professional advice (21%).

“It is in the best interest of accountants to maintain leadership in cloud solutions so they can better service their SME clients,” Mr Evans said.

www.remainingrelevant.com.au

ends

Local government driving new location-aware smartphone apps

LOCAL councils are seeking new ways to operate more efficiently and connect with their citizens through location-aware smartphone applications (apps), according to a new Australian technology study. Image

Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) and geographic information system (GIS) technology leaders Esri Australia recently conducted the 2013 GIS in Local Government Benchmark Study, surveying 150 councils on their use of mapping technology.

The survey discovered 58 percent of respondents expected to release location-based smartphone apps within the next two years.

Of the councils surveyed, a majority believed further development of mobile technology was a key priority for them over the next five years.

The research indicated smartphone apps could play a crucial role in information gathering during emergency situations, and as a means to share council data with the community.

Speaking at last week's SSSI annual conference in Canberra, where the study was launched, Esri Australia principal consultant Gary Johnson said the research showed councils see GIS - an advanced data mapping technology - as the key to better communication with the public.

"Ninety-nine percent of respondents believe GIS technology can improve the way councils communicate with citizens," Mr Johnson said. 

"That might be through the development of a location-aware smartphone app, or user-friendly online maps.

"This statistic is given further weight when we consider 83 percent of respondents believe information sourced from the public is important to emergency response activities.

"It is no surprise councils are planning to act on these understandings and connect with the community through location-based smartphone apps.

"Many respondents indicated this was also being driven by the community, which now expects greater access to council information in the easy-to-use, visual format of digital maps."

The study also revealed councils see GIS technology as integral to emergency management internally, with around half of respondents declaring it strengthened decision-making (53 percent) and resource allocation (47 percent), and heightened situational awareness (48 percent) during a crisis.

SSSI president Gary Maguire said the aim of the report was to raise understanding and awareness of the role of the GIS professional in Australia's local government sector.

"The survey serves as an important piece of industry research because it provides an outline of how councils across the country are currently using GIS," Mr Maguire said.

"It also highlights how they plan to use it in years to come, providing an indicator of areas of growth for the sector and new trends.

"Most importantly, it provides our councils the opportunity to share with each other knowledge and insights that will impact future technology strategies and potentially facilitate collaboration in areas such as open data or emergency response."

Mr Johnson said the study showed councils continued to be national innovators in the use of GIS technology.

"Local governments are the largest user of GIS technology in Australia," Mr Johnson said.

"They have consistently been early adopters of GIS advancements, and as a result drive much of the innovation in how the technology is used.

"This is evident in the way local government have used GIS technology during emergencies to verify crowdsourced data, and to develop a two-way conversation with the community via smartphones apps."
Mr Johnson said the study was proof that the use of GIS technology within local government was becoming widespread.

"Sixty-eight percent of respondents believe their organisations have a strong understanding of the value of GIS technology," Mr Johnson said.

"Given the study showed 85 percent of councils already provide all of their departments with access to GIS capabilities it is clear we are seeing an expansion of the technologies within our councils - which can only mean better services and more open communication with their residents."

www.esriaustralia.com

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