2016 - NZSEA - New Zealand Spatial Excellence Awards

Winners of the 2016 Awards

Supreme Award

Wellington City Council, People and Community

A community driven cross sector collaboration with the technology company NEC using smart technology to develop solutions to assist with improving community safety and assisting the city’s vulnerable. The project came from series of workshops with community groups, agencies, residents and retailers who were concerned at the increased presence of aggressive begging and anti-social behaviour relating to the sale of psycho-active substances. There was also a strong interest in being able to integrate and map shared data and information to provide a mechanism for evidence based future planning and opportunity for real time responses to local incidences and concerns. The community were interested in looking at ways to use technology to address these issues and Cuba Mall was identified as an ideal geographic location for a “Living Lab” develop these solutions.

The Living Lab leveraged existing assets (CCTV) and sources of data and information which were streamlined and integrated. This was coupled with new sensory and analytical methods and technologies and use cases included: glass breaking, screaming, detection of beggars/rough sleepers and anti-social behaviour. The project also provided an enhanced situational awareness with a GIS map overlaid with real-time alerts and detections using integrated community data.

Organisations

Winners of these awards have been automatically entered into the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards (APSEA).

Environment and Sustainability
Proudly supported by: Land Information New Zealand

Statistics New Zealand
Environment Aoteraoa 2015

To make good decisions about our environment we need an accurate picture of it. Environment Aotearoa 2015 gathered data from hundreds of sources to tell an epic story about our environment, ranging from the atmosphere above New Zealand to our deepest oceans. It is the first state of the environment report to be produced collaboratively between the Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand under a new environmental reporting framework. It is the first environmental report to be electronically published and feature a suite of interactive maps. Maps are integral features of Environment Aotearoa 2015. They are visually engaging and tell a story that’s easily understood by people with a limited range of technical capability. The report and website include 76 interactive and static maps that display a total of 380 spatial data layers. Readers can view an animation of 42 years of annual rainfall, compare current with historical wetland extents, view the state and trend of water quality, and build their own map of land cover classes. The layers are available to the public from the data service. Users are free to reuse all the data used in the maps.

Export
Proudly supported by: SIBA New Zealand

ThunderMaps
ThunderMaps Europe

Citywide implementations of ThunderMaps location data collection and awareness apps are being rolled-out into European cities, to help keep their citizens informed and safe. The ThunderMaps platform is able to share “location data” from one person to another, from one contractor to another, and from one government organisation to another. Because each organisation can share location data (as they feel appropriate), each entity can use the platform to significantly reduce administration time and increase the situational awareness of their staff and contractors. ThunderMaps assigns an intelligent agent to each user of their software, to help the user's smart devices suck large amounts of data from the world. The non-confidential data gathered by one user, is then shared with other users that may need that information - all in real-time. The ThunderMaps Smart City solution helps local councils engage citizens with a personalised communication stream - this full stack solution has both web and mobile apps, and can be branded for each city. Closer to home ThunderMaps is also expanding its health and safety, and data collection offerings in the New Zealand, Australian and now American marketplaces.

Innovation and Commercialisation
Proudly supported by: CoreLogic

Ballance Agri-Nutrients
SpreadSmart

Clearview Innovations (PGP), Ballance Agri-Nutrients and the Ministry of Primary industries have developed a system for fixed wing aircraft to apply variable rates of fertiliser across contrasting topographic areas using prescription maps.

People and Community
Proudly supported by: Statistics New Zealand

Wellington City Council
Living Lab

A community driven cross sector collaboration with the technology company NEC using smart technology to develop solutions to assist with improving community safety and assisting the city’s vulnerable. The project came from series of workshops with community groups, agencies, residents and retailers who were concerned at the increased presence of aggressive begging and anti-social behaviour relating to the sale of psycho-active substances. There was also a strong interest in being able to integrate and map shared data and information to provide a mechanism for evidence based future planning and opportunity for real time responses to local incidences and concerns. The community were interested in looking at ways to use technology to address these issues and Cuba Mall was identified as an ideal geographic location for a “Living Lab” develop these solutions.

The Living Lab leveraged existing assets (CCTV) and sources of data and information which were streamlined and integrated. This was coupled with new sensory and analytical methods and technologies and use cases included: glass breaking, screaming, detection of beggars/rough sleepers and anti-social behaviour. The project also provided an enhanced situational awareness with a GIS map overlaid with real-time alerts and detections using integrated community data.

Spatial Enablement
Proudly supported by: e-Spatial

New Zealand Transport Agency
Spatially Enabling a Thriving New Zealand

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)'s purpose is to create transport solutions for a thriving New Zealand. The NZTA believes this can be achieved more effectively when it brings the power of location to the heart of every transport decision maker. Spatial enablement is about making it easy for everyone to think differently and act differently, empowered with insight that only a location perspective can bring. It’s about how many people you enable and how many decisions this can improve; not how spatially enabled you can make one person through a technically brilliant solution. The NZTA illustrated how it is spatially enabling transport sector and its customers through the six examples taken from across the transport system covering safety, freight, road maintenance and traveller information. The submission showcased a wide range of spatial enablement techniques and approaches that the NZTA used to deliver significant benefits including: better transport and community outcomes, increased value for money, better service delivery, improved decision making, greater customer and stakeholder satisfaction, and greater trust and transparency.

Technical Excellence
Proudly supported by: National Map

Land Information New Zealand
Improving New Zealand's Vertical datum

In partnership with GNS Science and Victoria University of Wellington, Land Information New Zealand launched a new vertical datum for New Zealand. NZVD2016 is a nationally consistent reference for measuring heights, accurate to 3 cm. During the project’s five-year duration, the team collected a new national gravity dataset by air, and manipulated a huge amount of data points into a model of the earth – the geoid—that underpins NZVD2016. The gravity dataset provides a much richer, more consistent basis for the new datum. There are now precise heights data across New Zealand. As a result, surveyors and engineers can get accurate heights wherever they need it. NZVD2016 enables engineers to consistently locate underground services and surveyors to efficiently define three-dimensional property boundaries. The gravity dataset alone is valuable for what it can help reveal about New Zealand’s subsurface geology, such as the presence of minerals. Local government now has a reference frame that makes it easier to share information about the height of land, buildings and infrastructure across boundaries; to predict water flow during floods or storms; and to measure sea-level rise consistently across the country. NZVD2016 also has global applications, as it will feed into monitoring of international change - such as sea-level rise.

Individuals

Winners of these awards have been automatically entered into the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards (APSEA).

Education and Professional Development
Proudly supported by: NZIS

Dr. Antoni Moore
University of Otago

Dr. Antoni (Tony) Moore represents a true scholar, ever extending his own knowledge, while always making sure that others who pursue geospatial science have his undivided attention and help. His research in the field of geospatial science is broad and deep from the technically demanding aspects of subjects such as vector agents to the artistic visualisations of cartography. He has an appetite for expanding not only his own vision but to continually offer his expertise to others who are only beginning to see the importance of space and time in their research; for instance, projects to understand how augmented reality can be utilised as a teaching tool, the spatial analysis of the importance of adolescents actively getting to school, or the influence of a single physiologist and how his work has stretched around the globe, all the while encouraging postgraduate students in the field of geospatial science.

Postgraduate Student of the Year
Proudly Supported by: WOODS

Mike McConachie
University of Otago

Mike's research project on duneland vegetation classification of drone (RPAS) spatial data, undertaken as part of his Master of Applied Science in GIS at Otago, was completed to a very high degree of quality (A grade, 85%). It has made advances in knowledge, both in the recent exploration of the potential of drones and the (classified) products that are derived from it, and establishing drone-mounted sensors and intelligent, object-based classification as valuable tools in coastal dune management. The research output revealed a significant improvement in classification accuracy, making this approach a valuable management and monitoring tool for dune management.

Professional of the Year
Proudly supported by: Eagle Technology

Professor Wendy Lawson
University of Canterbury

Professor Wendy Lawson has been one of the most influential people in the geospatial education and research areas within New Zealand. A passionate advocate of the geospatial industry, Wendy has championed the development of geospatial research within tertiary education as well as all levels of government and private industry, both national and international. Professor Lawson’s drive has led to the establishment of a range of innovations in geospatial research, and has maintained that commitment throughout her roles at the University of Canterbury from Head of Department of Geography to Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Science. Some of these innovations include the establishment of the Masters in GIS program, membership and participation in the CRCSI, the establishment of the Geospatial Research Institute. She was also closely involved and has continued to support the growth of the GeoHealth Lab. Professor Lawson is also firmly committed to bi-cultural development of geospatial research and education.

Undergraduate Student of the Year
Proudly supported by: Wellington City Council

Jeanette Ma
University of Otago

In the last semester of her Bachelor of Surveying degree at Otago, Jeanette Ma undertook a professional project on the 3D modelling of an airport plant room. Arising out of a need to investigate why seamless laser scanning to building information modelling solutions have not yet been demonstrated, Jeanette undertook an excellently planned and executed project, encompassing the technologies involved: laser scanning, 3D modelling and also virtual environment interaction. The project was also an exercise in engaging with a client and responding to the client's needs, as an initial stage of project plan negotiation was undertaken. The project was completed to a very high standard (A+, 94%).

Young Professional of the Year
Proudly Supported by: Eagle Technology

Kurt Janssen
Interpret Geospatial Solutions

Kurt Janssen is an extraordinary spatial professional. He has demonstrated considerable technical excellence across many geospatial areas, and has established a successful consulting firm, with 18 staff across two offices in a remarkably short time. Throughout his career, Kurt’s technical expertise has been recognised with numerous accolades, and he is now passing on these skills to his team. Kurt has been involved in the delivery of many key projects during his career, including a number of award-winning road safety solutions. These projects, such as SafetyNET, showcase the power of GIS to turn data into actionable insight, and have opened up new industries to innovative geospatial technologies. Kurt contributes to the GIS community in a variety of ways via user groups as a committee member, president, speaker and supporter. In doing so, he is continually building a platform for geospatial professionals to network and connect to their peers.

team@nzsea.org
PO Box 5304, Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011