By: Valrie Grant, Managing Director GeoTechVision
This column in the past series of articles, highlighted the economic benefits that can be had from embedding spatial information in the economic development processes. We highlighted how various sectors of the economy can use Geographic Information System (GIS) to enhance their business processes. We have also pointed to the establishment of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management which is focused on helping member states integrating geospatial information in their economic development process.
Make no mistake about it, geospatial sciences have far outgrown the one-time, paper-based activities of mapping, plotting, graphing and analyses; to now using complex digital technologies and processes with inputs (data/information) from a multiplicity of sources and outputs that can feed a multiplicity of stakeholders in virtually every sector of an economy. For this to be realized, there must be a spatial data framework underpinned by national policies that allows the full development of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
So where do we start, and how do we bring it all together? In this and the next few articles, we will present a simple model that takes into consideration:
- Government Policy Framework
- Spatial Data Infrastructure
- Standards
- Organizational Processes
We will also continue to highlight how the technology works to create the expected benefits. Our focus for this week will be on policy framework.
Government Spatial Data
Policy Framework
As with any area of economic development, government policy is critical in ensuring that the development process is sustainable. It gives the needed direction to both the private and public sector players involved in the economic development process, integrate them in the decision making process, and creates opportunities for private business participation.
In addition, government policy drives the development and building out of national infrastructures– in this case the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), which is a critical first step in developing a country’s spatial data capabilities. Having a mature SDI will enhance the embedding and usage of geospatial information in the economic development process.
Government policy could mandate the creation of a national spatial data agency tasked with:
- Managing the country’s Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)
- Overseeing the development of standards for spatial data development/creation
- Ensuring all government agencies embed spatial information in their data generation/collection processes
- Implement data cataloguing standards
- Define the spatial data standards required for public and private entities to interface with each other
- Ensuring the accessibility and availability of geospatial data sets, which are essential to planning across all government entities
- Ensure that spatial data sets are updated regularly and made available to all entities.
Government GI policy may include an open data policy where certain spatial datasets are freely available for use by the general public. Such a policy may advance a diverse range of innovative applications. With a mature or maturing SDI, Government policy can now mandate that all parcels of land must be georeferenced. Policy may also mandate that all structures that has some permanence – irrespective of its nature, must be georeferenced as a part of the permitting and de-permitting process. All these will require supporting legislative framework within which to operate and a mechanism that promote compliance.
Additionally, spatial data has traditionally been used by public organisations, businesses and academia. There has however been a paradigm shift and spatial data is now increasingly being used by ordinary citizens – crowd sourcing, open access to information is on the increase. This is an added reason for ensuring that using and accessing spatial data is governed by policies.
Within the Caribbean at present there are gaps in the legal framework and they are not able to provide effective regulation or even basic guidelines on spatial data matters. Development and implementation of national policies to support SDI is critical for a coordinated effort to standardize the processing of spatial information across government to create authoritative spatial databases.
At the Third High Level Forum on United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management held in Beijing, China, from 22 to 24 October 2014, the grouping having met in the context of United Nations initiatives to enhance cooperation in geospatial information management to support global sustainable development challenges, via the Beijing Declaration on Sustainable Development with Geospatial Information issued a resolution that spoke directly to policy issues. It stated that the group resolved to ‘overcome the challenges in implementing geospatial education and awareness, policy, standards and frameworks by engaging our professional community, industry and research related centres and institutes.’
How have we in the Caribbean been doing in this respect? How has Guyana been engaging on these issues? Is the community of geospatial practitioners doing enough to highlight these issues or to petition government to recognize the need for geographic information policy?
Creating geographic information policy will lead to a necessary legal framework for the industry.
This will inevitably clarify the value placed on spatial data and increase industry prosperity. It will establish the guiding principles and strategies to enhance accessibility and avoid duplication of effort and unwise use of limited resources. It will further enhance the cooperation and coordination among agencies in identifying and facilitating the development of useful data for research, planning, sustainable development, disaster management, environmental management and climate change among many other areas. Having policies in place will also lead to the creation of geospatial standards. Geographic information policy development should therefore be our collective concern.
