[sopac-ism-edf-announce] SOPAC EDF8 Updates
Litea Biukoto
sopac-ism-edf-announce@list.sopac.org.fj
Thu, 11 Dec 2003 12:09:08 +1200
Bula vinaka
Since the last update 2 MapServers have been installed, one in Tonga and the
other in Fiji. Both are now online. Kiribati is next in line before
Christmas provided the ship arrives in time. Please read on for more on the
Team's activities this last quarter.
Kind regards
Litea
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REGIONAL
The Project Team has participated in various regional meetings and
activities that have helped raise the profile of the Project in the
countries involved.
* Pacific Inet 2003 Conference, 2 - 9 October. Franck Martin and Litea
Biukoto attended the weeklong Conference with other regional stakeholders.
Franck demonstrated the MapServer as an e-government application.
* International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment ISRSE -
Information for Risk Management and Sustainable Development, 10 - 14
November, Honolulu, Hawaii and meetings at Hawaii Synergy and APAN (Asia
Pacific Area Network)
* Aggregates Geologist, Akuila Tawake joined the Team 13 October.
* Michael Bonte headed the Pacific delegation to the 2nd ISDR (International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction) International conference on Early Warning
Systems in Bonn, 16 -18 October.
* Annual GIS&RS Conference - "Building a Pacific Islands GIS/RS Community",
25 - 27 November. Regional speakers and participants commended SOPAC for the
support given to member countries.
* Spread the Word: Humanitarian information in the Asia-Pacific, Bangkok,
28-29 November 2003. Franck Martin was one of four speakers in the session:
Using GIS and Remote Sensing in emergency response in the Asia-Pacific and
beyond.
<http://map.sopac.org/tiki/tiki-index.php?page=HumanitarianInformationNetwor
k>
* Urban Planning Workshop: UNESCAP and PIF. Project staff presented on
Islands Systems Management, Applications of GIS&RS in urban planning and
Comprehensive Hazard and Risk Management Processes, 01 December 2003.
* Reginald Sanday, Project Resource Economist, attended an "informal"
brainstorming on Integrated Coastal Watershed Management held in SOPAC and
organised by the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP), 10
- 12 December.
* Reg attended a Symposium on Mineral Sector Issues in Brisbane. It was
organised by the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. He also had
discussions with the University of Queensland on possible collaboration on
EU EDF8 projects in the Solomon Islands
FIJI
* MapServer "Mape kei Viti" is now online, http://map.mrd.gov.fj. Register
online to experience the full potential of the MapServer. Some datasets may
also be available for download.
* Over the course of three weeks 03 - 21 October, Elizabeth Lomani carried
out 3 training sessions on image rectification using Erdas Imagine.
Training also included accessing the MapServer and uploading data to it.
* Tariq Rahiman, a PhD student at the University of Canterbury, completed a
successful first fieldwork season in active tectonics and earthquake hazard
evaluation of the Project area as part of his PhD study. Tariq was awarded
a fellowship through the Project to help support his field work in Fiji.
* Soil erosion and landslide assessment in the Navua catchment area.
Stakeholders have agreed to cooperate on the Project, each agency providing
the datasets required for developing the model. Agencies interested in the
exercise are Forestry, Public Works Department, Agriculture, Mineral
Resources Department and Ministry of Regional Development. The Project
begins early next year.
* Reg Sanday, was invited as resource person in a workshop held 2-4
December in Suva organised by the Foundation for Peoples of the South
Pacific (FSPI) for its affiliates from Fiji and Tuvalu to develop short term
and long term strategic plans for FSPI's community disaster preparedness
project. Discussed were SOPAC's current areas of work in Fiji and Tuvalu,
and the use of participatory tools for gathering data and empowering the
community. FSPI's project will include Vanuatu, Kiribati, PNG, Samoa,
Solomon Islands, Tonga and East Timor.
* Navua Stakeholders Meeting was held at the Provincial House, 9 December.
Community leaders from the Provinces of Namosi and Serua and Government
agencies discussed problems faced by each of their communities. The
outcomes of the discussion will help prioritise Project activities in the
area.
KIRIBATI
* Sand-vegetation demarcation was mapped using GPS. Litea spent 5 weeks
working with Tokintekai Bakineti (Onotoa) and Erati Temati (Butaritari and
Abemama) from the Department of Agriculture. The Agriculture Assistant and
Nursery Man on each of the islands also assisted on the surveys. The GPS
positions will be used to programme the satellite to capture data over each
island and used as ground control points for the rectification of the IKONOS
imagery.
* Beach profiling was carried out on Onotoa and Butaritari. Benchmarks
were mapped using GPS and will be linked to the profiles. The Department of
Lands, Marine Resources and Environment were involved in the exercise.
* Wolf Forstreuter carried out one-to-one consultations with staff from
Telecom Services Kiribati Limited, Departments of Marine Resources,
Agriculture, Environment and Lands, Public Utilities Board and the Seaweed
Project. This activity was recommended following the 3-week intensive
database-handling course in August.
* Franck Martin and Tekirua Riinga (MFMR) will install the Kiribati
MapServer in the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources before the end
of the year.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
* Reg Sanday and Stephen Booth were in Port Moresby for the 2nd Stakeholder
Meeting 22 October. Active discussions during the meeting ensured
activities in the amended work plan reflected the needs identified by
stakeholders.
SAMOA
* Michael Bonte and Stephen Booth were in Apia for the 2nd Stakeholders
meeting, 04 December to discuss the work plan. The work plan was endorsed
at the end of the meeting.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
* The first spatial and tabular database-handling course was held in
Honiara by Wolf Forstreuter and Elizabeth Lomani. Participants were from
utilities and Forestry Department.
* Reg Sanday and Wolf Forstreuter were in Honiara for the 2nd National
Consultation Meeting. The meeting approved the work plan.
* Reg returned to Honiara 20 November to represent SOPAC at the Solomon
Islands Government's High Level Development Partners Meeting which discussed
a National Economic Recovery, Reform and Development Plan (2003 - 2006).
TONGA
* Stephen Booth, Franck Martin and Litea Biukoto were in Tonga for the 2nd
National Stakeholder Meeting, 03 October.
* 3-day training workshop on the MapServer was held at the Ministry of
Lands. Participants from government, commercial and non-government
organisations participated in the exercise each contributing data to upload
to the MapServer. The MapServer is also the primary website for the
Ministry.
* "Mape 'o Tonga" was officially presented to the Government of Tonga
through the National Representative to SOPAC, Tevita Malolo.
http://www.lands.gov.to
* Swathmapping of Tongatapu was carried out 17 November - 05 December by
Akuila Tawake and Quan Chung. The MV Turagalevu was chartered for the
survey.
TUVALU
* Faatasi Malologa, Acting Director Lands, was on attachment at SOPAC
finalising the results of the GPS survey carried out on each of the islands.
* Stephen Booth attended the 2nd Stakeholder meeting in Funafuti, 29
October 2003.
VANUATU
* Williams Ganileo, Country Intern, presented "Is GIS important: The case
of GIS Core Group in Vanuatu" at the Annual GIS&RS Conference. Williams is
currently translating the EU Project Information Brochures into Bislama.
* The preliminary results of the Efate swathmapping survey can be viewed on
the SOPAC MapServer, http://map.sopac.org.
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Litea Biukoto
SOPAC South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission
Postal Address: Private Mail Bag, GPO, Suva, Fiji Islands
Street Address: Mead Road, Nabua, Fiji Islands
Tel: +679 338-1377 Fax: +679 337-0040
E-mail: litea@sopac.org
Web site: http://www.sopac.org.fj
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