Australia's premier land information convention now an international event

Land Information Minister Michelle Roberts has welcomed spatial scientists and industry delegates from interstate and overseas, to the Western Australian Land Information System (WALIS) International Forum.

"The WALIS forum has grown to become one of the premier spatial information events in Australia, with more than 800 delegates attending the conference this year," Mrs Roberts said.

The Minister said the WALIS forum, being held at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre from March 12-14, was providing the perfect opportunity for delegates to share ideas and expertise.

"Spatial sciences are a part of our daily lives, from the Global Positioning System devices in our cars, phones and iPods to the application of satellite technology used for Google Earth," she said.

Mrs Roberts said Google UK representative Ed Parsons would give delegates an insight into Google's successful development of partnerships with governments and industry all over  the world.

Through Landgate, the State Government had formed partnerships with the Indonesian Ministries of Forestry and Environment and the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space.

"These partnerships are valuable for the exchange of spatial information and the development of new technologies and practices," the Minister said.

She said another major focus of the WALIS International Forum was the Shared Land Information Platform (SLIP), a world-first partnership across governments which supported business opportunities providing ready access to land information.

Further information is available at http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/forum

Minister's Office - 9213 6600