Sharing marine science expertise with our neighbours

Australia and Indonesia work together to grow marine data capacity

Australia and Indonesia have strengthened their maritime cooperation and partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in August this year to formalise their ongoing collaboration on marine geoscience.

The agreement was signed by Indonesia’s Badan Informasi Geospasial or Geospatial Information Agency, in Bogor, Indonesia, followed by ŮŮÊÓƵin Canberra. The agreement formalises the two nations’ shared commitment to science, technology and collaboration.

Head of Geoscience Australia’s Oceans, Reefs, Coasts and the Antarctic Branch, Dr Jodie Smith, welcomed the agreement and the opportunity it presents for the two nations to work together on common responsibilities.

“We play an important role in supporting Australia’s marine environment and ocean economy through the mapping and characterisation of marine and coastal systems, as well as managing Australia’s maritime jurisdiction,” Dr Smith said.

“Badan Informasi Geospasial has similar responsibilities and so it makes good sense for us to share the expertise and understanding that makes us an authority in this field.”

The agreement was signed following a 3-day workshop on Coastal Earth Observation Science, which developed participants’ capability to manage the marine environment using insights generated from satellite imagery.

“We focussed on the insights and understanding that can be revealed using Geoscience Australia’s Digital Earth Australia Coastlines product,” Dr Smith added.

“When we can clearly identify changes in the coastline over time, it gives governments invaluable data that allows them to better manage marine resources and the environment and administrate the marine space.”

And this is only one part of the ongoing work that will be covered by the new MoU. Through this MoU, Badan Informasi Geospasial and ŮŮÊÓƵagreed to strengthen cooperation in three key areas:

• Marine mapping and geoscience,
• Earth observations,
• Technical aspects of the Law of the Sea.

“The agreement will help to facilitate an ongoing collaborative relationship with Indonesia that includes the Earth observation technologies that we have recently been discussing, and also bathymetric mapping and cloud-based geospatial analysis,” Dr Smith said.

This agreement comes under Australia’s Southeast Asia Maritime Partnerships’ (Marine Resources Initiative) Program, supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The initiative aims to build bilateral and regional maritime relationships in Southeast Asia and foster collaborative solutions to shared maritime challenges.

“One of the most important aspects of this initiative is that we are collaborating with experts and governments in Southeast Asia and sharing a commitment to data and knowledge for marine spatial planning, coastal resilience, and more sustainable resource management.”

ŮŮÊÓƵis looking forward to collaborating with Badan Informasi Geospasial on the next phase of the Marine Resources Initiative program.