Spatial Sciences Institute

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) represents the interests of the spatial information community within the Asia-Pacific region.

The spatial sciences range from the traditional practices of surveying and cartography to the more recent practices using GPS, remote sensing and GIS. The spatial sciences involve the skills and understanding to capture, store, manage, manipulate, analyse, model, visualise, set-out and govern information that can be referenced to location.

Information that can be related to a location is termed spatial information. Though predominately perceived as geo (earth) related, spatial information can range from the anatomic to astronomic scale, from the real to the abstract entity, over any time period.

The spatial information industry is new, emerging, growing and a major player in the development of the nation's economy. The spatial information industry brings sophisticated skills and technology to major challenges facing the nation. It is the recognition of the strategic importance of the industry for policy, planning and operational activities which touch on all aspects of the way people and communities live, that is driving governments around the world to invest in the skilling of the workforce and the development of policies that will ensure the viability and growth of the industry (Cane Report).

The Spatial Sciences Institute is a not-for-profit professional body (incorporated in 2003) with headquarters in Canberra, Australia. Its membership spans the disciplines of surveying, information technology, town planning, cartography, archeology, the spatial information (GPS, remote sensing and GIS) professions and others. The Institute publishes the bi-annual Spatial Science Journal and numerous other Regional/State based publications and newsletters for both its members and others involved in the spatial industry.

[edit] External links