Sport and Recreation Spatial receives financial support from the Mitchell Institute
6 March 2014
Sport and Recreation Spatial, the innovative research project jointly developed by Federation University and Victoria University, has recently received a $175,000 grant from the Mitchell Institute for Health and Education Policy.
The Mitchell Institute is an independent research and policy think tank that aims to make a positive difference to the quality of health and education policy leading to enhanced social and economic prosperity for all Australians.
The funding will enable Sport and Recreation Spatial to contribute a sport and recreation perspective to a Mitchell Institute project to develop community indicators and benchmark data for the local government area of Brimbank, in Melbourne’s outer western suburbs. Drawing upon a range of data sources, this project will provide a holistic health and educational profile for the region.
Sport and Recreation Spatial was established in 2012 as a system for disseminating knowledge for the sport and recreation, health and education sectors; this has been achieved through data collection, data integration, statistical analysis and data visualisation via geographical information system (GIS) programming and mapping. The project has been led by Associate Professor Rochelle Eime, joint VicHealth Research Practice Fellow (Physical Activity) at Federation University and Victoria University, with considerable support from staff members Dr Jack Harvey (Federation University) and Ms Melanie Charity (Federation University/Victoria University).
Federation University’s Centre for eCommerce and Communications (CeCC) has played an integral role in establishing the spatial ICT system and website which was specifically tailored by senior programmer in CeCC, Paul Feely, with leadership from Dr Helen Thompson.
In commenting on the recent funding provided by the Mitchell Institute, Associate Professor Eime said that the funding boost will enable exciting new developments in Sport and Recreation Spatial: ‘We are very pleased to be working with the Mitchell Institute in developing health and education indicators relating to sport and recreation. The funding will further extend Sport and Recreation Spatial and will provide increased capacity for strategic planning and policy development for particular geographical regions.’
The Sport and Recreation Spatial website (www.sportandrecreationspatial.com.au) contains project updates, videos and maps that demonstrate the GIS system capabilities that will be expanded upon through the partnership with Mitchell Institute. The accompanying program of research involves development and dissemination of knowledge for the sport and recreation, health and education sectors. Already the project has facilitated important understandings about sport and physical activity participation levels and trends, and influences on participation in sport and recreation. New funding opportunities will extend this research and provide new insights into health, education and participation in sport for particular regional areas.
For further information:
For more information about this project, contact Associate Professor Rochelle Eime, Email: r.eime@federation.edu.au; Telephone: (03) 5327 9687
For further information about the technical features of the website, or about CeCC, contact CeCC Director Dr Helen Thomson: h.thompson@federation.edu.au; Telephone: (03) 5327 9418