Penang, April 21: After opening to a packed auditorium and beating all expectations at the exhibition, Map Malaysia witnessed two informative and enlightening seminars.
Geospatial information is the first step in a country’s efforts in protecting its infrastructure, property and people. The seminar on Geointelligence discussed and deliberated how important it is for a country to use cutting-edge geospatial technologies for defence, emergency and security applications.
The seminar was chaired by Lt. Dr. Mohd. Hasmadi Ismail, PSSTLDM, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia, and started with a keynote session on the same. The keynote session had three speakers discussing different aspects of geospatial in geointelligence.
Major (R) Azhar bin Hj. Salleh, Chief Executive Officer, Innovative Mapping Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia said that geointelligence incorporates intelligence analysis into all aspects, uses multi-type sensors and data for making mission critical decisions.
David Jonas, Business Development Manager – Asia, AAMHatch Pty Limited , Malaysia, showed the capability of pictometry system for emergency response with high resolution and intuitive imagery. He also presented case studies and shared with the delegates how intelligent imagery has assisted geointelligence sector.
The last keynote speaker of the seminar Kaushik Chakraborty, Vice President – Asia Pacific, ERDAS, India, showcased how web-based technologies empower a field officer based in a remote locale and provide him with not only mission critical but relevant information.
The second half of the seminar saw presentations of case studies and live examples of how various agencies are using geospatial technologies for security and defence. There was a case study to show how Hotspot mapping can prevent increase in urban crimes. Also how the public and civilian agencies can benefit from a tailored data specific to their mission. There was also a presentation, which touched upon how efficient monitoring of cargo using GPS technology can not only provide real time data but also provide cargo security. The seminar also discussed how prevalent geo products like Google Earth pose a threat to a nation’s security.
The seminar was concluded with everyone agreeing to the fact that in today’s time geospatial is the backbone of any country’s defence and security. And the accuracy of data is what makes this technology mission critical.
Oil & Gas
The event had a half-day seminar dedicated to Oil and Gas with an aim to showcase the use of geospatial technologies in this segment. In today’s times Oil & Gas has become a focus area for the world, and for Malaysia in particular, one of the biggest oil producing Asian country.
The seminar began with a keynote session with three speakers. The first speaker was Dr. Jaizan Hardi Mohammed Jais, General Manager, Petroliam Nasional Berhad, Malaysia. He spoke about using GIS in exploration and production in Malaysia.
Andrew McGlinchey from Google Inc. Australia demonstrated the use of Google Earth enterprise platform and enumerated that it is simple for an end user or an employee to access various forms of data in an intuitive, visual and fast application, enabling them to make informed decisions.
The last presentation of the session was by Dr Ouzani Bachir, Chief Geophysicist, Orogenic GeoExpo Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia. He enumerated the fact that, the parameter that separates a good database from a bad database is the ability to turn huge amount of data into information that is critical for decision making, assessment and planning.
The second session of the seminar brought forth various issues regarding Oil and Gas industry with respect to geospatial technology. The importance of good knowledge and understanding of various geodetic parameters to ensure data integrity was stressed. Also due focus was given to the use of geospatial technology for making subsea pipeline routing more cost effective. A case study in West Africa about identifying potential areas for petroleum using GIS technology was also presented.
