Lands & Surveys team at Vietnam conference

Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn (centre) with his team
Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Trevor Benn (centre) with his team

Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC), Trevor Benn, is in Hanoi, Vietnam as a participant in the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week conference currently underway

According to a GL&SC press release, the FIG Working Week conference which started on April 22 nd  and ends today, brings the international community of surveying and spatial professionals together to discuss key challenges within the surveying profession.

Accompanying the Commission-er are Senior Land Administration Officer, Veit Mendonca, and Land Use Planner, Joel Trotman.

During his presentation to the delegates of the conference, Benn highlighted the efforts Guyana is making to modernise its National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), in support of national growth. 

The GL&SC noted that the NSDI is a digital and open-data geospatial information system, which facilitates communications between different sectors and enhances decision-making processes. The Com-mission has been working in tandem with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to bring an NSDI action plan into fruition, the release added.

Benn told the conference that he was extremely pleased with the development of the action plan. This action plan, he stated, sets out the priorities for improving cooperation in data and information management.

Explaining why NSDI is critical and much needed in Guyana, Benn told the delegates, “The NSDI helps different sectors to combine their information and database to create one map, so that all sectors can make decisions together.” He added, “It will enable the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission to interact better with other agencies and have better information to support farmers, the agriculture sector, the Guyana Police Force and all other critical agencies.”

It was only a week ago that the Commission informed a number of local stakeholders on the progress made regarding the NSDI Action Plan for Guyana. 

While in Vietnam, Commissioner Benn also met with the Chairman of the Vietnam Natural Resources and Environment Corporation, Le Xuan Dung, at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in Vietnam to discuss areas of cooperation to enable Guyana’s successful implementation of NSDI.