Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989062
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Airborne hyper-spectral scanning for advanced monitoring and assessment of vegetation and water properties. The proposed infrastructure will give Australian researchers the most advanced capabilities available world-wide in airborne remote sensing of the environment. By combining hyper-spectral scanning, with full wave-form resolving Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), microwave scanning and sythetic aperture RADAR, flown simultaneously on the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced re ....Airborne hyper-spectral scanning for advanced monitoring and assessment of vegetation and water properties. The proposed infrastructure will give Australian researchers the most advanced capabilities available world-wide in airborne remote sensing of the environment. By combining hyper-spectral scanning, with full wave-form resolving Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), microwave scanning and sythetic aperture RADAR, flown simultaneously on the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced research aircraft, it will be possible to assess and monitor a wide range of parameters not accessible to airborne methods before.Read moreRead less
Predicting plankton patchiness in lakes using a high resolution sampling system. This research will benefit Australian Society through a better understanding and prediction of the response of aquatic systems to major shifts in the environment. Eutrophication and toxic algal blooms represent serious threats to the security of water supplies in Australia and elsewhere. Through development of high resolution technology (SPS), this project will provide the necessary knowledge and data for producing ....Predicting plankton patchiness in lakes using a high resolution sampling system. This research will benefit Australian Society through a better understanding and prediction of the response of aquatic systems to major shifts in the environment. Eutrophication and toxic algal blooms represent serious threats to the security of water supplies in Australia and elsewhere. Through development of high resolution technology (SPS), this project will provide the necessary knowledge and data for producing management tools capable of detailed predictions of the behaviour of aquatic systems. Successful management of Australian waters relies heavily on a better understanding of the scale dependent processes which govern the response to external perturbations such as increased nutrient export and consequent eutrophication.Read moreRead less
A framework for prioritising investment in natural resource management. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a particular focus on salinity management in We ....A framework for prioritising investment in natural resource management. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a particular focus on salinity management in Western Australia, although it is anticipated that the lessons learned could be applied to other NRM policies. The outcome will be a contribution to aid participatory decision making.Read moreRead less
Implementation of a strategic framework for investment for Natural Resource Management: evaluation and development. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a par ....Implementation of a strategic framework for investment for Natural Resource Management: evaluation and development. If public funds applied to natural resource management are to achieve the highest level benefit, then the potential projects have to be prioritized. This is difficult when the expected benefits are both incommensurate (e.g. protection of roads v. areas of biodiversity) and uncertain. This project will evaluate alternative decision support methods for making such choices, with a particular focus on salinity management in Western Australia, although it is anticipated that the lessons learned could be applied to other NRM policies. The outcome will be a contribution to aid participatory decision making.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms controlling displacement pile behaviour in sands. The project will exploit the potential of the drum centrifuge and recent innovations in earth pressure cell design to provide a uniquely comprehensive investigation into the factors controlling the performance of displacement piles in sand. A wide range of factors affecting the stresses that develop at the pile-soil interface will be examined in a systematic fashion to facilitate the derivation of more reliable and efficient design app ....Mechanisms controlling displacement pile behaviour in sands. The project will exploit the potential of the drum centrifuge and recent innovations in earth pressure cell design to provide a uniquely comprehensive investigation into the factors controlling the performance of displacement piles in sand. A wide range of factors affecting the stresses that develop at the pile-soil interface will be examined in a systematic fashion to facilitate the derivation of more reliable and efficient design approaches for piles.Read moreRead less
Vibration Isolation Technology and Instrumentaion for Geophysical Surveys. Many geophysical exploration instruments are limited in sensitivity by vibration induced noise. New techniques of vibration isolation have been shown to eliminate vibration induced noise in a vibrating wire magnetic gradiometer. This project will create fully integrated sensor ?isolation packages for airborne and underwater applications, both for gradiometers and for ground penetrating radars. The project will signific ....Vibration Isolation Technology and Instrumentaion for Geophysical Surveys. Many geophysical exploration instruments are limited in sensitivity by vibration induced noise. New techniques of vibration isolation have been shown to eliminate vibration induced noise in a vibrating wire magnetic gradiometer. This project will create fully integrated sensor ?isolation packages for airborne and underwater applications, both for gradiometers and for ground penetrating radars. The project will significantly benefit the mineral exploration industry as well as underwater detection of cables and ship wrecks.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101306
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$373,848.00
Summary
Valuing the non-market benefits of mine site rehabilitation. This project aims to improve decisions about mine site rehabilitation. Mining causes environmental damage, which mine operators are legally required to rehabilitate. Although companies invest considerably in mine site restoration and biodiversity offsets, we don’t know whether their practices match public preferences for rehabilitation outcomes. Filling this knowledge gap is challenging because the benefits of rehabilitation (eg biodiv ....Valuing the non-market benefits of mine site rehabilitation. This project aims to improve decisions about mine site rehabilitation. Mining causes environmental damage, which mine operators are legally required to rehabilitate. Although companies invest considerably in mine site restoration and biodiversity offsets, we don’t know whether their practices match public preferences for rehabilitation outcomes. Filling this knowledge gap is challenging because the benefits of rehabilitation (eg biodiversity) are not traded in markets. This project aims to address these challenges by estimating, in monetary terms, the values provided by mine site restoration. By identifying these values, the project expects to contribute to improving the design of mine rehabilitation standards, and will enable future policy decisions to be more closely aligned with society’s preferences.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100121
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Three-dimensional super-resolution nanophotonic fabrication facility. This stimulated emission depletion microscopy nanophotonic fabrication facility will be the first nanophotonic fabrication facility that is able to achieve optical resolution far beyond the diffraction limit, which will facilitate breakthroughs in cutting-edge nanotechnology research areas.
Do scientist and public preferences diverge? Analysing expert and public preferences for environmental and social outcomes for the Swan River. Expert judgements and public preferences may be quite different, so when can organisations rely on experts, how serious is the divergence, and when does it matter? In a case study of Perth's iconic Swan River, the project will explore this issue and its consequences for decision makers, to assist the Swan River Trust in their future decision making.
Frequency stabilisation in the Extremely High Frequency band. All precision communication and measurement systems (i.e. radar and navigation) rely on high quality oscillator technology. Any improvement in oscillator performance has a direct impact on the performance of the system and hence is of potential economic benefit. This project will realise the most stable frequencies ever produced in the underused Extremely High Frequency band, which is also important for space communications and naviga ....Frequency stabilisation in the Extremely High Frequency band. All precision communication and measurement systems (i.e. radar and navigation) rely on high quality oscillator technology. Any improvement in oscillator performance has a direct impact on the performance of the system and hence is of potential economic benefit. This project will realise the most stable frequencies ever produced in the underused Extremely High Frequency band, which is also important for space communications and navigation technology. System enhancement will include, better angular resolution, higher bandwidths, faster transmission rates and narrower beam widths without the susceptibility of absorption apparent from the optical domain.Read moreRead less