The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recently participated in the Locate24 conference in Sydney.  

Locate24 brought together leaders from across the geospatial community, to discuss the latest trends and applications in geospatial science, see the newest technologies and create important connections.  

This year NEMA held a booth at the conference, answering questions and providing information on:  

• what we do and how we support Australian communities  

• how we use data to support the Australian Government to make informed decisions.  

• how we use data to collect information on hazard impact (cyclone, bushfire and flood), as well as relief and recovery support. 

• How we conduct exposure mapping. 

NEMA’s Assistant Director of Data and Analytics, Bonnie Ross, attended the conference and spoke about our work at the NEMA booth.  

‘We showcased how NEMA uses the Geographic Information System (GIS) to support communities through disasters. We also brought along some virtual reality goggles so people could see the Lismore 2022 floods in 3D, to gain a better understanding of the magnitude of the flooding.  

Adi Chopra, Director of Geospatial Analytics setting up a virtual reality display

‘At our booth this year we had people talking about the Emergency Management Continuum and how NEMA supports Australian communities.  

Attendees were also very interested in what data we held and how we can share that data.  

People were keen to understand how we offer flood and bushfire support as well as how we do exposure mapping,’ said Bonnie.    

NEMA's Assistant Coordinator-General / Chief Data Officer, Paul Gloyne, also attended Locate24. 

‘Locate24 conference was an incredible opportunity to demonstrate the technical geospatial capability NEMA has available. I honestly believe we demonstrated it’s up there with the best in government,' said Paul. 

NEMA will continue to work with government and sector leaders to ensure innovative approaches are being applied to reducing disaster risk and improving the resilience of Australian communities.