I'm conscious of the fact that it's been quite some time since my last blog entry. I can attribute this to a general increase in activity in the Geospatial Office but more specifically to a particularly busy travel schedule. Over the last few months I've been regularly on the road, attending conferences or hosting events here in Wellington. As anyone who has participated in such events can attest they take up a lot of your time.

A sample of the events I've attended over the last few months include:

• South Australia Spatial Information Day - Adelaide
• CRCSI NZ Mobilising SDI (hosted) - Wellington
• WelTech Innovation and Technology Expo - Petone
• NOAA PaCIS Meeting - Honolulu
• Intergraph 2010 NZ Users' Community Conference - Auckland
• spatial@gov Conference - Canberra
• Maori GIS Conference - Lower Hutt
• 2010 NZ Esri User Conference - Wellington
• GEO VII Plenary - Beijing
• 2010 CRCSI Conference - Melbourne
• OGC Workshop (hosted) - Wellington

Time away from the office can create challenges: sorting through literally hundreds of unopened emails, getting important business as usual tasks completed on time, honouring obligations with those close to home, catching up and just generally providing the services required of an office administrator.  But when I measure those challenges against the value I gain from being out in the geospatial community, I consider it all well worth it.

I've noted the importance of engagement in a previous blog. It's critical that to effectively support the goals of the NZ Geospatial Strategy, Geospatial Office staff get out and interact with the geospatial community as well as with those who have an influence over the future of our industry. As most of us know, once an understanding of the value of geospatial technologies and information sinks in, a listener is often transformed into an enduring convert.

But as I've hit the road representing the Geospatial Office and Strategy, I've also been struck by the reciprocal value of the information I receive. Talking with members of the community, from in-the-trenches technicians to high level executives and politicians, I've learned so much about concerns, accomplishments, issues, history, plans and visions that characterise the New Zealand geospatial industry. These inputs all have a bearing on the strategic decisions that come out of the Geospatial Office, which in turn affect all of us in this field.

When my travels take me outside of New Zealand I try to absorb lots of information about regional and international geospatial issues, and perhaps most importantly New Zealand's role or potential role at these levels.  I'm also happy and frankly proud to represent New Zealand at international events, speaking as I am for a country known for its innovation, contributions and ability to make things happen.  I'm utterly convinced that New Zealand's geospatial industry has a significant place on the world stage and I hope in some small way my efforts can support that goal.

My travel plans have settled now, with the holidays imminent. It's good to be at my desk regularly again, engaging right here at LINZ with this great collection of people and continuing to meet with members of the local community.  But I always remain keen to get out there, expand those horizons and grow my understanding of New Zealand's place in the broader geospatial community.

Kevin Sweeney

Geospatial Custodian