What is your role here at Flinders?
I am a lecturer in Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and the course coordinator for the Bachelor of GIS.
What drew you to studying and now teaching GIS?
I have had a keen interest in science and geography since primary school. Geography is pivotal to understanding complex interactions between Earth processes, ecosystems, climates, and human activities. Modern geography leverages the enormous power of GIS and technology (e.g., surveying equipment, satellites, drones, GPS) to capture, manage, analyse, and visualise data that allows us to make smarter decisions and solve real-world global challenges. I love working with new technology and spatial data. I also love sharing my passion for GIS and science with my students, and anyone else who will listen!
Can you describe some of the everyday things that GIS is used for?
The first GIS (developed in the 60s) was used for land management. Nowadays, GIS is used across every sector and discipline where the where is important. GIS is utilised by governments, companies, research institutions and NGOs in a range of scenarios from agriculture, natural disaster management, infrastructure, public health, business logistics to natural resources. You have probably used GIS to order Uber Eats, find a hotel or search for directions on Google Maps! With the strong demand for geospatial professionals across many sectors, our students graduating from GIS and surveying have myriad opportunities.
How is rapidly changing tech affecting your field? What do you think the future looks like?
Technological developments play an enormous role in the capability and use of GIS. Since I started using GIS in the mid-2000s, there has been a massive increase in the use of drones/UAV for data collection, huge developments in Web GIS, real-time data and IoT and the move towards digital twins. Furthermore, AI in GIS (GeoAI) has been increasing rapidly. If you consider the large investments major tech companies have been making into AI, we are likely to see many exciting developments in this space.
What has been your career highlight to date?
There have been many highlights of my career. One that certainly stands out is the New Colombo Plan grant awarded to Professor Huade Guan and me (2025/2026) allowing us to take twenty of our third-year undergraduate students to China for 28-day field trip titled, Environmental science and remote sensing investigations of the Mongolian Plateau, Inner Mongolia.
What do you enjoy about working at Flinders?
I really enjoy working with students not only in course work but also those working on capstone projects and master’s theses. I am also fortunate to work in a dynamic and collaborative team of academics and technical professionals covering GI-systems, Earth observation, spatial analysis and surveying. It has been very exciting seeing the rapid growth of our team, student body and activities following the launch of our Bachelor of Geospatial Information Systems/Surveying in 2024 and the launch of the Trimble Technology Lab (Bedford Park Campus) in 2025.
Tell us about your ideal weekend.
My ideal weekend would be spent at the beach with my family.