FOSS4G SOTM Oceania 2024

Alex is an open geospatial technologist specializing in software development, cloud infrastructure and program governance with an emphasis on Earth observation data.

As Executive Director at Auspatious, Alex focuses on making data more accessible and works to support informed decision-making and promote sustainable development.

Alex also volunteers as a Non-Executive Board Director at OSGeo Oceania and Earth Observation Australia and performs the role of Treasurer at Earth Observation Australia. In his free time, he enjoys exploring the wilderness with his children and sampling a great craft beer.

Dr Andrea Jalandoni is a pioneering Digital Archaeologist specializing in rock art recording and enhancement using photogrammetry and other remote sensing techniques including lidar and unmanned aerial systems. She has almost 20 years of archaeological experience in Australia, Southeast Asia, and Micronesia working on some of the most famous World Heritage Sites like Kakadu National Park (NT), Niah Cave (Malaysia), and Nan Madol (Pohnpei).

Andrea is a Senior Research Fellow at Griffith University currently working on an ARC DECRA 2024 fellowship.

Digital Earth Australia Knowledge Manager with a background in technical writing and web development. I believe the open sharing of scientific knowledge is crucial and I am passionate about designing solutions to present this knowledge.

Dr. Brianna R. Pagán is the Deputy Manager at NASA’s Goddard Earth Sciences Center Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), an Adjunct Professor at Loyola Marymount University, and Board Member of Footprints - a non-profit incubator for climate action within the outdoor industry. Her passion is enabling science for the masses and brings her expertise in the fields of remote sensing, climate and informatics to lead large and diverse teams of software engineers and scientists to effectively distribute geospatial data. Dr. Pagán is also a strong advocate for open-source science efforts - active within the Pangeo ecosystem and leading efforts like GeoZarr. She also teaches courses on the intersection of technology and climate/social justice issues.

Byron has over 30 years of experience as a leader in providing interoperability and data-linking solutions in many contexts worldwide. His greatest expertise is in implementing and developing Open Data Standards, particularly in the geospatial realm.
Byron's professional journey has taken him across various levels of government, the military, and private industry in New Zealand, Australia, and the US. His expertise in developing, organising, and managing disparate data using standards-based interoperability solutions is sought after by organisations worldwide. In 2018, Byron founded Openwork Ltd.
In recent years Byron has contributed to multiple international interoperability efforts, including the W3C Spatial Data on the Web, numerous testbed and interoperability experiments for the Open Geographic Consortium and standards development for ISO TC 211. Currently, Byron is leading and participating in efforts to improve international metadata standards such as GeoDCAT and ISO19115.
In his spare time, Byron enjoys exploring the Nelson region, getting to know the local craft beers, keeping abreast of current affairs, and picking on his mandolin when it all becomes a bit too much.

Caitlin works at Geoscience Australia where she specialises in the application of machine learning to Earth observation datasets. She has been internationally recognised as a leading woman in machine learning for Earth observation, contributing to projects around the world. Caitlin is a passionate educator and communicator, and her mission is to teach others how to work effectively with data.

Cholena is a co-founder and geospatial web developer at Mammoth Geospatial.

Colin is a semi-retired geologist based in Hobart who has worked in the fields of regional mapping and engineering-geology in NZ, Australia and the USA for government entities. He is an early adopter of GIS technology and since 2016 has been teaching GIS to geotechnical practitioners in NZ, Australia and Nepal on behalf of their professional societies.

I am a qualified Civil Engineer with a PhD in Geomatics from the University of Melbourne and with several years of experience in management consulting, academic research, project management and policy development. I currently work as a geospatial consultant based in Australia.

I have over 15 years of experience in spatial planning, location intelligence, census data and geospatial statistical modelling. I maintain a wide range of interests including, GIS, Spatial data infrastructures, land use planning, and stakeholder management.
My focus is on using highly developed technical skills in spatial analysis, geospatial regression modelling and economic analysis to develop, consolidate and implement policies and projects and support decision-making in the private and public sectors.

In parallel to my technical geospatial work, I am a trainer and presenter for geospatial matters at the Planning Institute of Australia and the International Federation of Surveyors.

I am involved in academic teaching of GIS and Census data casual lecturing at Melbourne University. I am currently an honorary Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne Centre for SDI and Land Administration (http://www.csdila.unimelb.edu.au/).

David Crossman
Managing Director IIC Technologies Australasia

David has worked in the Hydrographic and Geospatial disciplines for all of his professional career. For the most part this was within the New Zealand Defence Force culminating in the position of Hydrographer Royal New Zealand Navy and Director Geospatial Intelligence New Zealand. He assumed his current role as Managing Director IIC Technologies Ltd., Australasia in 2019.
David has been passionate about hydrography throughout his career and has held positions including Chairman of the NZ Region of the Australasian Hydrographic Society (AHS), Vice Chair of AUS Seabed Steering Committee and Chair and other roles in other relevant geospatial bodies. David has an ongoing interest in the provision of hydrographic training and raising geospatial capability to the SW Pacific and the region.

Dorothy D. Pion
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Email: ddpion@mra.gov.pg

Experience
Senior GIS Specialist
Mineral Resources Authority (PNG)
July 2007 - Present

Pioneered the application of spatial analysis techniques, resulting in a 30% increase in operational efficiency.
Spearheaded a team project to update the GIS data and application to improve outputs by 70%.
Developed comprehensive training materials on GIS tools, improving staff competence in GIS usage by 80%.

I am a Natural Hazard Specialist with a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences and Environment. With a career that includes geoconsulting for over 30 major energy projects, such as subsea cable and offshore wind, I have demonstrated an ability to deliver cost-saving, sustainable solutions. My work extends beyond Geoneon, contributing to research in paleogeography, climate, and environmental sciences, aiming to deepen our understanding of Earth's history. A co-founder of Geoneon, I collaborate with governments, NGOs, and the private sector to forge resilient strategies against climate change, emphasising climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

I am the Head of Artificial Intelligence at Intranel, a small tech consultancy in Christchurch, NZ. I have 7+ years experience developing and deploying bespoke AI solutions for solving industry lead problems spanning agricultural, medical imaging, environmental, and conservation applications.

Elisa is the current chair of OsGeo Oceania board and has been contributing to the community since 2019, serving first as board member, then as Grant committee chair and now as the board chair.

Elisa was born in Italy and moved to New Zealand in 2008, where she currently resides. She has over 18 years of experience in GIS and database administration and has been working with most of the proprietors and open-source GIS packages. She is a great supporter of GIS open-source software as she strongly believes that everybody should be able to know and use GIS, especially people belonging to minority groups or living in remote areas.

I am a Project Researcher at the Environmental Market Solutions Lab (emLab) at the University of California, Santa Barbara working on marine spatial planning and coastal and fisheries management on islands in the Caribbean, Pacific, and Western Indian Ocean. I work with emLab’s partners at the Waitt Institute on their work with the Blue Prosperity Coalition. My work has helped guide marine spatial planning in Montserrat, Bermuda, and the Federated States of Micronesia, and inform fisheries management in Barbuda, Curacao, the Maldives, and Montserrat.

Environmental Scientist and Geospatial Analyst with e3Scientific.

Geospatial specialist at Mammoth Geospatial, focused on helping people with open source GIS. Organiser of Geogeeks and FOSS4G events in Perth and elsewhere. Huge fan of open source GIS and the FOSS4G community!

John is a Principal Solutions Architect with the National Security team at Amazon Web Services (AWS). John assists Public Sector customers and partners architect Cloud solutions using the AWS platform. John was previously the Head of Security Assurance for Australia and New Zealand at AWS in Canberra Australia. He is passionate about enabling cloud adoption for customers. John has been working with Government customers at AWS for over 9 years, as the first employee for the ANZ Public Sector team.
John has over 40 years’ experience in Information Technology and Research areas across a broad range of areas. John has extensive Public Sector, Defence and Intelligence experience including postings into Australian and US Intelligence agencies in integrated Military and Civilian teams.
John worked in the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) as a Senior Research Scientist leading teams undertaking Image Analysis and Distributed Systems research.
Before joining AWS he had senior roles at Microsoft and IBM providing Architectural advice to Federal Government customers.

Dr. Kate Fickas is the Esri Director of Imagery and Remote Sensing Solutions. With background as both a remote sensing data product producer and end user, she employs her interdisciplinary expertise in satellite, drone, and lidar remote sensing with GIS, statistical modeling, and machine learning, to develop user and solution driven approaches to cross-industry applications. With her dynamic industry experience ranging from academic research to commercial and government work, Kate is passionate about storytelling and creating authentic, inclusive communities of practice who employ imagery and remote sensing technology to solve the world’s most complex challenges. Her goal is always to break down barriers to entry into the world of remote sensing and help the community derive meaningful insight with powerful tools.

Lanieta is an accomplished environmental scientist with valuable experience in conducting comprehensive assessments of climate risks and vulnerabilities, across Fiji and the Pacific Region. She works with strong relationships with local communities, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations to ensure that climate adaptation plans are tailored to the specific needs of each region within Fiji. Lani is adept at utilizing advanced geospatial analysis tools and climate with data modelling techniques to develop data-driven solutions that enhance climate resilience and mitigate potential impacts.Lani is also actively involved in a lot of voluntary work in the geospatial and remote sensing space in Fiji and the Pacific. She is passionate about meeting new people, visiting new places, and connecting with communities.

Senior Software engineer at Terria.
Based in Brisbane, QLD.

Computer Scientist turned Data Engineer, from AI to Geospatial, from Italy to Tasmania. Tried FOSS4G last year, loved it, came back for more.

Luke is an Austrlian leader of geospatial, digital twin, and prop-tech solutions. As part of his work with the Victorian Government as Automated Approvals Lead at Digital Twin Victoria he introduced the award winning eComply solution and open framework digitising the building approval process using BIM and Digital Twins. Luke has worked closely with FOSS4G across his career and advocates for open technology, standards, and processes within government.

Marty Hidas is a senior data engineer for the Australian Ocean Data Network with the Integrated Marine Observing System.

2022- Now: Research Fellow at Center of Exploration Targeting, UWA, Perth, WA
2019- 2022: Geophysicist at Epiroc/KLS, Perth, WA
2015- 2019: PhD in Exploration Geophysics, Curtin University, Perth, WA

Programmer, works on TerriaJS, loves to build interactive 3D experiences.

As a Technical Leader and Software Engineer specialising in Web platforms for data visualization, I focus on making data more accessible and understandable for everyone, regardless of their expertise.

I’m committed to the power of open data and open-source tools, and I enjoy contributing to and collaborating with these communities.

I’m motivated by projects that drive meaningful, positive change in the world.

Nyall has been a developer with the QGIS project since 2013. During this time he has contributed over 5000 additions to the project, and today is one of the most active developers on the project. Nyall’s contributions cover a wide range of areas – from improvements to the map rendering and symbology engines, enhancements to labeling and print layout functionality, right through to optimisations of the underlying spatial processing algorithms utilised by QGIS. Nyall is the proprietor of North Road Consulting, an Australian based spatial development consultancy which predominantly utilises international co-funding and crowd-funding campaigns to finance development into open source GIS applications.

https://osgeo-oceania.org/board-of-directors/

Paul is a Canberra based software engineer. He has been working on and with the Open Data Cube since 2017, originally while working at NICTA, then CSIRO, and since 2021 with Geoscience Australia. He has been a member of the Open Data Cube Steering Council since 2019. In his spare time he brews beer and is working on a science fiction rock opera.

Paulina PY Wong is currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Science Unit at Lingnan University (Hong Kong) and Associate Director of the LEO Dr David P. Chan Institute of Data Science. She is an environmental geographer specializing in urban climate, air/noise pollution, GIS, and environmental health. In recent years, her research has been extended to GeoAI analytics, urban sensing, mobile geospatial technologies, sustainability education and ESG. She is a certified GIS Professional and ESG Planner (CEP®).

Phil has worked as a Geologist in Western Australia for 7 years before returning to NZ and retraining as a GIS professional. Phil completed an internship at Eagle Technology and worked with the Utility Network in ArcGIS. He then moved to Kenex where he was able to apply both geological and geospatial experience. He was tasked with continual improvement to the company's processes and procedures, involving automating tasks and finding new innovative ways to analyse and visualise Kenex's data.

Associate Professor Qian (Chayn) Sun is a researcher specializing in quantitative geography, environmental and urban informatics, and the impacts of urbanization and human movements across spatial and temporal scales. With expertise in developing spatial and statistical algorithms, she focuses on modelling patterns and investigating factors contributing to complex human-environment interactions. Sun's PhD research integrated human perception variables with contextual location information into one conceptual framework. The combination of movement tracking and associated geospatial data collections has significantly improved the understanding of the mechanisms underlying human spatial behaviour and the complex geographical environment. Currently exploring the integration of cloud computing, big Earth observation data, and AI with social-ecological theories, Associate Professor Sun aims to address climate change challenges facing both people and the environment. Through an interdisciplinary approach, she seeks to derive spatially explicit insights to inform strategies for mitigating these challenges. Committed to advancing understanding and finding solutions to real-world problems, Sun strives to make significant contributions to society and the environment.

Dr Robbi Bishop-Taylor is a Coastal Earth Observation Scientist from the Digital Earth Australia Program at Geoscience Australia. At Geoscience Australia, Robbi works as part of an interdisciplinary team responsible for developing the first continent-wide maps of Australia’s vast intertidal zone, and the Digital Earth Australia Coastlines dataset that maps Australia’s dynamic coastline using three decades of satellite imagery.

Roxane is the CEO and co-founder of Geoneon, a technology firm that leverages Earth Observation, Artificial Intelligence and data fusion to map climate risk and vegetation. With a background in disaster risk reduction, spatial sciences, and international relations, she emphasises the importance of cross-border collaboration, knowledge dissemination, and impactful partnerships. Throughout her career, Roxane has offered advisory services to government agencies, leveraging her geospatial expertise to shape water exploration, bushfire management, and emergency service strategies.

Geospatial Technical Officer with the Pacific Community (SPC). Skilled in Remote Sensing with Multispectral Images and Python for data visualization, indices calculation for different spectral signatures.

Sachindra Singh is the Team Leader of the Geoinformatics Section, at the Geoscience, Maritime and Energy Division, Pacific Community (SPC). He has 15 years experience in geospatial-oriented systems and software engineering. A strong advocate of open source technologies for capacity building and sustainable development in developing countries, he has implemented robust decision-making tools and services around disaster risk analysis, climate impacts and natural resources monitoring based on geospatial and remotely-sensed data in the Pacific, both on regional and national levels. He has designed and conducted numerous capacity building exercises on open source GIS/RS and earth observation tools and systems in the Pacific Region, and currently is providing lead technical support for the Digital Earth Pacific (DEP) initiative within Pacific Community (SPC).

I am Sailasa Draunibaka, currently working as a GIS Graduate at the Pacific Community (SPC). In this role, I provide crucial data management support for GeoNode PacRIS and Nexus Instance, assisting the technical data staff with processing datasets for the PCRAFI II Team and the broader DCRP Program. My responsibilities include spatial data management, preparing training materials, and addressing GIS-related queries from training participants and SPC staff.

I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Science and have completed training in environmental and social impact assessments. Additionally, I hold an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Pilot License. My expertise spans remote sensing analysis, spatial data management, visualization and interpretation, image analysis and interpretation, field and aerial surveying, and database management.

During my academic journey at the University of the South Pacific (USP), I concentrated on agricultural monitoring using GIS datasets and satellite aerial images, undertaking numerous research projects and assignments in this domain. My hands-on experience at SPC, along with my academic accomplishments, has equipped me with the necessary qualifications and skills to successfully establish and operate a drone business.

My dedication to continuous learning and my passion for geospatial technologies drive my professional journey, allowing me to make significant contributions to the field of geoinformatics.

Bula Vinaka ! My name is Salote Covilati, and I’m 24 years old. I currently serve as the Pacific Geospatial Women Network Technical Assistant at the Pacific Community under the Geoscience, Energy and Maritime Division. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball and playing catch with my dog.

To be added

Stephen is the GIS Director at Full Extent, a leading Australian provider of geospatial services and software engineering based in Sydney.

Served as the Survey Team Leader (GIS) for PCRAFI II.
Currently the Survey Team Leader (Project Lead) for the Pacific Risk Tools for Resilience Phase II (PaRTneR II) Project within the Disaster & Community Resilience Program at the Geoscience, Energy & Maritime Division of The Pacific Community in Suva, Fiji.

Tisham is a Senior Engineer at CSIRO Space and Astronomy division. Previously he held similar roles in various government agencies, private sector companies and startups. He has been pushing pixels since 2004 when he got started using medical imaging devices in Singapore. Since then he has had the priviledge of working with various space agencies such as NASA, DLR, JAXA, CNES etc. and lived through the explosion of publicly available satellite imagery.