National Library Home > News & Events
Gateways

ANZMapS Adelaide Conference

John Bannon and audience

John Bannon

From left: Allan Smith, Director State Library of South Australia, with Martin Woods, President ANZMapS, and Greg Woods

The State Library of South Australia was the venue for the annual conference of the Australian and New Zealand Map Society (ANZMapS), entitled Mapping Climate: An Environment for Change (6–10 April 2010). The conference broke new ground in a number of areas. The topicality and importance of climate as a social issue, and the strong historical and contemporary resonance of climate-related issues for the development and prosperity of South Australia, saw the conference attract speakers and participants from a wide range of disciplines in Australia and overseas. A recurrent theme was the continuing sense of vulnerability that climate issues engender in South Australians; no doubt many communities feel the same way.

What is particularly unusual in South Australia is that this awareness finds its most tangible expression in a map: Surveyor General George Woodroffe Goyder’s 1865 map of the line of reliable rainfall. Drawn to define the scope of prudent agricultural activity and as a guide for government, the fact that its judgements were ignored and then painfully rediscovered remains etched in the state’s psyche and a touchstone for South Australians on issues of climate and society.

Many of these aspects were referred to by the Hon. Dr John Bannon during the opening address. Blending his experience as the former Premier of South Australia with the observations of a learned historian, his paper explained the way climatic and environmental factors have affected South Australian experience, shaping expectations and attitudes. One example was the expansion of the wheat lands in the 1870s—a development that delivered the harshest lesson in climate-restrained realities. With the concern of a local, Dr Bannon also explained the implications of the pre-emptive approach of the upstream states to the Murray River.

Dr Rob Allan's paper outlined the recent work of ACRE (Atmospheric Circulation Reconstructions over the Earth), a dramatic example of the use of historical data for modern climate research. This relevance extends to being able to recreate not just general trends but also major atmospheric events of climatic and scientific significance. The records come from many sources, particularly colonial government records, some dating back 300 years. Locating and digitising these sources involves major international collaboration.

One example of such activity is the remarkable work of Mac Benoy and his fellow volunteers who are digitising papers and records developed by the first South Australian ’weather forecaster’, Sir Charles Todd, in Adelaide in the late 1800s. Benoy’s engrossing explanation captured both the importance and the stamina needed for this kind of venture. Dr Peter Hayman provided a classic example as to how modern technology enables the mapping of scientific data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Again, as 125 years earlier, Dr Hayman is mapping the shifts in vegetation and agricultural activity along the ‘margins of the good earth’ in South Australia. The analysis assists in developing strategies to allow South Australian farmers to better predict and respond to rainfall uncertainty, most basically by ensuring economic survival through adaptability.

Similarly, Matt Miles explained the South Australian Department of Environment’s creative and innovative use of GIS to map species and analyse climate and environmental issues. Bill Syme translated modelling, developed to accurately predict flooding and flood events, into visual maps which can be used to flex and test the model’s assessments. Carl Menges’ paper highlighted the capacities of satellite radar imaging for disaster monitoring and maritime surveillance, using as one example the recent oil spill off the north-west coast of Australia. Dr Alan Forghani’s eye-opening explanation of the pressures on the Murray Darling system underlined the competitive consequences of capturing its waters for one state or another and the worrisome implications of placing excessive demands on it.

The relevance of major map collections for climate analysis was highlighted in Dr Martin Wood’s paper on the National Library of Australia’s Map Collection, and by Maggie Patton, who presented some of the gems in the Dixon Library Collection in Sydney.

Historians were well represented. Besides Dr John Bannon’s paper, Dr Janis Sheldrick gave a scholarly and engrossing paper, in part a preview of her forthcoming biography on Goyder (1826–1898). She explained past myths and misinterpretations as to the rationale for the Goyder line and how its development drew on the surveryor’s earlier work and experiences. Goyder’s observations, particularly as to vegetation and the character of then agricultural activity, continue to have current relevance. David Bruce and Paul Corcoran similarly examined Goyder’s work, both from the perspective of its initial rationale and for its current relevance. Kelly Henderson’s paper argued for the reconstruction of Colonel William Light’s (never implemented) ideas for Adelaide’s civic gardens. Greg Wood, with a different geographic focus, examined the judgments made about the availability of water supplies for a national capital at Canberra and whether those judgements have stood the test of time. Frank Urban shared an analysis of when and what shaped Lake Eyre and the Great Artesian Basin, adding a few contemporary policy recommendations for good measure.

The Bureau of Meteorology set up a booth with Internet access to their mapping and forecasting, and providing all who sought them (and most did) and copies of their excellent publications. Geoscience Australia representative, Darren Ray, highlighted seasonal and intraseasonal forecasting and analysis of trends in extreme temperature and rainfall in South Australia.

At the close of the conference, a session was held for map librarians and curators, in conjunction with National and State Libraries Australasia (NSLA). The event was designed around responses to a survey circulated through the ANZMapS list before the conference. At the session were 20 map curators, librarians and map library staff from various state, university and specialist map libraries. The workshop included a formal training session, delivered by the National Library of Australia, on minimal-level cataloguing for mapping formats and a ‘how to’ session for creating series indexes. The workshop also included discussions on techniques for managing backlogs, deaccessioning, collecting contemporary and digital material, storage, copyright issues and skills retention. This was a rare opportunity for professional information sharing and there was a strong feeling among the attendees to continue such collaboration. As a result of the session, the ANZMapS Committee will develop a map curators and librarians toolbox page on the ANZMapS website to showcase collection management methods and tools.

The 2010 ANZMapS conference was sponsored, supported and promoted with extensive assistance from the State Library of South Australia. Director Alan Smith went the extra mile to ensure conference success. Numerous other organisations contributed, including the National Library of Australia, the South Australian Department of Environment and Heritage, Sensis (WhereIs), the Murray Darling Basin Authority and Moet Chandon. The Royal Geographical Society of South Australia opened the doors of their fabulous collection for inspection, as did the State Library and the South Australian State Record Office. Visitors were also treated to a tour of the Light and Goyder treasures in the Adelaide Town Hall.

Maps were the star of the show, and a general conclusion was the clear relevance of map collections for current scientific research, in this case climate research; but the same point would be relevant for numerous other fields. At a time when many institutional collections are being discarded, sometimes for financial reasons, sometimes from a sense that paper-based map collections are irrelevant in an digital age, the importance of retaining and readily accessing historical data and information, including that ensconced in maps and related archives, was emphasised over and over. Speakers also underlined the importance of digitising these historical holdings.

Greg Wood, Conference Convenor and
Martin Woods, Curator of Maps