Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative (SEADPRI-UKM)

 

SEADPRI-UKM: Map Malaysia 2009

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Conference Report: Map Malaysia 2009 – GEOSPATIAL FOR ALL – the new mantra

Map Malaysia 2009 is the 2nd Annual National Conference on Geospatial Information, Technology and Application. It was held in Penang, Malaysia, from 21st – 22nd April 09. The conference was organised by GIS Development (Malaysia) and co-organised by NRE. The government sponsors were MOSTI and KTAK and supporting organisers are JUPEM and McGDI.

Geospatial technology has now been accepted as mission critical for a number of industries and is a key business tool for organisations working in the field of oil & gas, disaster management, utility and geointelligence. These are the segments Map Malaysia 2009 addressed in its seminars and technical sessions.

The two-day conference was attended by over 270 delegates and dignitaries. The inaugural session began with a welcome address by Dr M P Narayanan, Chairman, GIS Development India. Dr Narayanan referred Map Malaysia as a conference for the Malaysians, by the Malaysians and for the Malaysians. He complimented government departments and agencies who are using geospatial technologies for providing better governance.

The second day of the conference witnessed seminars on disaster management and utility, along with two technical sessions. The keynote speaker in the Seminar on Disaster Management presented three perspectives on the usage of geospatial technologies for disaster management and mitigation. They discussed the guidelines and directives set by the Malaysian Government and the work which is being done under its guidance. Another perspective presented the work being done by SEADPRI– an organisation working for disaster management in Malaysia. The importance of understanding the geological layout before planning developmental activities is of utmost importance to prevent disasters such as landslides were also impressed upon the delegates. The other sessions in the seminar discussed several aspects of disaster management like disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation and disaster response, recovery and rehabilitation. The speakers raised relevant issues regarding disasters Malaysia faces, and various case studies for prevention and better preparedness were presented.

Source: GISDevelopment