2018/1 The integration of statistical and geospatial information. The Regional Committee of UN-GGIM: Americas:

Transcription

1 The following are the conclusions and recommendations of the Regional Committee of the United Nations on Global Geospatial Information Management for the Americas, during its Fifth Session, Thursday 8 th November 2018, in Mexico City, Mexico. 2018/1 The integration of statistical and geospatial information a. Welcomed the participation and contribution of the representatives of the national statistics offices from several countries and encouraged their continued participation in future meetings of the Regional Committee. b. Further welcomed the report provided by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) about the regional overview on the process of integration of statistical and geospatial information. c. Acknowledged the methodology presented by the Working Group on Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information (WG-ISGI) to recognize geospatial empowerment in public policy. d. Thanked Member States for responding to the regional survey that allowed the identification and the adoption of Statistical and Geospatial standards. e. Recognized the value of the new objective presented by the WG-ISGI aimed at Developing and implementing standards to facilitate and ensure statistical and geospatial information integration quality, which best supports the integration of statistical and geospatial information. f. Encouraged Member States to document and share their experiences on the integration of geospatial and statistical information. 1

2 g. Further encouraged Member States to adopt the proposed metadata profile and metadata catalogue in future MEGA versions. h. Invited Member States to increase their capabilities in geographic and statistical metadata creation and management. i. Recognized the contribution of the proposed assessment of geospatial capabilities and resources for the design, implementation and spatial enablement of public policies. j. Also encouraged Member States to recognize the value of geospatial information management for decision-making at different management levels, and also consistent with the purpose of National Geospatial Data Infrastructures. k. Recommended the establishment of legal frameworks to create thematic Geospatial Data Infrastructures to support public policy related to the achievement and measurement of the Sustainable Development Goals. 2018/2 The development of Geospatial Data Infrastructures a. Welcomed the diagnosis on the current status of geospatial data infrastructure across Member States in the region, which considered the components of a geospatial data infrastructure. b. Thanked Member States for responding to the survey that resulted in regional indicators. c. Invited Member States to use the dynamic dashboard available in the webpage of UN-GGIM Americas. d. Requested Member States to respond to the requirements of the Working Group regarding technical documents and other inputs that are to be made available on the regional platform. e. Encouraged Member States to answer the Regional Geospatial Data Infrastructure survey again in March The results will allow comparative analysis on the state of development of geospatial data infrastructure in the region over time. f. Further encouraged Member States to consider the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework including its nine strategic pathways as a guide to support their national Geospatial Data Infrastructure development efforts. 2018/3 Geospatial information for disasters a. Recognized that disasters affect almost all countries in the region, and that the survey and the gap analysis conducted by the Disaster working group through technical assistance from the Canadian Center for Mapping and Earth Observation identified major gaps in the region in terms of use of geospatial information in disaster management. 2

3 b. Encouraged Member States to mobilize internal resources to address some of the gaps identified in the gap analysis, and the results of the survey will be shared with Member States for further comments. c. Further encouraged Member States to adopt the Strategic Framework on Geospatial Information and Services for Disasters and to use the actions outlined in the five priorities as a guide to monitor their activities in geospatial information management to improve response to disasters. d. Also encouraged Member States in collaboration with the Working Group on Geospatial Information and Services for Disasters to put in place the necessary efforts to mobilize external resources from international partners to address the gaps identified by the survey. 2018/4 Caribbean Project a. Thanked the sponsor AMEXCID, and partners ACS, CONABIO, INEGI, NASA, OGC, SAF, SNIT, UNAM, University of the West Indies- St. Augustine, and URISA, for contributing to the successful execution of the Caribbean Project that strengthened the national geospatial data infrastructures in 17 Caribbean States. b. Appealed to all interested parties to identify and secure support, to ensure the continuity of future work given the significant progress and achievements of the Caribbean Project. 2018/5 Academic Network Americas a. Encouraged Member States to provide continuous capacity building, specifically applied at the management level, to ensure a significant contribution to institutional building and the provision of continuing professional development in geospatial information management. b. Requested Member States to promote the awareness of the relevance of applying good practices related to Geospatial Information and promote training and research in these areas. c. Appealed to Member States to encourage their geospatial information centers of education and research to become members of the Academic Network for the Americas. d. Further encouraged members of the Academic Network to participate and contribute to UN- GGIM: Americas, through regular attendance of meetings, and to work with relevant working groups at the regional and global levels. e. Also, encouraged the Academic Network s Advisory Board to include in its website a list of courses that are being offered by its members in the Americas. 3

4 f. Invited Member States to share their initiatives and challenges with the Academic Network so it can help as advisors and support the building of local capacities. g. Called upon the Academic Network to increase the development of partnership with regional and international organizations and the private sector. 2018/6 Joint Action Plan a. Recognized the valuable contributions of the organizations that signed the Joint Action plan to strengthen regional collaboration on several geospatial information management topics and initiatives. b. Thanked the efforts and proposals of the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH) to support the collaboration and integration between the statistical and geospatial communities. c. Recommended the use of the integrated map of the Americas provided by PAIGH in the MEGA and future projects. 2018/7 The use of geospatial information for supporting Agenda 2030 implementation a. Welcomed the ECLAC report on the activities being carried out by the IAEG-SDG Working Group on Geospatial Information to provide expertise and advice as to how geospatial information, Earth Observations and other data sources can reliably and consistently contribute to the measuring and monitoring of the SDG indicators. b. Encouraged Member States to conduct national assessments on the geospatial capacities to support the short list of the 24 SDG indicators that were identified by the IAEG-SDG Working Group on Geospatial Information, after the revision of the global indicator framework through a geographic location lens, and report on them in the coming global and Regional Committee meetings of both statistical and geospatial communities. c. Further encouraged increased collaboration with the Working Group on Geospatial Information of the IAEG SDG and ECLAC s Agenda 2030 Statistical Coordination Group. 2018/8 Revision of Statutes: a. Agreed to update the Statute of the Regional Committee to delete references to the Regional Cartographic Conference of the Americas which no longer exists; the revised Statute will be 4

5 circulated for consultation among all Member States for further update if necessary and approval. 2018/9 Geodetic Reference Frame for the Americas a. Requested that the agreed document prepared by representatives of the Regional Committee that reviewed the The Position Paper Appropriate governance Arrangements of the UN- GGIM subcommittee on Geodesy, is delivered in the next meeting of the subcommittee that will be held at the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress in China, in November b. Recognized the importance of inviting countries that are not yet part of the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS) to join this initiative and, in the same way, those that have not maintained their activity, reactivate their work within the SIRGAS operational organization, which contributes to the consolidation of the geodetic control data layer in the region, as a key element of the Geospatial Data Infrastructures. 2018/10 Private Sector Network a. Encouraged Member States to participate in continuous education and capacity building initiatives arranged by the Regional Committee. b. Requested the Association of Caribbean States to use its convening power to continue fostering the engagement of the Caribbean States to facilitate collaboration and networking between stakeholders of the current Caribbean Project and future initiatives in the region. c. Further requested the Regional Committee to evaluate the benefits of a Latin America and the Caribbean regional Data Cube for its Member States. d. Recommended that the Americas representative of the Private Sector Network works closely with the World Geospatial Industry Council to identify and address the challenges and opportunities of Member States. e. Also requested the industry and the private sector to support access to and use of appropriate earth observation data necessary for the development of fundamental geospatial datasets. f. Asked that the Private Sector Network evaluates a framework to support Public Private Partnerships in the Geospatial Industry in the region. 5