14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Monitoring & Management of Brunei’s Forests 16 August 2017

14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Monitoring & Management of Brunei’s Forests 16 August 2017

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WITH forest fire and bush fire outbreaks showing an increasing trend over the years, there is an urgent need to use Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) for better monitoring and management of Brunei’s forests.
Dr Shafi Noor Islam, Assistant Professor of Geography, Development and Environmental Studies Department under Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) also called for an integrated interdisciplinary management approach to control forest fires in the country.
In his presentation on ‘Detecting Forest and Bush Fires Risk Area of Brunei Darussalam: Case Analysis on Brunei-Muara and Belait Districts’ during a parallel session of the 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress (SEASC) 2017 yesterday at the Rizqun International Hotel, he iterated the need to provide proper guidelines for rehabilitation of borrow pits, while also highlighting the need to monitor projects undertaken by contractors.
On the land survey issues, he hoped that there will be better integrated mapping and monitoring of hotspots.
Quoting from the statistics of the Fire and Rescue Department, he said Brunei recorded 382 forest fire and 193 bush fire outbreaks in the first three months of 2016.
Dr Shafi Noor Islam, Assistant Professor of Geography, Development and Environmental Studies Department under Universiti Brunei Darussalam, delivering his presentation
Brunei-Muara District recorded the highest number of bush and forest fires totalling 238 during this period. Belait District recorded 199 cases (117 forest and 82 bush fires). This was followed by Tutong District with 133 outbreaks. Temburong reported only five outbreaks.
Anthropogenic and natural factors are the primary causes of forest and bush fires in the country, Dr Shafi said.
Forest fires, he said, would lead to loss of valuable natural resources, loss of wildlife habitat as well as biodiversity.
It can also cause runoffs leading to flooding. In addition, forest fires add to global warming and health problems.
Article & Photos Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – 15 August 2017

14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – 15 August 2017

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Local, International Geomatics Professionals gather for SEASC 2017
OVER 300 local and international participants are attending the 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress 2017 (SEASC 2017), hosted by the Survey Department in collaboration with the Brunei Institution of Geomatics (BIG) and the Asean Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics (AFLAG).
The three-day congress was officially opened by Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, Minister of Development at The Rizqun International Hotel yesterday.
The meetings are attended by local government officers, students and participants from Australia, Britain, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, all who will join deliberations of over 70 papers which will be presented in the parallel sessions during the congress.
In his welcoming remarks, Haji Ali Bakar bin Haji Kasim, Surveyor General at the Survey Department, said, “In the 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress 2017, we try to harmonise the surveying profession with other related professions and work together closely in the construction industry to enhance our social, physical and economic development. It is imperative for all levels of professions to share geospatial information in order to expedite national development.”
Haji Ali Bakar, who is also the chairperson of the event, added, “SEASC brings together the international surveying and spatial professionals community to share innovative science and technology solutions with policymakers and stakeholders. I am pleased to see that some papers prepared by the speakers are related to SEASC’s objectives and relevant to our profession and will be very beneficial to all.”
Altogether, 72 working papers will be presented by local and overseas speakers comprising four papers presented in the two plenary sessions, and 68 papers presented in the parallel sessions.
Haji Ali Bakar bin Haji Kasim, Surveyor General at the Survey Department
The papers will touch on topics such as Surveying and Mapping, Land Administration, Disaster Management, and Geospatial Intelligence, among others. Meanwhile, Surveyor (Sr) Mohammad Azmi bin Mohd Zain, President of AFLAG, in his address congratulated Brunei Darussalam as the country will be celebrating the Golden Jubilee of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Ascension to the Throne in October this year.
He highlighted that the Southeast Asia Survey Congress is a flagship event held once every two years, with the previous congress being held in Singapore in 2015.
“We have identified and adopted the theme of enhancing the synergies with focus initiatives, promoting the aims and objectives of Asean. This means AFLAG is bringing together Asean surveyors and geomatics professionals and sharing knowledge of technologies which can be embraced and add value to our profession – improving on traditional standard practices – for the advancement of mankind and the community in Asean,” he said.
The theme for this year’s congress ‘Bridging the Gap’, defines AFLAG and Asean’s common aspiration and vision of creating an even more closely-knit regional community, with the expressed aim of forging ever closer cooperation in land surveying and geomatics.
SEASC 2017 aims to be a platform for the sharing of ideas and best practices in surveying and geomatics, helping to adopt and advance common standards, as well as address the various conformance issues within the industry in a meaningful and productive manner for the mutual good and benefit of all member countries.
Also present at yesterday’s ceremony were Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar, Deputy Minister of Development; Pengiran Haji Matusin bin Pengiran Haji Matasan, the President of Brunei Institution of Geomatics; and other senior officials from the ministry.
ASEAN FLAG Meeting, Brunei Darussalam – 14 August 2017

ASEAN FLAG Meeting, Brunei Darussalam – 14 August 2017

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AFLAG gains recognition from Asean Secretariat
THE Asean Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics (AFLAG) has officially been recognised by the Asean Secretariat after the submission of its annual report and annual income in Jakarta, Indonesia.
This positive development was announced by Mohammad Azmi bin Mohd Zin of the Association of Authorised Land Surveyors Malaysia (PEJUTA), also the President of AFLAG, during his speech at the federation’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in Brunei.
“AFLAG is a platform to voice concerns on land surveying to the Asean Secretariat. With this recognition, we will now have more than 100 networks of civil societies within the secretariat,” said Mohammad Azmi. The AFLAG president then went on to congratulate the previous president, Dr Wicha Jiwalai of the Surveying and Mapping Society of Thailand, and Pengiran Haji Matusin bin Pengiran Haji Matasan, President of the Brunei Institute of Geomatics (BIG), for their efforts in helping the federation.
The EGM’s host, Haji Ali Bakar bin Haji Kasim, Brunei’s Surveyor General, in his remarks welcomed the Asean delegates to the country and expressed hope that they will enjoy their stay in the country.
He said that through the meeting, “Asean member countries will be able to share the techniques and technologies which can be also be used in Brunei. It is also hoped that the federation will work together to further develop each Asean member country for the future.”
The Extraordinary General Meeting’s host and Brunei’s Surveyor General, Haji Ali Bakar bin Haji Kasim, delivers welcoming remarks as Mohammad Azmi bin Mohd Zin of PEJUTA and the President of AFLAG looks on
Members of the Asean Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics before the start of their meeting.
The EGM also included a discussion on whether to adopt and approve the revised constitution of the AFLAG.
Following the EGM, the attendees went on to attend the 63rd AFLAG Council Meeting.
The 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress (SEASC) 2017 will be hosted today at The Rizqun International Hotel. Organised by the Survey Department under the Ministry of Development (MoD) in collaboration with BIG and AFLAG, it marks the second time that Brunei will host the congress (the first was in 2005).
The objectives of the congress are to update knowledge and understanding of professionals and experts in the field of geomatics with the latest technologies, and to foster understanding as well as encourage collaborations and researches among experts in the field.
Article & Photos Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Arrival of Guests

14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Arrival of Guests

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Distinguished Guests, ASEAN FLAG Council Members, Congress Speakers, Delegates and other Guests have begun arriving from Overseas.

 

Guests from Malaysia

 

Guests from the Philippines (L) & China (R)

 

Datuk Hj Safar Untong, Director of Lands & Survey Sabah (3rd from L) & Guest from China

 

SEASC17 Congress Director Pg Hj Matusin Pg Hj Matasan (c) with Overseas Guests and Local Hosts ready to “Get into the Swing of Things”
14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Press Conference 2 August 2017

14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Press Conference 2 August 2017

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SOME 150 participants comprising Brunei government officers, stu-dents and delegates from Australia, Britain, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan are set to converge in Brunei Darussalam as the country will host the 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress (SEASC) 2017 from August 15-17 at The Rizqun International Hotel.
Organised by the Survey Department under the Ministry of Development in collaboration with Brunei Institute of Geomatics (BIG) and the Asean Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics (AFLAG), this is the second time that Brunei Darussalam will be hosting the congress. Brunei first hosted the congress in 2005.
Details of the 14th SEASC 2017 were revealed in a press conference yesterday by Haji Ali Bakar bin Haji Kasim, the Surveyor General, who is also the Congress Chairman.
Also present were Pengiran Haji Matusin bin Pengiran Haji Matasan, the President of BIG and Congress Director; Arefin bin Haji Jaya, the Acting Deputy, who is also the Deputy Congress Chairman; Haji Mahadi bin Haji Md Tahir, the Secretary General of BIG; and Pengiran Hajah Hasnaliati binti Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin, the Acting Assistant Surveyor General.
The Surveyor General high-lighted, “The objectives of the congress are to update the knowledge and understanding of professionals and experts in the field of geomatics with the latest technology and to foster understanding as well as encourage collaboration and research among experts in the field of geomatics.”
The theme for this year’s congress is ‘Bridging the Gap’, he explained.
“Asean’s common aspiration and vision of an even more closely-knit regional community with the expressed aim to forge ever closer cooperation in Land Surveying and Geomatics. Geographically speaking, though we may be a lose cluster of Southeast Asian countries, we do have quite a diverse of range of socio-cultural-economic-political leanings in addition to different stages of technical uptake,” he said.
The 14th SEASC 2017 also aims to be a platform for sharing ideas and best practices that will help further adopt and advance common standards as well as address various conformance issues to benefit all member countries.
Haji Ali Bakar bin Haji Kasim, the Surveyor General and Congress Chairman, chairing the press conference.
The Congress Chairman also disclosed that there will be over 70 papers for deliberation during the congress and the themes include Land Administration, Valuation and Real Estate management, Climate change and disaster risk reduction management, Land and Mapping, Falaq Syarie and others.
The plenary session will see the President of BIG delivering his speech on ‘Bridging the Gap through MRA’ while See Seng Guan from Surbana Jurong Consultant Pte Ltd, Singapore, will touch on Strata Housing in Singapore.
The topic of UAV Ariel survey for large scale Map Updating will be delivered by Dr Zainal A Majeed from the Department of Surveying and Mapping Malaysia, while Peter Barrat of Cloudbase Solutions from Australia will talk about Contemporary Web Cadaster.
Falak Syarie and the Land Development sessions will be held on August 16.
Pengiran Haji Matusin also revealed that the 64th AFLAG Council Meeting will also be held prior to the congress. In promoting Brunei Darussalam as a popular tourists’ destination, delegates can tee off at The Empire Hotel & Country Club for the SEASC Golf Tournament while other delegates can also join a morning walk at Tasek Lama.
Haji Ali Bakar noted that this is a special year for Brunei Darussalam with the Golden Jubilee Celebration of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Accession to the Throne and hoped that the delegates will return to Brunei for the celebration.
Registration for the congress is open. More information can be found at www.seasc2017.org.
Article & Photos Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
7th Multi GNSS Asia Conference – 7-9 December 2015 Brunei Darussalam

7th Multi GNSS Asia Conference – 7-9 December 2015 Brunei Darussalam

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The Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism YB Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong (R) during a seminar of the seventh Annual Multi GNSS Asia Conference yesterday at the Rizqun International Hotel in Gadong

 

Space.Tec Partners Managing Partner Rainer Horn speaking to The Brunei Times yesterday during the seventh Annual Multi Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Asia Conference which will be launched today.
BRUNEI is hosting the seventh Annual Multi Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Asia Conference today with the objective to establish industry collaboration with local companies.
The conference which is scheduled to run until December 9 will be held in the capital, where 100 specialists from over 10 countries, including Brunei, will present various topics on the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), a multipurpose satellite based on an augmented system; the integration of satellite positioning technology in emergency medical services and innovative space-based applications using GNSS among others.
The Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong was present yesterday as one of the participants in a seminar titled ‘Agriculture of Brunei Darussalam’ presented by Dr Diana Dennis, Senior Livestock Husbandry Officer from the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood.
The conference was supported by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, and the Survey Department under the Ministry of Development.
Speaking to The Brunei Times on the sidelines of the conference, at the Rizqun International Hotel, Space.Tec Partners Managing Partner Rainer Horn said the conference aimed to introduce companies in Brunei on how to use satellite communications systems.
“The conference hoped to include Brunei as one of the country members in the Southeast Asia region, to discuss about the existing challenges in using satellite system, for example in emergency situations, traffic congestions, monitoring weather patterns with GNSS and others,” said Rainer. “This conference is held to bring a unique specialist industry community to Brunei,” he said.
Meanwhile, European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) Market Development Officer, Justyna Redelkiewicz-Musial, said she hoped to introduce the Galileo satellite system and EGNOS satellite navigation, where these systems can provide users with a freely accessible service for positioning, navigation and timing.
“We have not met any Bruneian industry using the satellite system. We hope to get networking here during the conference,” she said. She said that Bruneian government could benefit from using the satellite systems on the ground in such areas as precision agriculture, mapping, road and rail applications.
Article & Photos Courtesy of Brunei Times
National Surveying & Mapping Summit, 28-29 April 2015, Manila, Philippines

National Surveying & Mapping Summit, 28-29 April 2015, Manila, Philippines

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The National Surveying & Mapping Summit was held in Manila, Philippines on 28-29 April 2015. The event was organized by the Geodetic Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. The Theme of the Summit was “Convergence and Cooperation for a Better Future”

The President of ASEAN FLAG Pg Hj Matusin Pg Hj Matasan who is also the President of the Brunei Institution of Geomatics was invited to address the Summit.

 

ASEAN FLAG & BIG President Pg Hj Matusin Pg Hj Matasan
delivering his address

ASEAN FLAG Council Meeting, 18-19 March 2015, BSB, Brunei

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The 55th meeting of the ASEAN Federation of Land Surveying & Geomatics (ASEAN FLAG) was held in Brunei on 18 and 19 March 2015. The meeting was organised by BIG with support from Survey Department.

The event included the following activities;

Half Day Council meeting
Half Day Technical Seminar
Technical Visit to Survey Department
Golf Tournament
River Cruise Dinner
The papers presented at the Technical Seminar were as follows

Disaster Risk Reduction – Randolf Vincente (RSV Geoconsulting and Management Services)
HSSE in Geomatics World – Shahminan Ali (Hydrobeam Consultancy)
Land Titles for Kampung Ayer – Greg Cumming (Truebridge Callender Beach (B) Sdn Bhd)
Modern Surveyor for the Modern World – Gerry Ong (GPS Lands (Singapore) Pte Ltd)
PDF copies of the first 3 papers mentioned above are available below

 

Participants at the Seminar
Participants at the Golf Tournament
Participants at the Golf Tournament
Group Photo at Survey Department Technical Visit
Group Photo during River Cruise