Purnama

International Symposium on Earth Science and Technology 2008 was held in Nishijin- Plaza Fukuoka Japan between 1 and 2 December 2008. This event was organized by Cooperative International Network for Earth Science and Technology (CINEST). This symposium highlights the recent achievement in the fields of mineral resources, energy, and environment, based on earth science and engineering. The symposium includes special session on Novel Carbon Resource Sciences. This event was attended by researchers from Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Canada and Papua New Guinea. I also gave contribution to the event by presenting my paper entitled GIS-based spatio-statistical analysis on the factors influencing river turbidity around Hitotsuse area, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

Department of Geodesy and Geomatic Engineering, Gadjah Mada University is going to celebrate its 50^th anniversary in 2009. A series of events has been prepared to be held in 2008 and 2009 to celebrate this special moment. These events are:

2008 Agenda:

The opening ceremony

Painting and map coloring competition.

Navigation and GPS Tracking competition

Talkshow and Car Navigation Demo

Training and refresher courses.

2009 Agenda:

National seminar

Alumni meeting and gathering

Geodesy-Geomatic research and technology expo

50 years of Geodesy and Geomatic book launching

Geoinformatics workshop

Asia GIS Conference, the bi-annual conference was held in Busan, South Korea from 26^th to 27^th of September 2008. The Asia GIS Conference was hosted by the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies (KAGIS), an organization who recognizes the importance of GIScience and GITechnology in modern science and engineering, in cooperation with Asia GIS Association (AGISA).

This event was the seventh conference in the Asia GIS conference series and the first in Korea. It brings together theoreticians and practitioners, users and academics from numerous related disciplines involved in the processing and analysis of spatial data by using GI Technology. The organizing committee received more than 200 papers from different universities, colleges and institutions in 20 countries.

Five presenters from the Environmental Geo-Technology lab, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University also contributed in the conference. They are: Marissa Mei Ling with paper entitled “GIS analysis of land use changes over 100 years – a case study of coal mining district of Kitakyushu-Chikuho, Japan”; Agung Setianto with paper entitled “Application of GIS and aerial photogrammetry for detecting subsidence area due to block caving underground mining”; Purnama Budi Santosa with paper entitled “Topographic correction due to differential illumination effects on multi-spectral SPOT data”; Hiro Ikemi with paper entitled “Study of sustainable data-sharing for emergency management based on the Wiki-GIS Technology”; and Yi Cai with paper entitled “Temporal and spatial analysis of hydrologic cycle in Chikugo-Saga plain Japan over the past 100 years”.

International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Conference
International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Conference
Twelfth Biennial USDA Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Conference
American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Conference
GIS Conference and Events Conference
ASIA GIS Conference
Map Asia Conference
ESRI International User Conference
International Workshop on Earth Observation and Remote Sensing Applications
3rd International Workshop on 3D Geo-Information

The 5^th International Symposium on Earth Science and Technology is held in Kyushu University on December 3-4, 2007. This symposium is organized by Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kyushu University, Japan, and is sponsored by Faculty of Engineering Kyushu University, Kyushu University Foundation, MMIJ-Kyushu Branch, and MMIJ-Division of Coal Mining Technology.

The symposium is attended by experts and researchers from Kyushu University, Gadjah Mada University-Indonesia, Bandung Institute of Technology-Indonesia, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava-Czech Republic, University of Zambia-Zambia, and PNG University of Technology-Papua New Guinea.

Today’s Dazaifu is regarded as the well known tourist destination in Kyushu, Japan. Dazaifu or “Government-General Headquarters” was established approximately 1300 years ago and ruled all Kyushu area for period of some 500 years.

Visiting this historical site on Friday, Nov 23, has reminded me to an old city of Kotagede in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Even though these two sites are different to some extent, however they are similar in terms of their important role in the past as the center of governmental headquarters. Kotagede was established some hundred years ago and was the center of the early Mataram Kingdom which was later divided into Kasultanan Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Kingdom) and Kasunanan Solo.

Back to Dazaifu. There are numbers of historical sites which reflects to the ancient history of Dazaifu, including ruins of the Dazaifu itself, ruins of Mizuki, ruins of Onojo, Kanzeonji Temple, ruins of Chikuzen Kokubunji Temple and Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. These sites are distributed around the Dazaifu region.

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is dedicated to the Michizane Sugawara, “the God of Literature”. In 901, Sugawara was abruptly exiled from Kyoto as the Dazaifu official by the Emperor’s court, and he died two years later. The shrine was built over his grave and was constructed in 1591 A.D.

Kanzeonji Temple, mentioned in The Tale of Genji, was opened in about the year 746 at the command of the Emperor Tenji to honor the deceased Emperor Saimei. The temple flourished as one of he key religious centers for Kyushu, as reveled by the many Budhist statues and its temple bell, which has been designated a national treasure and is the oldest in Japan.

Ruins of Dazaifu-Seicho (Dazaifu Government Office). Dazaifu-Seicho, also known as “Tofuro”, was once the place of the government office for entire Kyushu region. This place played an important role in defense of the western Japan and as a diplomatic gate from the second half 7^th century through Nara and Heian period (710-1185 A.D).

Kyushu National Museum, the largest national museum in Japan is built in this site. It exhibits Japan’s cultural formation from Paleolithic period to the end of modern age (1850’s) with their basic philosophy: “Museum with formation of the Japanese culture from the Asian historical viewpoint”. (Some of the information is cited form the Daizafu: Home of the Chikushi Manyo Poetry leaflet, with modification).

A map does not mean “only a map”, only a picture that visualizes location of objects on the earth. For me, a map means everything; everything related to geospatial information and its related attribute data. A map is a guidance that helps us to understand a place and to be well oriented geospatially.

Every time I go to new places, I always try to find a map of the place beforehand, by buying a printed map if it is available in shops, or by searching digital maps on the internet as well as visit google maps website. Few years ago, before visiting Melbourne, I bought a map of Melbourne city and its surrounding areas in Jakarta. As well as when I visited Kuala Lumpur, I tried to look for a map of Kuala Lumpur city soon after I arrived in the city. From the maps, I could get many information about the city and explore the city well.

However, having a map in hand does not always mean that you will be well oriented in a new city; at least this is true for me. Until more than six weeks since my arrival in Fukuoka City, Japan, with a map of Fukuoka City in hand, yet I could not point important places of the city on the map, even my own house (maybe it sounds ridiculous because I am a Geodetic Engineering graduates). Why? Because the language that is used for composing the maps is Japanese language with Kanji letters, the thing that I do not understand.

From this instance, I then realized that in toponimy (i.e. the map lettering and naming systems) one of the key factors in order maps are readable and understandable is language. The Fukuoka City map maybe toponimically is good for Japanese people or non Japanese people who can read Kanji letters and understand Japanese language. On the other hand, it can be said that the map is toponimically not appropriate for non Japanese people like me. For a big city like Fukuoka, with so many foreigners reside in the city, it sounds ridiculous to notice that there are no (or very difficult to find) non Japanese language based city maps. Since almost all public facilities, public transport, street names, and only very few number of Fukuoka City people who can speak English, it is most likely for new foreigners who are not be able to read Kanji Letters and Japanese Language to experience lost in the Fukuoka City of JAPAN.

The second university summit was hosted by Kyushu University in Fukuoka on 26-28 October 2007. Kyushu University convened the first “University Summit in Kyushu” in May 2000 for the purpose of discussing current challenges facing university management, as well as research and educational activities in a global context with senior executives from leading higher education institutions. Through the two forums, Kyushu University is trying to deepening its contribution to international higher education and international society.

The second University Summit is part of an extensive program of events culminating in Kyushu Universit’s centennial anniversary in 2011. The summit highlighted the theme of “Integrating Global Universities and Local Communities in the 21st Century”. Six universities represented by their institution leaders participated and presented their papers in the events. Those six universities are: Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia), University of Tehran (Iran), Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), University of Sao Paolo (Brazil), Shanghai Jhiao Tong University (China), and Kyushu University (Japan).

In this event, Gadjah Mada University was represented by University Chancellor Prof. Dr. Sudjarwadi, accompanied by Dr. Joko Luknanto. Some of the Gadjah Mada University staffs who are currently studying in Kyushu University were also invited to attend the event on the second day. In that event, Prof. Dr. Sudjarwadi presented a paper entitled “The university as a resource for prosperous local communities: a case study of Gadjah Mada University”. After the summit, Prof. Sudjarwadi invited us to discuss about the Gadjah Mada University current condition and future plan. The discussion was started at 18pm and finished at 22pm.

“You have to go to the other planet!” Those are the words spoken by my colleague to me when he knew that I was accepted to study my doctoral degree in Malaysia few months ago; as a courteous response of his disagreement if I study in that country. And now, his words come true! Yes, I’m now living in the other planet named JAPAN! Maybe the words he said few months ago was a “doa” (words of worship) for me. Only Alloh knows.

Few months later, I met my Dept Geology colleague (he at that time was a HiLink Research Project official who supervises my department project funded by JICA) in my office. He congratulated me for my successful achievement in getting the Monbusho scholarship. I always remember his words. He says, getting a Japanese scholarship are very difficult for most people. But either way, it is seems so easy for some people.

Indeed, I feel my way to go to “the other planet” was very easy. Alhamdulillah, all the praise only goes to Alloh, my GOD, my KING, my GUARDIAN, my GUIDANCE. And thanks to my beloved wife who finally agree with my decision to study in “the other planet”.

Every people has a special day or even more than one. For me, today is one of my special days. WHY?……..

Today, September 25^th 2007, is the day when this “my” personal website is launched. This is one of my momentous day because one of my obsession has already been realized.

Today, September 25^th 2007, is my special day because today is “11” days away from the date that I have to go to Kyushu University, Japan for doing my PhD. Number “1” that composes “11” is magical number for my family because my son was born on day 11, month 1 and year 1 (2001).

Today, September 25^th 2007, is my special day because 35 years ago, at night on that date, when the moon reveals its full face, a little gorgeous boy was born in an old town of KOTAGEDE.

And today, September 25^th 2007, is my special day because today, in the holy month of Ramadhan, I can feel plentiful blessings from the Greatest Allah for me, health, happiness, lovely family and lives.

Alhamdulillah…………….