Seminar

Construction & Engineering

Over the years, various municipalities within the Middle East region have undertaken plenty of construction projects across the gulf. The government's decision to diversify from a trade-based but oil-reliant economy to the one that is service- and tourism-oriented has made real estate more valuable, resulting in the property boom from 2004 onwards. Tourism is also being promoted at a staggering rate with the fast growing construction industry and other projects that include the making of mammoth shopping malls, theme parks, resorts, stadiums and various other tourist attractions.

Geospatial technologies such as surveying and mapping have been an essential element in the development of the human environment since the beginning of recorded history (ca. 5000 years ago) and it is very much required in the planning and execution of nearly every form of construction. It’s most familiar modern uses are in the fields of transport, building and construction, communications, mapping and the definition of legal boundaries of land ownership.

This seminar will address the various issues and use of geospatial technology in the Construction & Engineering field.

Oil and Gas
As for natural gas, the Middle East has around some 36% of the world’s gas reserves – a repository of energy that is virtually untapped. Thus, there is huge growth potential for this energy resource. Although the region’s gas was once considered a stranded resource, but advancements in technologies for both liquefaction and gas-to-liquids are making it a viable part of the future energy mix. GIS technology is providing solutions that include many operational and economic benefits to oil and gas operations.

Technology development, technology transfer and capacity-building are integral to business and form a major area in which the industry contributes to economic development for society at large. Technologies introduced to host countries include myriad industrial production and manufacturing processes along with the infrastructure needed to distribute energy products to local consumers. This transfer of knowledge also includes novel technologies to control or reduce environmental impacts of the activities and products.

This seminar will provide valuable insight into the potential of GIS as a tool providing instant access to information, increased efficiency, and improved decision-making abilities.

Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Management
The term “Critical Infrastructure Protection” (CIP) pertains to the measurements for protecting critical infrastructures including power, telecommunications, roads, ports, oilrigs, etc. CIP methods and resources deter attacks by both man and nature. Plainly stating, CIP is about protecting those invaluable assets that make life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness a national reality.

The seminar will give an insight on the latest developments and use of Geographic Information Technology [GIT] and how geospatial technology is playing an increasingly important role in critical infrastructure protection and underground damage prevention. Following a high level overview of the current status of GIT use in utilities and local government agencies, technical perspectives will be provided by an internationally diverse group of infrastructure practitioners to illustrate the state of the art of digital mapping technology in these sectors. A panel discussion will then bring together the technical and operational aspects of presenters’ experiences.

Open Source Geospatial
Open source software is software where the source code is made available under a license that allows the modification, and re-distribution of the software at will. Open source geospatial applications and programming environments fills all of the standard components of a geospatial project.

This seminar will encourage the use and collaborative development of community-led projects.