Australia's University of Melbourne has awarded the Gary Nairn Medal for Leadership to the President of the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) Mohammed Al Sayel. He had been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Gary Nairn Leadership Medal in recognition of his demonstrating exceptional

leadership and significant contribution to the advancement of the survey and geospatial information sector in the Kingdom. The accolade recognizes Al Sayel's leadership role and developmental contributions at both regional and global levels in the field.

It is worth mentioning that, Dr. Al Sayel is the chairman and member of a number of committees, working groups at the national, regional and international levels, including the chairman of the Regional Committee of United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Arab States, a regional representative of Arab countries in the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing "ISPRS", and a founder member of the International Advisory Committee of the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre (UN-GGKIC) .

The University of Melbourne presents this award to leaders who make outstanding efforts in serving the geospatial industry at national and international levels. The award was established by the university’s Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA) in memory of Gary Nairn (1951-2024), who held a number of leadership positions in the geospatial field and made significant global contributions. The award was presented during the Geospatial Leadership Training and Global Forum, which was held in Melbourne under the theme "Next-Generation Sustainability: Advancing the Future with Geospatial Intelligence." GEOSA participated in the event at the invitation of the United Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre (UN-GGKIC) and CSDILA.

Dr. Al-Sayel addressing the conference with a speech on "The Future Geospatial Ecosystem and Leadership." He pointed to the positive impact of emerging technologies - such as AI, big data, and cloud platforms - on the geospatial sector, stressing the need for an interconnected and flexible geospatial ecosystem to ensure sustainability. He noted that KSA Vision 2030, has embraced geospatial leadership and innovation by working to adopt the concept of the Geospatial Ecosystem. This achievement reflects the Saudi leadership's strong support for the sector, aiming to enhance the surveying and geospatial information sector in the Kingdom. He concluded his speech by calling for enhanced global cooperation to harness geospatial intelligence as a driver of sustainable development and economic growth.

Dr. Salah Meemar, President's Assistant for Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation submitted a presentation about the National Geospatial Academy, highlighted the Academy's role in building and developing national geospatial capabilities, and GEOSA's endeavor for the Academy to be a specialized knowledge resource and a beacon for geospatial education and training, also within the forum's activities, Dr. Meemar participated in a dialogue session with a group of United Nations experts; discussing the Geospatial efforts to enhance geospatial knowledge, stimulate innovation, and develop national geospatial capabilities.

During GEOSA's participation, Al Sayel also visited Geoscience Australia, the country's national agency for geological and earth sciences, to learn about the Australian experience in managing geospatial information. The visit offered an overview of the satellite systems used for geodetic work, Earth observations, and navigation purposes while allowing Al Sayel to explore the Australian experience in producing the Atlas of Australia. Additionally, he visited the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre.