Author: Matt

Thanks to all the speakers, attendees, and helpers at GIScience 2018. We are very grateful to everyone who made GIScience 2018 a grand success. See you in 2020!

As many of you are preparing for your upcoming travels to Australia, you might be interested to explore some Australian music for your trip. The Spotify GIScience2018 playlist contains a range of my favourite Australia musicians, some well-known, most less so, and at least some of whom I’m certain you won’t have come across before.

And here’s a few tips for those of you on long-haul flights:

• Drink lots of water: Most people find planes dehydrating, so I recommend taking a drinking bottle with you. Some airports require you to carry no liquids on to the plane. However, you can always ask a flight attendant to fill your bottle once on-board.
• Get some sleep: Some people find it hard to sleep on planes, but it is definitely worth trying. Most regular long-haul travellers make a point of getting some good sleep, it makes jet lag much less severe.
• Stay warm: Planes can get chilly during the night, so take something warm in your hand luggage to put on when you need it. You can also ask flight attendant for an extra blanket.

Looking forward to seeing you in Melbourne.

We are delighted to receive a significant number of delegates to GIScience 2018 coming from China. To make sure the visit is as enjoyable and smooth as possible for guests from China, Dr Gang-Jun Liu from RMIT University has offered specifically to help coordinate activities with Chinese GIScience 2018 delegates. Dr Liu may contact you directly, but if not you can contact him via email.

With generous sponsorship of ESRI, GIScience 2018 would like to congratulate the 9 winners of ESRI GIScience 2018 Student Travel Awards. Each student receives support to help with attendance at GIScience 2018, based on both demonstrated need and academic excellence. All award winners have papers in the GIScience 2018 program. Congratulations to all of our winners!

RMIT School of Science is offering a Cultural Walk free to GIScience 2018 attendees. The Birrarung Wilam Walk takes you through Federation Square and down to the Birrarung Wilam (Common Ground) Aboriginal art installations, experiencing the Aboriginal history of the Birrarung Marr (Beside the river of mists) and Aboriginal Peoples of the Kulin Nation. Find out more and book your place.