New UC institute to build New Zealand’s geospatial future

New UC institute to build New Zealand’s geospatial future

A new Geospatial Research Institute (GRI), based at the University of Canterbury, is expected to add significant value to New Zealand’s existing private and public investment in spatial data acquisition, application and research.

Launched today (Tuesday 26 April) by the Minister for Land Information, Louise Upston, the institute will be a hub of exploration, invention and collaboration.

UC Professor of Geography and director of the GeoHealth Laboratory Simon Kingham says it will focus on developing more efficient modes of observing and modelling our natural environment and our complex interactions with it. Professor Kingham will be supported as the new director of the GRI by Wayne Tyson as the Institute’s manager.

“By connecting academia, geospatial organisations, research institutes, private industry and government, the GRI will provide a national centre of gravity for geospatial research that enables New Zealand to more fully realise the benefits of spatial information technology,” Professor Kingham says.

“The new institute will work directly with end users through commercialisation, research co-innovation and co-design in areas such as business information management, spatial analysis for social investment, resource co-management and location informed precision agriculture technologies.”

Minister Upston helped launch the University’s Geospatial Research Institute saying the Institute offered major benefits for New Zealand.

The work of the institute will benefit New Zealand communities in a multitude of ways including smarter cities, better hazard management, improvements to primary production processes and safeguarding or conserving our natural environment.

The GRI has already established strong collaborations with other universities and Crown Research Institutes and with policy makers, enterprises and industries that use geospatial technology and information.

It is now ready to conduct leading and relevant research to underpin the development of complete geospatial frameworks to provide trusted authoritative and well-maintained geospatial information.

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