In October, I travelled to Tonga as part of Spatial Vision’s Pacific Geospatial Skills Development Program, an initiative that offers professionals from Pacific Island Countries and Territories the opportunity to build geospatial expertise with our team in Australia. This year, I am fortunate to mentor Ofa Masiwawa, the program’s current awardee, whose chosen project holds significant potential for advancing climate resilience in Tongan local communities.  

Ofa’s journey with the program began in September, when she visited our Melbourne office to train alongside me and our Spatial Vision colleagues. During her time with us she gained essential geospatial skills, equipping her to take on her chosen project: a first-of-its-kind initiative to integrate spatial data within community risk profiles for a Tongan-based NGO, the Tonga National Council of Churches. The project aims to support more targeted, data-driven decision-making for climate change resilience and disaster preparedness. 

The trip to Tonga was primarily dedicated to supporting Ofa in data collection and analysis for her project. Over the course of my visit, we conducted household surveys across two communities, gathering crucial data on the vulnerabilities that exist at the household level. 

In addition to the surveys, we provided training for the local NGO staff on data collection methods and conducted a workshop on the basics of QGIS, a free and open-source geographic information system, to support ongoing analysis and interpretation.  

For the NGO, this training means their team can now view and query data on household vulnerabilities independently — a skill set that will be invaluable in developing community profiles for climate resilience and disaster response efforts. 

Looking ahead, the long-term impact of this project is promising. With community vulnerabilities now mapped and understood, local organisations have a powerful tool to support climate change and disaster management activities in Tonga. This geospatial insight will enable more precise and timely responses, directly benefiting at-risk communities.