From Satellite to Solution: Driving Innovation with Earth Observation
Geoscience Australia, the Australian Government’s national geoscience agency, is dedicated to advancing the sustainable management of Australia’s geological and geospatial resources. By providing critical data and expertise, the organisation supports sectors such as resource exploration, disaster resilience and environmental sustainability. In line with their mission–to be the trusted source of information on Australia’s geology and geography to inform government, industry and community decision-making–Geoscience Australia has focused on strengthening connections with Indigenous communities, recognising the need to address historical gaps in engagement and promote meaningful collaboration.
This commitment led to a partnership with Winyama, with Geoscience Australia providing financial support, training materials and subject matter experts for the Earth Observation (EO) sessions at the National IMW for the second consecutive year.
Collaborating for Impact: Geospatial Education and Indigenous Empowerment
For Winyama and the IMW Australia program, Geoscience Australia’s involvement enriched the workshop’s content, offering participants practical, real world applications of EO. In 2023, we ran sessions covering interactive programming in the Digital Earth Australia Sandbox, building maps in Digital Earth Australia and Earth Observation platforms with Australian case studies. This year, our training expanded to include Digital Atlas of Australia and how to utilise national datasets for mapping, as well as discovering data paths for healthy country planning focusing on water. Much of their training links back to Digital Earth Australia, a digital platform designed by Geoscience Australia that uses spatial data and images recorded by satellites to identify detailed changes across Australia.
By leveraging satellite imagery and tailored geospatial products, such as tools for analysing water, coastal changes and vegetation trends, Geoscience Australia provided participants with the resources to make data-driven decisions about their lands and environments. These insights contribute to a well informed nation, empowering communities to understand and respond to changes in their landscapes.
“Geoscience Australia is here to support Australians regardless of who they are. So it’s great to be able to understand how we can reach different sectors.”
Through this partnership, the agency enhanced its training delivery, providing participants with access to advanced geospatial tools and expertise. This collaboration not only allowed Geoscience Australia to refine its educational materials but also gave the team valuable experience in engaging with a wide range of audiences, from those new to geospatial technologies to more advanced users. By working with Winyama, Geoscience Australia amplified their impact, advancing their mission to make geospatial technologies accessible and contributing to broader capacity building and empowerment within Indigenous communities.
The informal, personal atmosphere of the National IMW contrasted with the more structured and formal engagements Geoscience Australia had previously experienced with government stakeholders. This new approach facilitated open and meaningful interactions, enabling them to gather valuable feedback on their training materials and products.
“It’s been really good to work with Winyama and see where that’s taken us. And also, for our Digital Earth Australia program especially, we have an education agenda. We want people using our stuff. We want people to be able to get to the imagery, the products. So, it was a great natural fit in so many ways.”
“The main goal we aimed to achieve with Digital Earth Australia was to improve our educational methods, enhance our staff’s experience in training, and better understand how to engage with people at different levels. We wanted to connect with the community across various sectors and we got that. It was really good. It also showed us, for instance, where we had assumptions that didn’t work.”
Geoscience Australia’s collaboration with Winyama is a testament to the power of partnerships in driving meaningful change.
To explore how you can collaborate with us, reach out to our team today. Together, we can shape a more informed future.