Ep#131: Mapping the nation: The Digital Atlas of Australia
On our second episode of our APS Reform in Action series, we hear from Lisa Bush and Maree Wilson from Geoscience Australia about the power of geospatial data for better decision-making in the public sector.
If you want to make better decisions, you need to have quality, trusted data. Unfortunately, critical data can often sit in siloes or be scattered across spreadsheets. Geoscience Australia’s Digital Atlas of Australia steps up to this challenge, providing a unified and accessible data set that can help you build better policies – or decide where you want to build your new home.
Lisa Bush, head of Geoscience Australia’s National Location Information Branch, and Maree Wilson, Chief of Place and Communities Division, join host David Pembroke, CEO of contentgroup, to talk about making geospatial data more accessible through the Digital Atlas. They also shine a light on how it can improve functions such as social services or emergency management, and enhance data capabilities in the public sector.
This series is delivered in partnership with the Australian Public Service Commission.
The Digital Atlas of Australia, a collaborative project between Geoscience Australia, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Department of Social Services was a finalist for the 2024 IPAA ACT Spirit of Service Awards.
Key tips:
- Geospatial data can help you make decisions in minutes – make the best use of it
- Don’t be afraid to try, you won’t need to be a geospatial data expert to use the Digital Atlas
- If you’re creating or using national data, in your role, reach out to the Digital Atlas team.
Guests:
Lisa Bush
Lisa is the Head of Geoscience Australia’s National Location Information Branch, leading efforts to enhance our nation’s geospatial capabilities and key government projects like the Digital Atlas of Australia. With postgraduate qualifications in geographic information systems and environmental management, Lisa has a wealth of expertise, driving national geospatial advancement. Lisa fosters collaboration among government, industry, and academia in the geospatial sector, aligning and integrating initiatives across diverse sectors and cultivating a unified vision for the future.
Maree Wilson
Maree is the Chief of Place and Communities Division at Geoscience Australia (GA).
In this role, Maree leads GA’s initiatives on community safety, foundational spatial information, and seabed geography and geology. Maree’s geospatial career has spanned many organisations, including the Department of Defence, Geoscience Australia, and Esri Australia. Across these, she has worked with many aspects of geospatial information, including: geographic information systems (GIS) analysis, national mapping; bathymetric mapping; Earth observation with satellite imagery, aerial imagery and LiDAR; and desktop, server and mobile applications.