MEMBER NEWS
COVID-19 NORMAL - NOT NORMAL!
As we all try and adjust to whatever the 'new normal' actually means during this COVID-19 pandemic, we can only stay positive and carry on in this struggle against the biggest global health and economic crisis in living memory.
The AIMS Board hopes all our members, sponsors and friends are keeping safe during this strange year and we will continue to do our best for our members under the circumstances. Stay safe!
KEEP UPDATED - OPT-IN TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW!
From member feedback we are now trialing a new service that will notify you whenever an important update has been completed on our website, saving you from constantly having to pop in just to see if anything may have been recently added, and potentially missing out on important time-critical info like new webinars being announced.
Be the first to know and don't miss out on important updates!
To opt-in simply go to our website and agree to the request to be sent notifications. This request should appear as a pop-up notification request, however we are aware that at this stage Apple is not currently supporting this technology (on their iPhones only) but it is widely expected that support will be added soon. All other devices and browsers are currently supported.
We are interested in member feedback on this new service, please send your thoughts directly to our web manager Mark at webmaster@minesurveyors.com.au
MEMBER NEWS
CANCELLATION OF THE 2020 NATIONAL CONFERENCE
No doubt everyone would now be aware that the AIMS Board has reluctantly decided to cancel the 2020 AIMS National Conference in Newcastle.
The risk of holding a conference this year was deemed to be unacceptable due to the ongoing and ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic concerns.
AIMS has refunded anyone who had already registered. If you feel you have missed out on your refund please contact the AIMS Treasurer.
AIMS is currently investigating options to provide webinars as an alternative to the conference for the benefit of our members.
For the latest information relating to the conference please refer to our website at www.minesurveyors.com.au and/or our dedicated AIMS Conference site located at www.aimsconference.com.au
AIMS 2020 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The AIMS Board has recently approved to hold the Annual General Meeting in 2020 via the online streaming platform Zoom on the 11th of November 2020.
This is consistent with the rules of the AIMS Constitution and planning for the virtual meeting is currently underway.
AIMS Directors and all members will be able to register and virtually attend the meeting via a live stream.
A formal notice will be issued to all members via email (and posted on our website) in mid-October with further details provided at that time.
Please ensure your profile and contact details in our system are up to date, and try out our new notifications system!
EVENTS
AIMS WA SUB-COMMITTEE HOSTS OUR FIRST LIVE WEBINAR!
The AIMS WA sub-committee hosted the first AIMS live webinar on 21st August 2020. The webinar was sponsored by Emesent and Maptek and included the following short presentations:
- Stefan Hrabar – Hovermap advances in level 2 autonomy
- Renny Leo– Setting up a graduate program and mentoring the next generation
- Dan Ward – Scale factor refresher and application in mining
- Stuart Buckett – Rapid Scanning without targets for large scale topographic work, and methodology for registering the scans
- Simon Johnston– Live software demo Maptek
- Shane Watson – legislation update
The feedback received from the live attendees was excellent.
Special thanks goes to Dan Ward who hosted the event, assisted by Shane Watson, and also to the sponsors for the event Emersent and Maptek
We can't wait for more webinars from the WA crew, and hopefully some similar events can be setup soon from the QLD and NSW sub-committees.
A recording of the webinar is now available to view on demand, see below for details.
NEW WEBINAR-ON-DEMAND SERVICE LAUNCHED
Following on from the success of the August WA webinar, we are now pleased to notify members that are introducing a new 'Webinar-On-Demand' service on our website. This allows anyone to view the WA webinar recording (and any future webinars that may be hosted by AIMS) directly through our website at any time that suits.
Our CPD Coordinator Alan Mellor has also assessed the recorded webinar to assist our members in building up their CPD points.
Details are available on our site. Note that a quiz must be successfully completed after viewing the recording in order to be eligible for the CPD points.
Webinars-on-Demand is a new FREE service for members and can be viewed instantly after login.
Non-members may also view the recording after registering and paying a registration fee.
Again we request your feedback on this new service and you can also contact our webmaster if you have any technical issues.
THE SEARCH FOR CPD EVENTS
Satisfying the BOSSI CPD requirements for those members in the Eastern States has become very difficult as live events have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Hopefully the initiatives mentioned above relating to webinars and web update notifications will assist in the search for CPD points.
Members are also advised to regularly check out the CPD EVENTS website at www.cpdevents.com.au
This site is hosted by AIMS and is largely self-run by several ratified organisations as a portal for CPD events. The organisations include
AIMS, ISNSW, ACS NSW, SSSI and Uni of Newcastle.
Many events are being added to the events calendar, and most of them are webinars.
Also, our own CPD Assessor and CPD Panel Chairman Alan Mellor has been working hard to compile and assess a list of recorded webinars and has now added them as a downloadable list in the AIMS section of the site.
The AIMS calendar now includes "Delivery Method (iii)" webinars from last year in addition to all events assessed by AIMS this year.
Also available are direct hyperlinks to the recorded webinars.
Just click on the CPD CALENDAR link on the AIMS page located here:
https://www.cpdevents.com.au/aims.html
And as Alan continues to build on this list, and other CPD events are added, we will also look at implementing the new notifications system on the website in the near future.
AIMS AWARDS 2020
Members are advised that the 2020 AIMS AWARDS are now OPEN for nominations. The original nomination period was delayed due to the current uncertainty with the COVID-19 restrictions.
The nomination period for the AIMS Awards will remain open until 31st October 2020.
This year we are seeking nominations for Mine Surveyor of the Year and Young Mine Surveyor of the Year.
The AIMS Awards information and nomination forms is available via the link below.
We strongly encourage ALL members to think about the mine surveyors in their own teams, think about the other mine surveyors in the industry that you interact with and if you believe someone deserves the recognition for the work they do, then nominate them for one of the 2020 AIMS Awards.
2021 MEMBERSHIP & RENEWALS OPEN FROM 1st OCTOBER
Membership renewals for 2021 will be opening from 1st October 2020. This is also a great time for new members to come on board as they receive a little bonus period of the rest of this year thrown in. If you know someone that hasn't yet come on board, let them know!
Members are reminded that the AIMS Board are investigating various options available for events and/or virtual events like webinars and networking opportunities where possible with the ongoing COVID restrictions, so this is NOT a time to let your membership lapse.
BRISBANE AIMS NETWORKING EVENT
A successful AIMS networking event was held at the Breakfast Creek Hotel in Brisbane on August 28th 2020.
With so few opportunities to meet with our colleagues and suppliers at present, it was excellent to be able to reconnect at this low-key event. Following the venue’s strict COVID safe plan, around 40 of our South East QLD members and sponsors enjoyed a relaxed “seated” networking event.
A SUNNY RETIREMENT BREAKFAST FOR GLENN
 Glenn “Sunshine” Edwards, an outstanding and popular long-time member of AIMS, has finally decided to hang up his plumb-bob and call it a day.
Glenn, also sometimes known as “Scruffy”, is justifiably proud of his AIMS membership number of 12.
He was there on ‘day one’ on the formation of AIMS.There were about 40 or so others that also signed up on that day way back in 1980 at USQ, known then as the Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education (DDIAE). It was the inaugural gathering of mine surveyors with a common career and purpose.
Glenn's retirement was celebrated with a very low-key breakfast event but it was well attended by his current workmates, including the whole survey team from Moura, as well as key representatives from AIMS to pay their respects, including Greg Frankish (current AIMS Fellow), Craig Lowe and fellow founding member Peter Strong.
LEGISLATION
 2020 NSW Survey and Drafting Directions
The Survey and Drafting Directions for Mining Surveyors 2020 for NSW Mines has been released on 15th May 2020.
The document is available for download via the following links:
INDUSTRY NEWS
A Reflection on Technology Evolution
 Garry MacPhail, Geospatial Executive Manager for Position Partners, reflects on technology evolution in the last two decades and its effect on the survey profession today and beyond.
Having begun his career as a qualified engineering surveyor in the 1980s, Garry went on to start his own business selling and supporting survey equipment in Perth. His company Stadia Instruments – co-founded with business partner Bernard Cecchele – merged with four other state-based companies to form Position Partners in 2008. In his tenure in the industry, Garry has witnessed significant shifts in surveying practice, amplified by the quantum leap in computing speed and processing power.
GENERAL NEWS
Monitoring of Tailings Dams
 The volume of tailings release due to dam failure has been trending upwards since the 1970s with quantities of material released reaching an average of over three million cubic meters per failure since 2010.
Whilst total numbers of dam failures have generally fallen from the 1960s, as mine sites have grown in scale, due to the mechanisation of more processes and the increased capacity of equipment, the scale of the failure has steadily increased.
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AIMS Secretary
The Australian Institute of Mine Surveyors
PO Box 828
SINGLETON NSW 2330
Website: www.minesurveyors.com.au
Email: secretary@minesurveyors.com.au
This newsletter has been prepared and sent by the AIMS webmaster on behalf of the above.
Any errors and omissions excepted, If clarification is required on any item please contact the AIMS Secretary via email.
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