Our brand name Indiya originates from the Nanda language group. Our Managing Director, Lawrence Hillary, is descended from the Nanda people and has chosen the name Indiya, meaning ‘star’, as an acknowledgement of all Aboriginal people’s connection to celestial navigation. Geospatial, as described in the Cambridge Dictionary, relates to information that identifies where particular features are on the Earth’s surface such as oceans and mountains.
Astronomy and the night sky has played a significant role in the traditions of Aboriginal people for tens of thousands of years, being used amongst other things, to predict changing seasons and the availability of resources. Aboriginal people have also turned to the skies for many years to aid in their navigation, using the stars to help guide their travels. Patterns of stars, referred to as star maps, are used as a means of teaching navigation outside of one’s own local country showed the waypoints on the route, usually waterholes or turning places on the landscape, and were used in a similar way to navigating via GPS. Hence our name Indiya Geospatial, referring to ‘mapping the Earth’.
Download Capability StatementOur Managing Director, Lawrence Hillary, is a Nanda man from the Mid West (Yamatji Country) – Gascoyne region of Western Australia. He brings to Indiya Geospatial a diverse range of life experience and skills which he has acquired in the last 30 years of his working life. This work experience includes working with people in custody, a seven year stint as a police officer with the Western Australian Police Service, three years with the Department of Fisheries and various roles within the Native Title industry. Lawrence’s motivation has always been to work and engage with Aboriginal people and their communities. Through the success of Indiya Geospatial, Lawrence and the Indiya team are creating new pathways and careers for Aboriginal Australians in the survey industry.
