Locus is a New Zealand based data integration consultancy with over 20 years’ experience in automation and enterprise GIS. We specialise in spatial data integration and intelligent workflows using FME, Esri technologies and modern data platforms.
Our focus is knowledge transfer and capability building. Providing organisations with the tools, skills and confidence to manage and automate their own data integration environments. By combining technical expertise with practical training and support, we help teams take ownership of their geospatial systems and unlock long-term value from their data. To learn more visit locusglobal.com
Locus is delighted to join the PGRSC as an Organisational Member.
Angie Worsley, LOCUS
This week, we will explore The Pacific Community (SPC) Statistics for Development Division (SDD)’s tools for using QGIS to map and analyse census and survey data.
Week 22: Are you interested in learning how to use open source software for census and survey mapping?
The Pacific Community (SPC) Statistics for Development Division (SDD) produced a training manual to assist anyone wishing to perform census and survey mapping and analysis with QGIS. QGIS is a free and open-source GIS package and both the SPC SDD training manual and associated data are free for anyone to use. The manual comes along with exercises and training files to help and guide the user to perform all the mapping task explained in the different lessons.
Information on QGIS Manual for Census and Survey Mapping can be found here:
https://sdd.spc.int/innovation-sdd/qgis-census-and-survey-mapping
https://www.spc.int/resource-centre/publications/qgis-for-census-and-survey-mapping-2022
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New Caledonia officially joins the PGRSC
The Government of New Caledonia has officially formalized its membership in the Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council (PGRSC). This strategic move is excellent news for the territory, promising to enhance its technological influence and strengthen regional cooperation.
This membership offers numerous advantages for New Caledonia without any cost to the taxpayer, as the adhesion has no budgetary impact. By joining this network, the government gains access to:
- Decision-making power: New Caledonia will now have a seat at the table, with the ability to vote in general assemblies and influence major regional technological directions.
- Exclusive resources: The territory will benefit from an archive library, webinars, and free training sessions.
- A support network: This allows for direct exchange with experts from across the Pacific via collaborative tools.
Leveraging local expertise: The “GIS Club “
his opening toward the Pacific builds upon a dynamic that is already well-established locally: the “GIS Club“. Managed by the government for the past ten years, this club gathers 38 public and private actors. It is already a key player in valorizing New Caledonia’s geospatial expertise and has established a regional presence through the participation of Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia and SPC.The government’s membership in the PGRSC marks a major turning point, allowing the territory to extend its reach “beyond the coral reef”.
For more information, please contact Damien Buisson (New Caledonia Focal point): [email protected].
Link to New Caledonia GIS & Remote Sensing Service: https://georep.nc/
New Caledonia Government membership announcement (in french): https://georep.nc/actualites/la-nouvelle-caledonie-rejoint-la-communaute-geospatiale-du-pacifique
]]>Last week, we looked at a free online course from Spatial Thoughts that teaches you how to use Python programming language to conduct geospatial tasks and analyses. This week we will explore Digital Earth Pacific, an operational Earth observation system that provides decision-makers with the information needed to make sound decisions addressing the Pacific’s challenges, most notably climate change, food security and disaster..
Week 21: Are you interested in leveraging the power of Earth observation to understand changing conditions and support progress towards multilateral environmental agreements such as the Paris Agreement and our Sustainable Development Goals?
The Digital Earth Pacific (DE Pacific) is an operational Earth observation system that utilises decades of satellite data to demonstrate how local environments are changing over time. This includes changes to landcover and land use to better target humanitarian assistance after disasters, mapping of changing coastlines caused by climate change or storm events, and understanding how mangrove growth has changed without the need for manual mapping.
DE Pacific will allow the Pacific Community’s (SPC) member states to make more informed decisions based on timely information. It is a free and open digital public infrastructure that helps enable the region to quickly understand the changes in our environment and at a fraction of the cost of previous data systems, at scale.
Information on DE Pacific can be found here:
https://digitalearthpacific.org
We hope that these materials are beneficial to you. Please let us know if you have a free GIS or remote sensing resource that you would like to promote as well so others can learn from them.
]]>Week 20: Are you interested in using Python programming language to do geospatial analysis?
Spatial Thoughts provides free courses on various GIS and remote sensing topics in addition to paid options which allows for live mentoring and interaction with the instructor and certifications. This class covers Python from the very basics and is suitable for GIS practitioners with no programming background or python knowledge. The course will introduce participants to basic programming concepts, libraries for working with spatial data, geospatial APIs and techniques for building spatial data processing pipelines.
Python Foundation for Spatial Analysis
https://courses.spatialthoughts.com/python-foundation.html
We hope that these materials are beneficial to you. Please let us know if you have a free GIS or remote sensing resource that you would like to promote as well so others can learn from them.
]]>As a recognized regional member, Pacific GIS & Remote Sensing Council serves as a bridge between Pacific practitioners, researchers, institutions, and international scientific networks in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and geospatial information science.
Strengthening the Pacific Voice in Global Geospatial Science
This renewed membership consolidates PGRSC’s position as:
- A trusted regional interface with leading international scientific bodies
- A platform for visibility and influence for Pacific initiatives
- A facilitator of collaboration between local expertise and global research agendas
Through ISPRS, PGRSC actively contributes to shaping international standards, methodologies, and priorities relevant to island, coastal, and climate-vulnerable regions.
Concrete Benefits for Our Members
PGRSC members benefit directly from this international affiliation through:
Global Connectivity
- Access to international scientific networks, working groups, and expert communities
- Opportunities for cross-regional collaboration and joint projects
Knowledge & Innovation
- Early access to scientific developments, methodologies, and best practices
- Participation in ISPRS technical commissions, workshops, and symposia
Capacity Building
- Eligibility for training programs, summer schools, and professional events
- Access to travel grants and mobility support for selected activities
Recognition & Career Development
- Opportunities to contribute to international publications and forums
- Eligibility for scientific awards and distinctions
- Increased professional visibility at the global level
A Strategic Asset for the Pacific Region
By maintaining its ISPRS Regional Membership, PGRSC ensures that:
- Pacific realities are represented in global scientific discussions
- Local expertise is connected to international excellence
- Regional institutions and professionals gain sustained access to high-level resources
This partnership strengthens the region’s capacity to address critical challenges in climate resilience, environmental monitoring, urban development, and sustainable land and ocean management.
Our Commitment
PGRSC remains committed to leveraging this membership to:
- Support the professional growth of its members
- Promote regional innovation and leadership
- Foster open, inclusive, and high-impact geospatial collaboration across the Pacific
Together, we continue to position the Pacific as an active and respected contributor to the global geospatial science community.
This course will be hosted virtually from February 10-13, 2026, 9 AM-3 PM (Fiji Standard Time).
Attendees will:
– Learn where to find satellite, remote sensing, and ocean parameter data
– Become familiar with the ERDDAP platform to visualize, subset, and download data
– Learn to judge which products are appropriate for your application or who to contact to get guidance
– Apply what you learn on a personal project so that you leave the course with ready-to-use workflows
More information and a detailed agenda can be found on the course website here.
Interested participants can register via this Google Form.
NOAA CoastWatch and PacIOOS look forward to being able to offer this Pacific-focused training again!
Please see below for Weeks 13 to 20:
Week 13: UN Handbook on Remote Sensing for Agricultural Statistics
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recently released the 2025 UN Handbook on Remote Sensing for Agricultural Statistics, a free online practical guide to the application of remote sensing for agricultural statistics, equipping readers with the methodologies required to generate high-quality land use maps and crop yield predictions. Each chapter includes executable R and Python scripts that the user can use for analysis and decision making.
https://fao-eostat.github.io/UN-Handbook
Week 14: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing Online Book
The Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, National Center, published a free online Fundamentals of Remote Sensing practical book which discusses satellites orbiting the Earth and how remote sensing data can be used to assess emergencies, monitor water bodies, agricultural land, and volcanic activity in the Sentinel Earth Observation Browser, and more.
Week 15: Sentinel Hub Collection of Custom Scripts
Sentinel Hub hosts a repository which contains a collection of custom scripts which can be fed to the services via the URL to collect and analyse various satellite imagery for a variety of use cases.
https://custom-scripts.sentinel-hub.com
Week 16: Visualizing Land Cover and Land Use Change with NASA Satellite Imagery Workshop (February 24-26, 2026)
NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) will provide a free online training course on how to use the R statistical coding language to classify land cover and quantify changes in land cover over time.
Session A: Feb. 24-26, 2026,11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST(1600-1800 UTC)
Session B: Feb. 24-26, 2026,2:00-4:00 p.m. EST(1900-2100 UTC)
Course registration is currently open at:
https://www.earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/trainings/visualizing-land-cover-land-use-change-nasa-satellite-imagery
Week 17: Global Forest Watch
Global Forest Watch, or GFW, is an initiative from the World Resources Institute (WRI) committed to providing the best publicly available data and tools for monitoring and protecting the world’s forests. By harnessing cutting-edge technology, GFW’s free and accessible platform allows anyone anywhere to access near-real-time information on forest change and mobilize action.
https://www.globalforestwatch.org
Week 18: Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map
The Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map is an interactive database that maps and tracks development finance flows from the international community to the Pacific Islands region. The research covers Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu, with complete data from 2008 to 2023. The project’s goal is to improve aid efficiency in the Pacific by fostering greater transparency and coordination of development efforts.
https://pacificaidmap.lowyinstitute.org/map
Week 19: QGIS Training Manual
QGIS is a free and open source community-driven GIS software. The official training manual outlines the interface, available geospatial tools, and workflows for specific use cases (e.g. hydrological modeling and planning for a solar farm).
https://docs.qgis.org/3.40/en/docs/training_manual/index.html
Week 20: Python Foundation for Spatial Analysis
Spatial Thoughts provides free courses on various GIS and remote sensing topics in addition to paid options which allows for live mentoring and interaction with the instructor and certifications. This class covers Python from the very basics and is suitable for GIS practitioners with no programming background or python knowledge. The course will introduce participants to basic programming concepts, libraries for working with spatial data, geospatial APIs and techniques for building spatial data processing pipelines.
https://courses.spatialthoughts.com/python-foundation.html
We hope that these materials are beneficial to you. Please let us know if you have a free GIS or remote sensing resource that you would like to promote as well so others can learn from them.
Sincerely,
Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council
The year ahead brings new challenges, but also renewed opportunities to strengthen solidarity, promote resilience, and work collectively toward a more sustainable and equitable future. Guided by our shared values and commitments, we remain dedicated to advancing our mission and supporting the communities we serve.
Thank you for your trust, collaboration, and continued engagement. Together, let us make this new year one of meaningful action, positive impact, and lasting progress.
Happy New Year from all of us at PGRSC.
]]>In this edition, we spotlight a major step forward for the Pacific geospatial community: a new Memorandum of Understanding between the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific GIS & Remote Sensing Council (PGRSC). This partnership strengthens outreach, training, and regional coordination to ensure that satellite and geospatial technologies better support informed decision-making across the Pacific.
The newsletter features updates on practical data innovations, audience-friendly insights on how geospatial tools shape everyday life, and upcoming opportunities for learning and collaboration — from national focal point engagement to regional workshops and webinars.
As PGRSC Chair Bradley Eichelberger notes, this collaboration represents a shared commitment to expanding geospatial and earth observation capacity across Pacific Island countries and to building resilient, well-informed communities.
Dive into the full issue and discover how our region continues to advance, connect, and innovate through GIS and remote sensing.
Inside this issue:
- Why Maps Matter: Cartography and Its Relevance for the Pacific Region
- Mapping Blue Carbon Ecosystems for a Sustainable Pacific
- Geo Connect Asia 2025: Advancing GIS and Remote Sensing in The Pacific
- Space-Based Observations for Our Pacific Islands
- Inventory of Common Bamboo in Naitasiri
Download it now at: https://pgrsc.org/newsletter
Want to be featured in the next issue?
We welcome contributions from GIS & RS professionals, students, and institutions across the Pacific. If you’ve got a project, experience, or idea to share, read our contributor call to action here and connect with our editorial team.
Let’s continue building a stronger, more connected geospatial community in the Pacific! 
𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 is Fiji’s premiere water suppliers. Hailing from the pristine landscapes of Fiji, 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰’s artesian mineral water encapsulates the pure essence of its exotic origin and, as part of 𝗔𝗾𝘂𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰’s commitment to nature, their sustainable bottling plant runs on 80 percent renewable energy
LandPro Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary team of environmental consultants using smart technology and deep local expertise to support better outcomes for people, land, and water across regional New Zealand.
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𝗢𝗦𝗚𝗲𝗼 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗮 is a volunteer organisation devoted to growing and enabling the OpenStreetMap and Open Source Geospatial communities in Oceania.
https://osgeo-oceania.org/
𝗩𝗼𝗱𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗷𝗶 is Fiji’s leading mobile telecommunications provider, serving thousands of customers.
𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮 is a research institution whose aim is to make atmospheric, climatic, oceanographic, seismic and space data available in order to understand and predict the history, functioning and evolution of the Earth system in an integrated way.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰, 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗿 “𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱” (PF) is one of France’s regional cooperation instruments in the Pacific. The PF is financed by credits from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international development (MAEDI) and contributes to the regional integration of New Caledonia, French Polynesia and the Islands of Wallis and Futuna through cooperation with the independent States of the Pacific
]]>Where: 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰, 𝗦𝘂𝘃𝗮, 𝗙𝗶𝗷𝗶
When: 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟰 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟴, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱
Conference theme: “𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀”.
It is not too late to submit a presentation and register for the largest GIS and remote sensing conferences in the Pacific Islands region!!! We already have over 𝟲𝟱 𝗚𝗜𝗦 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 registered or providing presentations!!!
Kindly see the resources below and we look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks!!! Note: there is a pay at the door option under the registration website if that is your preferred payment option.
https://pgrsc.org/pacific-gis-rs-users-conference/
https://pgrsc.org/conference-program/
https://pgrsc.org/conference-registration/
https://pgrsc.org/abstract-submission/
The Pacific Community supports sustainable development by applying a people-centred approach to science, research and technology across all of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Digital Earth Pacific provides decision-makers with the information needed to make sound decisions addressing the Pacific’s challenges, most notably climate change, food security and disaster.
https://www.spc.int/
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmBH is the main development agency of Germany. It is headquartered in Bonn and Eschborn and provides services in the field of international development cooperation and international education work.
https://www.giz.de/en
This week we will explore the Global Fishing Watch web mapping application which tracks fishing vessel locations and apparent fishing activity using data from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and both VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) and AIS (Automatic Identification System) tracking technologies.
Week 12: Are you interested in tracking the number of fishing vessels that are active in your country’s EEZ or elsewhere in the world? The Global Fishing Watch map is the first open-access online tool for visualization and analysis of vessel-based human activity at sea. Anyone with an internet connection can access the map to monitor global fishing activity from 2012 to the present for more than 65,000 commercial fishing vessels that are responsible for a significant part of global seafood catch.
The Global Fishing Watch can be found at:
We hope that these materials are beneficial to you. Please let us know if you have a free GIS or remote sensing resource that you would like to promote as well so others can learn from them.
Sincerely,
PGRSC
Week 11: Are you interested in looking at high-resolution drought indicators that date back from 1940 to present? The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) ERA5 Reanalysis Dataset provides hourly estimates of multiple atmospheric, land and oceanic climate variables from the surface up to a height of 80km. The dataset also provides uncertainty metrics for all variables at reduced spatial and temporal resolutions.
The ERA5 Reanalysis Dataset can be found at:
https://www.ecmwf.int/en/forecasts/dataset/ecmwf-reanalysis-v5
We hope that these materials are beneficial to you. Please let us know if you have a free GIS or remote sensing resource that you would like to promote as well so others can learn from them.
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