In April 2011 I wrote the opinion piece Queensland floods: information, history and knowledge to highlight how the January 2011 floods in South East Queensland had their historical precedents, in the hope of encouraging the better use of historical information in flood risk planning.
That eastern Australia has experienced devastating floods in January 2013, just two years after the horrors of January 2011, comes to me as no surprise. These floods are not extraordinary or unexpected events. Rather, they are a normal part of the considerable climatic variability experienced in eastern Australia. Read the rest of this entry »
The coincidence of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry and Information Awareness Month offers the opportunity to explore how well our communities are using information and knowledge in regard to natural disasters. The purpose of Information Awareness Month is to increase public awareness of information and its place in all aspects of daily life.
In early January this year the media carried horrific images and stories of the loss of life and damage caused by flooding in the southern Queensland towns of Toowoomba and Grantham and in the cities of Brisbane and Ipswich. Surprise was expressed at how such severe events could have happened. But the reality is that these floods have their predecessors. Read the rest of this entry »
Phase 2 of the Knowledge for Regional NRM Program was delivered between July 2006 and June 2008. Products and services were successfully developed and implemented to address the people and culture issues and technological solutions needed to successfully manage information and knowledge in the natural resource management (NRM) sector. Read the rest of this entry »