Then and Now
Everywhere for everyone
Throughout Queensland's long history, and even before separation from New South Wales occurred in 1859, surveyors and map makers have been everywhere for everyone. Everywhere you live, every road you travel, every train you catch – the paths have been forged by intrepid men (for they were almost inevitably men). You can follow in their footsteps through these pages.
As distinguished surveyor Sidney Reilly wrote in "The Profession of Surveying in Queensland":
"Men of spirit have always been willing to face the difficulties and dangers of travel in strange places inspired by love of adventure, the desire for fame or wealth and the lure of the unknown, but all needed courage, endurance and determination."
In the computer and satellite age, new professions have joined the old ones, and today’s spatial scientists continue the work with technology such as GPS and Google Maps. Find out about these on the Now section.
The Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute is the organisation which now represents all these professions in Queensland and throughout Australia.
Commemorative Q150 Permanent Survey Marks (PSMs)
During 2009 SSSI will be placing over 40 PSMs at points important in Queensland’s development. Look at the interactive map of Queensland to see if there will be a PSM and sign near where you live or that you could visit when next in the area.
To find out more about how early surveying and map making was carried out, and explore Queensland’s rich history of land development, surveying and mapping, you can visit the Virtual Museum
History Acknowledgements:
SSSI are grateful to the Curators of the Museum of Lands, Mapping and Surveying (formerly Bill Kitson and now Kaye Nardella) for their assistance in researching the stories that appear here. The Museum's extensive collection of artefacts and photos provided the perfect backdrop for our Official Launch broadcast by the ABC's Jenny Woodward. A copy of their Q150 display on the original border surveys has generously been provided to SSSI for display at some of our events.
Now
Spatial science influences everything we all do every day. Surveyors, mapping specialists, land developers, palaeontologists, meteorologists and hundreds of other professionals use spatial (locational) information to inform important decisions that impact natural and built environments around the world.
Google Earth is an example of spatial technology. It uses satellite technology and gives users access to the virtual world. Satellite navigation systems used in cars and mobile phones are also 'spatial tools' and good examples of the world of tools that are available to Spatial Science professionals.
Since everything has a location, our daily lives are impacted by the importance of location (spatial) information: we are reliant on our town/city services including transport, water supply, electricity; our properties are included in the cadastre; our emergency services (ambulance, fire and rescue, police) all rely heavily on spatial data.
Spatial scientists are involved in a huge range of activities. They are advising farmers on the best use of Global Positioning Systems to improve their farming methods, assisting hospitals to use the most efficient system of organising hospital resources, and providing the latest GPS technology for road building efficiencies. They are mapping the movement of migrating whales, measuring the impact of global warming, finding the best place for a shopping centre or a dam, identifying the potential lava streams of a volcano or analysing the areas where most crimes are committed.
Follow the links to learn more about these Spatial Science disciplines: Surveying, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Cartography, Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.