Geospatial Website Launched

A new website on all things geospatial has been launched by the New Zealand Geospatial Office.

The website – www.geospatial.govt.nz – contains news, articles and information on how geospatial information is used and New Zealand’s strategy for collecting and using that data more effectively.

Brendon Whiteman, Director of the office says increasing numbers of government agencies and private companies are now using geospatial data for their daily operation, but much of their activity is uncoordinated.

“Up until now there has not been a central coordination point for those working with New Zealand geospatial data,” he says. “The setting up of the office and the promotion of a cross-government Geospatial Strategy has begun to address that. The website is another tool to give visibility to the strategy.”

The start of something

This is the first time the office has had a website. It was created after consultation with stakeholders. Through areas like News, Events, Case Studies and Articles sections, it aims to be a central point of reference for those involved in, or interested in, the geospatial industry.

Brendon says that there are also plans to expand the site over time.

“This is the first iteration of the website,” he says. “We’ll be adding new tools and features over time to make this as useful for users as possible.”

Who they are

The New Zealand Geospatial Office is part of LINZ’s Policy group and acts as a coordinating body for the public sector’s geospatial resources. It was established in 2007 as part of the Geospatial Strategy and is working with other agencies on a cross-government geospatial work programme.