BRISBANE

Gavin Winter (QUT), left, and Richard Simpson (SIBA) with a demonstration version of The Cube Globe technology
Gavin Winter (QUT), left, and Richard Simpson (SIBA) with a demonstration version of The Cube Globe technology

SEQ's world class manufacturing sectors feature at G20 with help from RDA

South East Queensland’s up and coming advanced manufacturing sectors were showcased to world leaders at the recent G20 Summit, thanks to input from the consortia of SEQ RDAs, led by RDA Brisbane.

G20 delegates toured The Cube Globe at QUT’s Gardens Point campus, a world-first spatial platform developed in partnership with the Queensland Government which uses state-of-the-art immersive visualisation, interactive maps, animation and multi-media to tell compelling stories about trade and investment opportunities in SEQ and Queensland.

RDA Brisbane’s Regional Development and SEQ Coordinator Tracy Scott-Rimington worked closely with QUT to ensure that SEQ’s most innovative industry specialisations were featured prominently in the project.

These included the emerging human bionics cluster, the Aviation, Aerospace and Defence sectors and METS (Mining, Equipment & Technology Services), all known for delivering world-class products and services from the SEQ region.

Identifying and showcasing these specialisations are steps in implementing the consortia’s RDA SEQ Advanced Manufacturing Specialisations Joint Action Plan, which aims to boost the region's innovation and economic development potential.

The exhibit attracted strong praise from delegates including Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Indian PM Narendra Modi, with the Indian delegation later meeting with leaders from both the spatial industries and human bionics sectors to explore opportunities for future trade and collaboration.

The Cube Globe itself is an exemplar of the region’s cutting edge innovation in the spatial industries, a fast emerging sector of the Australian economy with a significant cluster of expertise in SEQ.

The installation utilises three story high screens, with 190 sq metres of display space, but the technology will also be adapted for mobile devices and other installations in the future.

Touch screens allow users to easily and intuitively mine layers of data and images to learn about participating companies and research organisations, including potential international collaborators and trading partners.

Earlier this month RDA Brisbane organised a special demonstration of the technology and SEQ advanced manufacturing specialisations content to government and industry representatives, including members of SEQ’s Advanced Manufacturing Roundtable.

The demonstration was led by project leader and QUT Visualisation and eResearcher Manager Gavin Winter, with guest speaker Richard Simpson, CEO of SIBA (Spatial Industries Business Association of Australia & NZ), discussing the wider applications and worldwide potential for the new technology.

The Cube Globe is open to the public, and is situated in "The Cube", the world's largest interactive digital and learning display space, and the centrepiece of QUT's new $230 million Science and Engineering Centre at the Gardens Points Campus.

You can see a video of The Cube Globe in action here. For opening times, click here.

For more information on the RDA SEQ Advanced Manufacturing Specialisations Joint Action Plan, contact Tracy Scott-Rimington on 0433 346 344 or