SAL Technical Support

Hi, my name is Heidi Korinne Brown and I am a Geospatial Systems Analyst and the Senior Technical Officer for the Spatial Analysis Labs.

A crucial part of my role is to provide technical support to teaching and research projects registered with the SAL. Technical support is different to the role of an academic or a research supervisor. For example, my contribution when working with a researcher (student or staff) is focused only on the GIS&T component of the work or challenge at hand while remaining aware that it occurs within a broader context. The person or project team I am working with is the subject matter expert in their area of expertise. Together, we troubleshoot specific problems related to geospatial tools, techniques, and methods to assist them in progressing their work.

Due to COVID-19, SAL meetings and computer technical support is now provided via video meet-ups.

Personal Appointments – Book Now

You are still able to meet one-on one and get specialised technical geospatial support for your teaching and research work. Everything we do in SAL is computer based, so the use of videoconferencing software has enhanced the scope of support available – you can now show me exactly what is happening on your computer. No matter where you are!
You do not need to have a camera, and a cheap pair of headphones with a speaker can be obtained from many places from $5-$15.

Ensure your set is wired (has an audio jack) if you are going to connect from TOL!

SAL Drop-In Video Chat Sessions

Drop-in sessions are times when I will be hanging out in the SAL Virtual Room and if you would like to drop by and ask a question, or do some geospatial work in a virtual group, you can “drop-in’ without an appointment. The room holds 12 people at a time, so if you knock and do not get ‘let in’, it may be because the room is already full.

If you want dedicated help on a problem, remember you can book an appointment – if the self-book appointment times do not match when you are available, then email me directly and we can work something out. Drop-in Session times are shown in the Calendar at the bottom of this page.

Available Video Chat Platforms

If you have a platform you are more comfortable using for one-on-one appointments then let me know in your booking. Options include WebEx, Zoom, Whereby and I am willing to consider others on an as-needs basis. If you do not have a preference, we will use the best platform for the situation.

WhereBy is one you may not have heard of before, but it allows us to video chat with you without needing to install any special software or apps as it is entirely browser based. It works best on Firefox and Chrome, which is what most SAL registered users have been using as their default browser for many years.