Indigenous community in Australia maps cultural data
Traditional landowners in north west Queensland, Australia will soon be recording and mapping their own cultural heritage sites under a new arrangement with the State Government. The Mt Isa-based Mitakoodi-Juhnjlar aboriginal people will be the first to be taught the technical skills needed to gather their own data. They will be learning skills on using GPS programs and secondly being able to record those results onto software which will then go to offi cial authorities for insertion into the official maps.
www.abc.net.au

China’s first digital long distance pipeline
Ji-Ning line is China’s first pipeline featuring digital technologies. World advanced technologies are applied in it, including remote sensing technology, GIS, large database, virtual reality technology, web application technology, project management, enterprise resource planning, exploring a new idea and method of in the design and operation management of long-distance pipeline. Welding has been completed for over 700 kilometers along the Ji- Ning line (from Hengshui in north China’s Hebei Province to Nanjing in east China’s Jiangsu province) for West-East Gas Transmission project. The line extends across north and east China and connects the area around Bohai Sea with Yangtze River Delta. It is expected the main pipeline will be put into operation at year-end. The pipeline will put an end to the coal-dominated energy structure in the areas alongside.
http://english.people.com.cn

Indo-Canada to sign S&T agreement
India and Canada will sign a comprehensive agreement on science and technology later this year to give a boost to the research activities taking place in both countries and to help the transfer of technologies. Announcing this at a joint press conference with the Minister of Science and Technology, Kapil Sibal, the Canadian High Commissioner to India, Lucie Edwards said her country would sign such an ‘umbrella agreement’ for the first time in 25 years.
The collaborations this year will focus on five themes – Earth Sciences and Disaster Mitigation, Environmental and Climate Change Technologies and Alternative Fuels, Information and Communications Technology, Nano-technology and Nano-science, Biotechnology, Health Research and Medical Devices. She also disclosed that the recently released Canadian International Policy Statement “paid significant attention to India as well as Science and Technology and suggested key initiatives to support partnerships in this sector with key markets, like India”.
Mr Sibal announced that Canada will be the partner country in this year’s Technology Summit and Technology Platform to be held in New Delhi from September 21-22.

FDI to accelerate mapping in India
The Indian Govt. is going to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in the GIS and aerial mapping sectors to prepare an exhaustive database for the entire country. Union Minister of State for Science, Technology and Ocean Development, Kapil Sibal said that opening the sector for FDI would help speed up the area mapping work in the country.
‘‘The map database, being prepared by using GIS, would help tackle future challenges more effectively and improve India’s performance in areas like agriculture and infrastructure,’’ said Sibal. http://cities.expressindia.com