We would like to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Lesley Arnold, who recently joined the AURIN Management Board. Lesley brings a wealth of experience, knowledge, and perspective to AURIN as a leader in spatial data, strategy, and governance. Her insights will help further our vision of improving access to the data and tools needed by researchers, government, and industry to create knowledge, as well as to answer research, development, planning, and policy questions.
Lesley is director of Geospatial Frameworks and an independent consultant working with governments to develop strategies, policies, and implementation plans for spatial information reform, open data initiatives, and spatial innovation. Her experience in spatial data infrastructures extends to technical, legal, semantic, and data interoperability. She is currently involved with developing data governance strategies and actions for Georgia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Etihad Rail, and Main Roads Western Australia. Lesley is also working with the United Nations and World Bank supporting countries to strengthen their geospatial information management capabilities towards implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Lesley’s other roles include Board Director of AuScope, President-elect and Board member of the Surveying and Spatial Science Institute (SSSI), and Chair of the Disaster Management and Recovery Special Interest Group.
Lesley served previously as director at Landgate focussing on the operational management of Western Australian’s geographic information programs and as a senior researcher for the Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information between 2014 and 2018 where she was investigating next generation spatial data infrastructures, spatial data supply chains, and knowledge on-demand using sematic web technologies.
“The work that AURIN undertakes is central to my area of interest, which is enabling data sharing across all levels of government, business, and academia through collaborations, supportive policy, and sustainable spatial data supply chains, so that information can be better analysed, re-used and repurposed,” Lesley says.
We look forward to working together with Lesley in the coming years to advance AURIN’s mission.