Tonkin success at Spatial Excellence Awards

Asset ManagementSouth Australia
20 September 2021
Tonkin is proud to have taken home two awards at the South Australian awards dinner for the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards –
  • Award for Spatial Enablement
  • Award for Community Impact.
The awards, presented in Adelaide on 17 September, celebrate the achievements of top surveying and spatial information enterprises, showcasing the finest projects and most significant performance of professionals the industry has to offer.

Tonkin’s projects will now progress to the Asia-Pacific Awards to be held in 2022.
Award for Community Impact - Kangaroo Island Fire Damage Assessment
Client: Kangaroo Island Council

The Community Impact award recognises unique contributions the spatial industry has had on people and communities.

In December 2019 and January 2020 Kangaroo Island experienced the most catastrophic bushfires in the island’s history. Kangaroo Island Council needed to assess the damage to assets and infrastructure to apply for funding through a Local Government Disaster Recovery Assistance Arrangement.

Tonkin provided a GIS-based solution to conduct condition assessments of damaged assets under challenging conditions and assist Council with the disaster recovery funding process. This resulted in the Council being successful in their funding application, enabling the repair and renewal process to begin as soon as possible.

The initiative has played a vital role in Kangaroo Island’s economic, environmental and community recovery. The judges commended Tonkin’s practical use of spatial technologies to support the council and community.
Award for Spatial Enablement - Patrol Grading Applications
Client: Port Pirie Regional Council

The Award for Spatial Enablement recognises products or projects in which the application of spatial information or tools has greatly improved the outcomes of a non-spatial project.

Tonkin and the Port Pirie Regional Council developed an integrated application suite to assist in planning for patrol grading. This enabled the Council to proactively plan a grading program to suit site conditions with consideration to the road surface performance and impacts of traffic and weather.

The solution included several GIS-based tools set up using Council’s existing ArcGIS Online environment and has enabled Council to adopt an integrated approach to grading activities.

The successful implementation of this project has resulted in this approach now being replicated for other Council managed services. Judges said the project was simple but very powerful, noting the potential expansion of the technology for use in other environments.