EDMCAL: Processing EDM calibrations in NSW
The Surveyor General of New South Wales is a verifying authority under the National Measurement Act 1960 and responsible for ensuring that surveyors use verified measuring equipment. According to the Surveying and Spatial Information Regulation 2012, surveyors are required to verify their Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) equipment in relation to an Australian standard of measurement of length at least once a year. For this purpose, Land and Property Information (LPI) provides and maintains several EDM baselines across the state. LPI is currently in the process of improving this infrastructure by upgrading existing baselines and building new baselines for the calibration of EDM instruments. This paper presents the current status of EDM baseline infrastructure in NSW and outlines the data processing performed by LPI in regards to EDM calibrations. The EDMCAL software currently employed by LPI is described and compared to a spreadsheet calculation generated by the University of New South Wales. Finally, LPI’s new online EDM baseline booking system is introduced. This online system should now be used by surveyors to book access to all EDM baselines in NSW in order to allow efficient and effective use of existing and future baseline infrastructure.
Indirect Tracking of Drop Bears Using GNSS Technology
ABSTRACT Animal tagging and tracking has been a fundamental tool in the quest to increase our knowledge and understanding of biogeography and ecology for about 50 years. Monitoring animal populations is also necessary for conservation purposes and to limit negative effects on the human population, particularly in an era of human expansion into traditional animal habitats. The use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology has been responsible for significant advances in this field by providing the ability to obtain accurate, regular and frequent estimates of the changing distributions of many rare animal species. Employing conventional GNSS-based animal tracking methods to study drop bears is extremely difficult due to their habitat. The dense tree canopy regularly causes extended periods of complete GNSS signal loss, and sensors are often damaged during attacks on prey. This paper proposes an indirect, GNSS-based method for tracking drop bears. This involves tracking the prey rather than the predator in order to map the population of drop bears in a particular area. The method can be used to effectively estimate the number of drop bears in the study area. Analysis of the collected data provides valuable insights into the hunting behaviour of drop bears and has implications for a better understanding of the geographical distribution of other rare species, including hoop snakes and bunyips.
How Does the Keyword Method Affect Vocabulary Comprehension and Usage? Report from the project on Studies in Language: Reading and Communication. Working Paper No. 278.
THE KEYWORD METHOD of vocabulary learning involves forming a linkage between a to-be-learned vocabulary word and a familiar English word that sounds like part of the to-be-learned item (the keyword). Then the learner forms an interactive image between the keyword and definition referents. In previous research, the keyword method has been found to facilitate students' recall of definitions, given vocabulary items. In this study, use of the method was also shown to increase comprehension of English vocabulary in context, as well as usage of that vocabulary in a novel context.