Pre Congress Activities
14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Pre Congress Activities 14 August 2017
ASEAN FLAG Meeting, Brunei Darussalam – 14 August 2017
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 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
Distinguished Guests, ASEAN FLAG Council Members, Congress Speakers, Delegates and other Guests have begun arriving from Overseas.
B.I.G. 12th AGM – 12 November 2016 Brunei Darussalam
The 12th AGM of the Brunei Institution of Geomatics was held at Restoran Aneka Rasa, Kiulap on 12 November 2016. The main item discussed was to extend the term of the current Council to cover the South East Asia Survey Congress 2017.
14th South East Asia Survey Congress 2017 – Press Conference 2 August 2017
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.
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
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
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.
delivering his address
ASEAN FLAG Council Meeting, 18-19 March 2015, BSB, Brunei
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
BIG Blood Donation Drive – 10 February 2015
THE Brunei Institution Of Geomatics (BIG) together with the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital Mobile Blood Bank and its food partner SCR Express on Tuesday held a very successful joint Blood Donation Campaign at the Citis Square outlet.
BIG President Pg Hj Matusin Pg Hj Matasan said the campaign was organised as part of the organisers’ corporate social responsibility — to assist RIPAS Hospital to boost its blood reserves.
“As everyone is well aware, Brunei Darussalam’s population is small, and obtaining blood donations is therefore understandably quite a challenge. Further compounding this situation is the fact that an increasing number of people are suffering from chronic diseases (according to recent health reports) and are disqualified from donating,” explained Pg Hj Matusin on why there is always a shortage of blood, judging from the many appeals for blood being circulated in the local social media.
“On behalf of all the needy patients out there, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has donated blood to assist them…At the same time, I would also like to appeal to all able-bodied individuals to step forward to make a difference in our community. Your country and community need you…And remember, one doesn’t have to be a doctor or a paramedic to save lives — just donate some blood. Besides, it is good for health,” added Pg Hj Matusin.
Article & Photos Courtesy of Brunei Times
http://m.bt.com.bn/happenings/2015/02/12/big-blood-donation-drive
Surveyors Night 2015 – 03 February 2015
BRUNEIAN surveyors need to be equipped with skills and knowledge to continue providing professional services following the enforcement of the Strata Title Act, the Minister of Development said last night.
Pehin Orang Kaya Indera Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Suyoi Hj Osman said a professional surveyor of any discipline such as valuer, quantity surveyor or land surveyor need to undergo continuous professional development to command the trust and respect of the public.
“Such professional integrity and expertise cannot be over-emphasised than the recent developments both in Brunei and ASEAN region as a whole,” he said during the Surveyors’ Night at the Parkview Hotel, Jerudong.
YB Pehin Dato Hj Suyoi said ASEAN member states agreed to establish a single market that will directly impact the mobility of various professionals including surveyors.
“I have been informed that in the meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Services, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Singapore have shown significant progress in land surveying. I hope the other two disciplines of valuation and quantity surveying will follow suit.”
The minister added that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) ASEAN can assist their members in Brunei by disseminating up-to-date information and provide relevant training programmes.
“Strict compliance to these international standards will only ensure the integrity and capability of a professional surveyor to the level expected by any country and hence achieving the ASEAN Free Trade Area,” he said.
The Surveyors’ Night also saw Bill Jones, managing director of RICS ASEAN, giving a talk on ‘The International Standards for the Surveyors’ – covering the three aspects of valuation, measurement and ethics.
Article Courtsey of Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2015/02/04/continue-updatingskills-surveyors-told