Stream power and river morphology in partly-confined valleys of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Rivers in the escarpment-dominated catchments of coastal NSW are characterised by confined and partly-confined valley-settings in which channels have little capacity to adjust. The key aim of this project is to determine controls on the distribution of floodplains in this landscape. Particular attention will be placed on the role played by stream power in determining the relationship between val ....Stream power and river morphology in partly-confined valleys of coastal New South Wales, Australia. Rivers in the escarpment-dominated catchments of coastal NSW are characterised by confined and partly-confined valley-settings in which channels have little capacity to adjust. The key aim of this project is to determine controls on the distribution of floodplains in this landscape. Particular attention will be placed on the role played by stream power in determining the relationship between valley incision and lateral expansion processes along river courses. Understanding controls on these rivers is critical in determining how they modify their form in response to various disturbance events (whether 'natural' of human-induced). Results will provide a rigorous basis with which to explain cross-catchment variability in river forms and processes, aiding our capacity to predict future adjustments to disturbance and develop river management strategies that 'work with nature'.Read moreRead less
Restoring hydrological connectivity of surface and ground waters: Biogeochemical processes and environmental benefits for river landscapes. This project examines the restoration of lateral hydrological connectivity to improve floodplain structure and function. The connections between stream flows and both shallow groundwaters and floodplains are critical in sustaining river landscapes. Degrading land and water management practices compounded by natural climatic extremes have severed this link. ....Restoring hydrological connectivity of surface and ground waters: Biogeochemical processes and environmental benefits for river landscapes. This project examines the restoration of lateral hydrological connectivity to improve floodplain structure and function. The connections between stream flows and both shallow groundwaters and floodplains are critical in sustaining river landscapes. Degrading land and water management practices compounded by natural climatic extremes have severed this link. Restoring hydrological connectivity is vital for replenishing groundwater storage and increasing base flows that affect fundamental riverine processes. Using an innovative approach to sustainable agriculture, our project unites multidisciplinary scientific and industry expertise to investigate the biogeochemical and biophysical effects of secondary floodplain channels and in-stream structures on riverine groundwater processes.Read moreRead less
Governance for Environmental Sustainability: The Case of Public- Private Partnerships. The research will add to our knowledge of the structures, policies and processes required to control and coordinate partnerships formed to enable environmental sustainability whilst promoting creative problem solving and business profitability. Outcomes will advise Australian policy makers on design, development and implementation of the next generation of collaborative partnerships for sustainability between ....Governance for Environmental Sustainability: The Case of Public- Private Partnerships. The research will add to our knowledge of the structures, policies and processes required to control and coordinate partnerships formed to enable environmental sustainability whilst promoting creative problem solving and business profitability. Outcomes will advise Australian policy makers on design, development and implementation of the next generation of collaborative partnerships for sustainability between government and business. With such interorganisational partnerships becoming ever more prevalent and complex, the study will provide invaluable information that will help facilitate the long-term success of Australian businesses and promote Australia's economic development without compromising its environmental sustainabilityRead moreRead less
Uncertain Information Processing for Situation Awareness and Dynamic Decision-Making in Emergency Management. The Australian national counter-terrorism committee indicates that Australia should have a strong intelligence-led prevention and preparedness to support Australia on risk management, emergency services and maintaining capabilities to manage various types of terrorist attacks. The proposed situation awareness support technique can be used to develop situation analysis software systems or ....Uncertain Information Processing for Situation Awareness and Dynamic Decision-Making in Emergency Management. The Australian national counter-terrorism committee indicates that Australia should have a strong intelligence-led prevention and preparedness to support Australia on risk management, emergency services and maintaining capabilities to manage various types of terrorist attacks. The proposed situation awareness support technique can be used to develop situation analysis software systems or directly support Australia government agencies and industries to correctly assess a situation, increase awareness for crisis problems, and therefore improve emergency management and decision-making effectiveness, in particular, for avoiding disaster problems in the first place and preparing plans for those that undoubtedly will occur. Read moreRead less
Defining and developing a marine cadastre for Australia. Australia's ocean territories cover an area 1.5 times larger than the nation's land mass. Systems for the management and administration of land in a spatial context have been developed over many years but no such system exists for the nation's oceans. A marine cadastre aims at providing a comprehensive spatial data infrastructure and spatial analysis tools for the assessment, administration and management of rights, restrictions and respo ....Defining and developing a marine cadastre for Australia. Australia's ocean territories cover an area 1.5 times larger than the nation's land mass. Systems for the management and administration of land in a spatial context have been developed over many years but no such system exists for the nation's oceans. A marine cadastre aims at providing a comprehensive spatial data infrastructure and spatial analysis tools for the assessment, administration and management of rights, restrictions and responsibilities in the marine environment. The objective of this project is to investigate the issues and define the problems associated with the development of a marine cadastre, thereby providing the foundation for future research.Read moreRead less
Sediment stock-piling and the fate of Australian floodplains. Historic landuse practices have profoundly altered Australia's river systems in less than 200 years. Up to 80% of the sediment and associated pollutants eroded from Australia's catchments are stored in floodplains. The assumption that floodplains can continue to absorb the impacts of upland erosion and land degradation is extremely risky, yet it underpins current catchment management policies in Australia. This project delivers essent ....Sediment stock-piling and the fate of Australian floodplains. Historic landuse practices have profoundly altered Australia's river systems in less than 200 years. Up to 80% of the sediment and associated pollutants eroded from Australia's catchments are stored in floodplains. The assumption that floodplains can continue to absorb the impacts of upland erosion and land degradation is extremely risky, yet it underpins current catchment management policies in Australia. This project delivers essential data on floodplain storage and remobilisation rates using innovative sediment dating and tracing technologies. The significance of this research lies in its immediate relevance to rural industries and the management of Australian riverine and offshore ecosystems.
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Gesture-controlled interaction to enrich information access. This project is a study of gestural computing (enabled by sensors such as pressure mats, infra-red sensors and video tracking) which aims to move away from desk-bound, restrictive computing environments and towards computing that is more integral to the building structure and space itself. Linking gesture controllers and information sonification delivers a unique bridge between data and human interaction. Enriching the capacity to acce ....Gesture-controlled interaction to enrich information access. This project is a study of gestural computing (enabled by sensors such as pressure mats, infra-red sensors and video tracking) which aims to move away from desk-bound, restrictive computing environments and towards computing that is more integral to the building structure and space itself. Linking gesture controllers and information sonification delivers a unique bridge between data and human interaction. Enriching the capacity to access information in dense workplace environments is central to improved efficiency across the Australian workforce. Greater accuracy and enhanced techniques for controlling information in visually-overloaded work environments contribute to Australia's competitive leadership in a global marketplace.Read moreRead less
The Architecture of Academic Research. In pursuit of increased and more innovative research there has been substantial expenditure in the construction of research environments yet little independent evaluation of their impact. The results of this project are crucial in determining future best practice in the design and operation of research environments. It will support the Australian design industry to achieve better outcomes in tertiary facilities here and abroad. More broadly, the architectur ....The Architecture of Academic Research. In pursuit of increased and more innovative research there has been substantial expenditure in the construction of research environments yet little independent evaluation of their impact. The results of this project are crucial in determining future best practice in the design and operation of research environments. It will support the Australian design industry to achieve better outcomes in tertiary facilities here and abroad. More broadly, the architectural profession and university sectors will gain critical insights into each other's working methods and needs. Ultimately, this project will help to improve the effectiveness of research in Australian universities. Read moreRead less
Intelligent Biomedical System Modelling and Multi-modality Image Analysis to Maximize Diagnostic Information from Medical Imaging. Medical imaging is an essential part of our Australian modern health care system and plays an important role in the diagnosis, treatment planning and decision making and assessment of treatment of patients. This project aims to maximize the benefit of federal government healthcare investment through intelligent biomedical system modelling in conjunction with multi-mo ....Intelligent Biomedical System Modelling and Multi-modality Image Analysis to Maximize Diagnostic Information from Medical Imaging. Medical imaging is an essential part of our Australian modern health care system and plays an important role in the diagnosis, treatment planning and decision making and assessment of treatment of patients. This project aims to maximize the benefit of federal government healthcare investment through intelligent biomedical system modelling in conjunction with multi-modality image analysis to extract crucial additional information for accurate diagnosis and improved treatment, which will not only lead to a major scientific advancement, but also deliver significant social benefits.Read moreRead less
ARC Research Network for a Secure Australia. The Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA) is a multi-disciplinary collaboration established to strengthen Australia's research capacity for protecting critical infrastructure from natural or human-caused disasters including terrorist acts. The RNSA will facilitate a knowledge-sharing network for research organisations, government and the private sector to develop research tools and methods to mitigate emerging safety and security issues relat ....ARC Research Network for a Secure Australia. The Research Network for a Secure Australia (RNSA) is a multi-disciplinary collaboration established to strengthen Australia's research capacity for protecting critical infrastructure from natural or human-caused disasters including terrorist acts. The RNSA will facilitate a knowledge-sharing network for research organisations, government and the private sector to develop research tools and methods to mitigate emerging safety and security issues relating to critical infrastructure. World-leaders with extensive national and international linkages in relevant scientific, engineering and technological research will lead this collaboration. The RNSA will launch various activities to foster research collaboration and nurture young investigators.Read moreRead less