Geo-Inspiration

I visited Haiko, Hainan, an island in the South China Sea China, on 26-29 March 2025 for a conference on the South China Sea. It was a sub-forum of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) where I gave a talk on the utilization of geospatial data to promote collaboration in environmental protection in the South China Sea. The invitation came from the National Institute of the South China Sea, in collaboration with other intuitions such as China Oceanic Development Foundation, Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, and Boao Forum for Asia Secretariat.

Continue reading “Talking about the South China Sea in the South China Sea”

I’ve always believed that learning should begin with real-world practice, not just theory. That’s why I often invite practitioners to teach in my classes. This time, I had the honor of welcoming Ambassador Dr. Damos Agusman, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Austria in Vienna, to share his insights and experiences on maritime boundary delimitation.

Continue reading “Learning Maritime Boundary Issues from An Established Diplomat”

I have known Ambassador Djundjunan for almost ten years. Pak Bebeb, how I call him, is a senior diplomat from Indonesia. At the time of writing, He is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Greece in Athen. On 10 March 2025, he was kind enough to teach in my two classes: Border Management, and Delimitation and Demarcation of Maritime Boundaries. It was such a privilege.

The communication was easy. Pak Bebeb is a kind and humble Ambassador to communicate with me via Whatsapp. When I texted him regarding my plan to invite him to my class, he said yes without any hesitation. I texted him on 27 February 2025 and 11 days later he was already in my online class. Pak Bebeb appeared in my class through a zoom meeting.

Continue reading “An Ambassadorial Lecture by Dr. Bebeb Djunjunan from Athen”

I Made Andi Arsana*

Of course, the terms “permissible” (halal) and “prohibited” (haram) in the title of this article are not religious terms to be examined based on the Quran. I borrowed these terms because they were inspired by the name of the Arsana Space event organized by Arsana Ecosystem on February 9, 2025. In this event, Robertus Setiawan Aji Nugroho (Aji) and I were invited to share insights about the use of AI in research. Since it was held in the evening before breaking the fast, the organizers used the terms “permissible” (halal) and “prohibited” (haram).

Aji is an outstanding expert. Not only is he a practitioner of AI, but he has also been conducting research in the field for over a decade. Long before ChatGPT became widely popular, Aji was already deeply engaged with the power of computers to “understand” relationships and “meanings” between human words and sentences. Aji earned his Ph.D. from Macquarie University in Sydney, after previously obtaining his Master’s degree from UNSW in the same city in Australia. When it comes to AI, there is no reason to doubt Aji’s expertise.

Continue reading “Using AI for Research: Permissible (Halal) or Prohibited (Haram)?”

On 24-26 Feb 2025, I had the privilege of teaching at the CIL-ANCORS Workshop on Maritime Boundary Delimitation held at National University of Singapore (NUS). This event is a regular program, and although this isn’t my first time being involved, it never ceases to be an exciting experience—one worth noting as both a lesson and a blessing.

It all started with Clive Schofield, my PhD supervisor, who brought me into this important project. He was the one who saw that I was worthy of both the opportunity and the responsibility. I know for sure that many of the animations I’ve created are being used as teaching materials in this workshop. Perhaps Clive would have felt uneasy if he hadn’t invited me. Whatever the reason, I am grateful.

Continue reading “Teaching at NUS, Singapore”

These days, we are witnessing various conflicts. Some people protest and take to the streets. Others grumble on social media. Their protests are directed at state organizers who are deemed incompetent. On the other hand, a significant portion of the population fiercely defends these state organizers. These defenders firmly believe and are ready to testify that the very officials being ridiculed by some are, in fact, good people—saviors of their lives.

Continue reading “When A State Becomes Hostile to Its People”

We had a productive workshop on 12-13 February 2025 on the integrated management of land and sea. We call the workshop GeoLandSea 2025. It was the second one after the first one we did in 2023. I am honored to have served as the chair of the event.

Continue reading “GeoLandSea 2025- Connecting Land and Sea Seamlessly in an Integrated Management”

My piece on the passing of Prof. Hasjim Djalal somehow made its way to his son, Dino Patti Djalal. I have known Pak Dino for a couple of years, and he has been a great inspiration to me, especially in public speaking. So, when he reached out to me, it was already an honor. But what made it even more special was his request—he wanted to interview me about his father, Prof. Hasjim Djalal.

It did not take me long to say yes—of course! I flew to Jakarta from Yogyakarta on February 7, 2025, for the interview. Pak Dino is working on a documentary film about his father, and he is taking it very seriously. He invited a number of people to share their reflections on Prof. Hasjim, and I was fortunate to be one of them. Among the interviewees was Pak Marty Natalegawa, a towering figure in Indonesia’s diplomacy. To be in such company was truly an honor.

Continue reading “40 Minutes with Dino Djalal: A Conversation on Prof Hasjim Djalal”

Starting from last year, I am have been tasked to take care of a relatively new subject at the Faculty of Engineering. The subject is Engineering Concept for Civilization where students learn a more philosophical aspects of engineering. The lecture is to lay strong foundation for engineers to play they technical roles in the future by considering various non technical aspects. In short, the subject is to prepare our future engineers to be ready to collaborate with different disciplines in producing comprehensive solutions.

This year, we approach the lecture slightly differently. We deliver parts of the contents through podcast. The first one was me sitting down with Prof Nizam, who happens to be one of the lecturers teaching the subject. We had a good conversation and I hope this can help students get a bigger picture of what they can and will do in the future. Please enjoy!

In the last couple of weeks, Indonesia has been facing a controversial issue on sea fence or pagar laut. As someone focusing research on geospatial aspects of the law of the sea, I have been genuinely interested in knowing more about the issue. I started my own research, in collaboration with a junior colleague at the Department of Geodetic Engineering, Calvin Wijaya. I found some interesting facts.

In a nutshell, some people found that sea fence with the length of around 30km was spotted in the sea located in north of Tangerang. Not only that, it was also found that the ocean space within the fence were with land certificate. How come? Here is where the controversy began. It is not difficult to imagine that the issue can be really complex involving too may parties.

Universitas Gadjah Mada had an excellent initiative to have a class for journalists so they can understand the issue comprehensively. I thought the idea was brilliant so they could learn beyond their conventional interest to produce news. I was asked to provide the lecture and I said yes. Around 12 journalists from prominent media were there and a few hours later, the lecture ‘exploded’ in the internet. I was so glad that I could contribute, not matter how small.

Read the news here.