The Spatial Sciences Coalition (SSC) -- a coalition of the five major spatial industry professional associations: Australasian Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (AURISA); Institution of Engineering and Mining Surveyors, Australia (IEMSA); Institution of Surveyors, Australia (ISA); Mapping Sciences Institute of Australia (MSIA); Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Association of Australasia (RSPAA) -- will hold a joint five-association conference in 2003 called the 'Spatial Sciences Conference' (SSC 2003) from September 22 to 27 at the National Convention Centre, Canberra, Australia.
This conference would replace all their individual annual conferences. This follows the successful bilateral joint annual conference of ISA and AURISA in Adelaide in November 2002.
Theme of the conference
The theme of the conference -- Spatial Knowledge without Boundaries -- addresses the interests of professionals working in the fields of Surveying, Geographic Information Systems, Mapping Sciences and Remote Sensing.
Besides the conference, the other main attractions of the event include an exhibition, which has been pegged as the 'largest spatial technical and vendor exhibition ever in the Southern Hemisphere', and workshops.
About the conference
Up to 1,000 delegates are expected at the event. The workshops, presentations, exhibitions and networking sessions will cater to the needs of everyone in the spatial information community, from technical experts to policy makers, from field practitioners to information consumers.
Particular attention would be given to those who may be just coming to understand spatial technologies and the benefits it can bring to their core business areas. As per the 'Action Agenda' of the Australian Government, the spatial information sector gets associated with about 2% of the annual GDP of the nation.
Organisers
SSC 2003 is governed by a MOU of the five SSC partners, so that it can proceed with certainty. An Organising Committee based on equal representation of the five SSC partners has been meeting since April 2002 to manage the conference and decide its program content.
The conference is being held in close collaboration with the Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) -- a national body combining the professional disciplines of surveying, mapping, engineering and mining surveying, remote sensing and photogrammetry and spatial information. SSC 2003 will attract world class speakers from Australia and abroad.
