Lester Franks wins two Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards (APSEA)

Leading Tasmanian surveying and spatial information company, Lester Franks, has won two major awards at the 2007 Asia Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards (APSEA).

The awards, one for Lester Franks’ work on the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery Site in Hobart and another presented to Michael Guidici for service to the spatial industry, were announced at a gala dinner at Luna Park in Sydney on November 22.

The annual Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards are the only awards for the Asia-Pacific that recognise the excellent achievements of both individuals and organisations engaged in the spatial information industry across the region. APSEA sees a diverse range of individuals and small, medium, and large private, public, and academic sector organisations challenge for these prestigious awards on an annual basis.

CEO of Lester Franks, Malcolm Lester, said the company was extremely proud to accept such a prestigious award on behalf of the team that worked on the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery project.

“We won the award after being listed as a finalist in the measurement and mapping section of the awards,” Mr Lester said.

“The award recognises innovative or unorthodox technique, delivery mechanisms, and methodologies in surveying, mapping, cartography, design, planning and processes that achieved exceptional outcomes on the project,” he said.

“The internationally recognised judging panel assess projects from around the Asia Pacific region, and consider the complexity and scope of the project brief; the innovative methodology employed to address the brief; as well as the degree of applied lateral thinking, project management techniques.

“The judges also consider qualitative aspects of the project such as the degree to which the process and outcome exemplifies professional knowledge and skill, and any resulting increased awareness of the industry by the community or allied professions.

In May 2007, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery commissioned Lester Franks to undertake a comprehensive site survey and prepare a land and features investigation. The site includes some of Hobart’s most historic buildings, some of which date back to the original settlement time of the city in 1803. The intensive survey used a combination of cadastral survey, a detailed engineering survey, photogrammetry, terrestrial laser scanning and, uniquely, an historical research, and reporting component.

The Lester Franks team collected extensive datasets, manipulated and presented their findings in such a way that it could be exported into a Google Earth viewer so that the client could study the information independently.

“It was a fascinating process that took several months to complete. In conjunction with the historic and sensitive nature of the site, we had to consider how our findings would impact on the site redevelopment master plan that the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery were considering,” Mr Lester said.

He said he was very pleased that Michael Guidici had won the award for service to the spatial industry.

“This is a very prestigious award and Michael had some illustrious competition. It is a bit like winning an Academy Award. The first honour is being nominated and making the finalists. To actually win the award is a great honour for Michael and our company, Lester Franks. This is the first time a Tasmanian has won the award,” Mr Lester said.

As a graduate of the University of Tasmania, Michael Guidici won the award for his long-standing and very significant contributions to surveying and the spatial sciences within Tasmania as well as his leadership skills.

Michael Guidici is President of the Institution of Surveyors Tasmanian Division and was instrumental in establishing the Spatial Sciences Institute Tasmanian Region. He has recently accepted the role of Chairman of the Spatial Sciences Institute Land Surveying Commission.

For further details, interviews, and photographs, contact Mark Wells on 0414 015966

Mark Wells (mark.wells@cctas.com.au)
Phone: +61414015966