Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications

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    Spatially Enabling Government – an International Challenge
    Williamson, I. P. ; Rajabifard, A. ; Wallace, J. ( 2007)
    The popular use of spatial technologies involves showing images and tracking assets and inventory in an increasing array of instruments, the most common being the ubiquitous mobile phone. These technologies penetrate into even low income poor countries, but their take-up and development concentrates in highly developed countries. This high-end use of these technologies will determine their future. Remarkable as these popular applications are, spatial technologies can also be used in even more dynamic, transformational ways. Transformational use of spatial technologies occurs when they are used to improve business processes of government, and assist delivery of policies for equitable taxation, conservation of natural resources and planning for rational growth. Use of this transformational capacity of spatial technologies in government creates a spatially enabled government (SEG). The major impediment to take-up of spatial information is counter-intuitive. We all use the new technology in our daily lives, but our capacity to understand the power of spatial information is remarkably small. In fact only about 1% of people in any society really understand spatial information with about 5% of people knowing something about the special technology. For 95% of people, spatial information and its supporting technologies is a mystery. Teaching people about spatial information and its technologies is therefore the first task in painting a vision of what is possible. The attractions of spatial technologies lie in how they present information, whether users rely on computers and the Internet, or on communications technologies. The adage of a “picture tells a thousand words” is now out of date. New digital pictures tell many stories, and, if the enabling platform is built, the pictures will become management tools of government. Spatial technologies are moving quickly. In Australia, since October 2006, Google Maps and Google Earth, combined with a geocoded national address
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    AAA land information: accurate, assured and authoritative
    WILLIAMSON, IAN ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; Kalantari, Mohsen ; WALLACE, JUDE ( 2012)
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    On recognizing land administration as critical, public good infrastructure
    Bennett, R ; Tambuwala, N ; Rajabifard, A ; Wallace, J ; Williamson, I (ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2013-01)
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    Inter-governmental land information asymmetries in Australia
    Tambuwala, Nilofer ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; BENNETT, ROHAN ; WILLIAMSON, IAN ; WALLACE, JUDE ( 2012)
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    Legal framework
    RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; HO, SERENE ; WALLACE, JUDE (International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), 2012)
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    A national vision for Australian land registries
    BENNETT, ROHAN ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; WILLIAMSON, IAN ; WALLACE, JUDE ; Marwick, Brian ( 2011)
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    Spatially enabled society
    WILLIAMSON, IAN ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; WALLACE, JUDE ; BENNETT, ROHAN (International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), 2011)
    The term 'spatially enabled society' describes the emerging cultural and governance revolution offered by pervasive spatial information technologies and spatially equipped citizens. Spatially enabled societies make possible, amongst many other things, sustainable cities, GFC early warning systems, smarter delivery of housing, improved risk management, and better macroeconomic decision making. The concept is not about managing spatial information, it is about governing society spatially. Spatially enabled societies represent the realization of the promises offered by building spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) and reforming land administration systems. These building blocks, established over decades, make possible spatially enabled societies. Without tools for managing metadata, building complete national cadastres, modelling and integrating the 3rd dimension, and much other foundational work, spatially enabled societies cannot emerge. This paper explores the notion of spatially enabled societies further. Example applications are used in the discussion. The paper also demonstrates how, despite the grand possibilities of revolutionary spatial technologies and spatially aware citizens, existing infrastructures including SDIs and land administration system will still require an ongoing governance structure for spatially enabled societies to be maintained.
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    Authoritative land information and Australian property markets
    Tambuwala, Nilofer ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; BENNETT, ROHAN ; WALLACE, JUDE ; WILLIAMSON, IAN (International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), 2012)
    Land information has an important role to play in informing macroeconomic policy. In particular, timely and accurate market information relating to land tenure and value is essential for evidence-based fiscal and monetary decisions, such as interest rates on dept financing and assessing property base taxes. Currently in Australia, there appears to be a gap between the creators of land information at the state level and the users of the information at the federal level. The capacity of evidence-based policy is under-realised as a result. This paper explores the inter-governmental land information flows within three state-based land administration systems and the Reserve Bank and Australian Taxation Office. Results of the study show that integration of land market information is occurring within some state land agencies; however communication with federal government departments is limited, leading to information asymmetries. The paper concludes that new options for enabling more seamless land information flows need to be prioritised. Collaboration will be essential.
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    Nations Need National Land Administration Infrastructures
    Bennett, R ; Rajabifard, A ; Williamson, IP ; Wallace, J (FIG (International Federation of Surveyors), 2012)
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    Contemporary land administration: the importance of being infrastructure
    BENNETT, ROHAN ; Tambuwala, Nilofer ; RAJABIFARD, ABBAS ; WILLIAMSON, IAN ; WALLACE, JUDE (International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), 2012)
    Failure to recognize land administration systems as infrastructure potentially creates funding and maintenance problems. Wider economic, social, and environmental benefits of effective land administration are put at risk. Land administration must be recognized as critical, public good infrastructure. Arguments for land administration as infrastructure reside within the land administration discipline: mainstream views regularly fail to recognize the argument. An evaluation approach for testing land administration as an infrastructure is developed and applied. The method utilizes tools for defining and classifying infrastructure, public goods, and critical infrastructures. The analysis tends to support the position of land administration as a critical, public good infrastructure. As a consequence, infrastructure funding and maintenance regimes need to be depoliticized; land administrators must continue to promote land administration outwardly; and the evaluation approach must be extended and enhanced for use in other land administration projects and studies. This paper summarizes a more extended work currently under review with the Journal of Land Use Policy.