Brod Dionisio “Jun” Battad was promoted to Senior Manager last Dec. (and started last Feb.21) at Forestry South Australia, a South Australian government corporation based in Mt. Gambier, a beautiful rural city located at the base of extinct volcanos, especially the Blue Lake, which changes color and becomes dark blue in summer - http://www.mountgambiertourism.com.au.

Writes Brod Jun, “The corporation is involved in softwood plantation establishment, mainly with Pinus radiata orradiata pine which is sold for timber, chips for making pulp for paper, posts, etc.. The plantation is all over the State. The webpage of the corporation is - http://www.forestry.sa.gov.au.

Click picture to open Forestry SA website

Brod Jun, who wrote about the GIS in our Environmental Awareness publication (to see, click>> November 2008 issue), is now managing the corporation’s GIS group, thus dealing with mapping, managing the integrated GIS systems called FRIS (Forest Report Information systems), data collection thru GPS, data management, etc.. His unit is also involved in the corporation’s future plan to go into web-mapping, Lidar applications and precision forestry.

About Brod Jun:

Brod Dionisio “Jun” Battad, UPLB 74d (The Lone Ranger Batch), has 20 years of experience in the applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in natural resources management. Jun has a BS and MS in Forestry from UPLB, both under a Bureau of Forest Development Scholarship grant. He completed his Ph.D. in watershed management and GIS from Texas A&M University. After completing his studies, he worked as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. He taught GIS, remote sensing, ecology and environmental science. In 1999, he was recruited and sponsored by DSE to work and migrate with his family to Australia.

He is happily married to a UPLB Sigma Betan, Yeyet Moral. They have 2 grown-up children. Their son (in 2008) was completing his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Monash University, Melbourne while their daughter is an IT Analyst with the federal government in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. He is a GI (Genuine Ilocano) from Magsingal, Ilocos Sur and is the youngest brother of Brod Vicente ‘Vic” Battad, UPLB 68a.