Advancing Role of Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure
in World Economy, Society and Environment
Wednesday, 8 July 2020, 1130 – 1330 hrs UTC
As the world adjusts to new ways of working, living and
operating, people across the globe are increasingly valuing
the power of ‘where’ or geospatial knowledge. It is this
geospatial knowledge that enables governments to make
data-based decisions at scale and determine the type of
interventions required for different programs, it helps
businesses make strategic decisions and plan resource
allocation intelligently. Geospatial Knowledge has
touched the lives of billions of people across the
globe making it more connected and comfortable. What
then is the growth trajectory of Geospatial Knowledge? How
does the new-age technology, including AI, Big Data Analytics,
Cloud Computing, Robotics and Drones influencing Geospatial
adoption across user segments? Are governments and businesses
ready to scale up geospatial adoption for supporting
diversified programs, business outcomes and development
goals? What is the paradigm shift required to look at this
critical infrastructure from a new light, so that the
process of its enmeshment within the digital infrastructure
is pervasive?
Geospatial Media and Communications has embarked on a
journey with the United Nations Statistics Division and
a host of partner organisations from different contexts
to define, develop and help countries establish a
Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure. The project aims
to bring out the value proposition of Geospatial Knowledge,
forecast its relevance and connectivity with fundamentals
of next generation economy and society and to redefine the
role of stakeholders: government, industry and civil society.
The campaign launched in January 2020 is titled, “Advancing
Role of Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure in World Economy,
Society and Environment”.
As part of the outreach activity of the project, Geospatial
Media and its partner organizations presents a two-hour
intensive webinar to uncover three key topics that will
develop your understanding on Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure.
Agenda
1130 – 1140 hrs:
Welcome and Remarks on Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure
Sanjay Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, Geospatial
Media and Communications
1140 – 1200 hrs:
Presentation on Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure:
Components, Value and Relevance followed by Q&A
John Kedar, Strategic Advisor - Geospatial
Infrastructure Geospatial Media and Communications
1200 – 1230 hrs:
Integration of UN-IGIF and Geospatial Knowledge
Infrastructure
United Nations-Global Geospatial Information Management
(UN-GGIM) has developed the Integrated Geospatial
Information Framework (IGIF), which focuses on
national geospatial information in its broadest sense.
It provides guidance to countries on development
of country-specific action plans, based on 9 strategic
pathways, to incorporate new and innovative approaches
to national geospatial information management.
Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructures (GKI) ensures
that geospatial data, services and knowledge meet
the requirements of tomorrow’s next-generation society,
solving tomorrow’s challenges with tomorrow’s tools.
GKI builds upon the framework of IGIF, focusing from
the user demand perspective, in place of geospatial
information supplier perspective. The panel will
consider the following questions:
- How is IGIF aligned with GKI?
-
For countries that have already begun restructuring
their institutional arrangements and policies based
on IGIF, how can they leverage from GKI?
-
How can countries communicate to their leadership
on advantages of integrated IGIF and GKI? How will
it benefit their socio-economic development?
Moderator:
Dr Derek Clarke, Advisor, World Geospatial
Industry Council
Panellists:
Rolando Ocampo Alcantar, Statistics Division,
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
United Nations
Dr Zaffar Sadiq Mohamed-Ghouse FRGS FSSSI,
Executive Director – Strategic Consulting &
International Relations, Spatial Vision, Australia
François Robida, Deputy Head of Division,
Information Systems and Technologies, French Geological
Survey (BRGM)
1230 – 1300 hrs:
Panel on Spatial Dimension to Data Ecosystem:
Foundation to Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure
The axiom ‘everything happens somewhere’ still stands.
Data from all sources must be brought together with the
necessary advanced tools, human and machine cooperating
to derive knowledge to solve challenges. These needs
might be one off, e.g. COVID-19 tracing, or common such
as enabling safe automated vehicles on city streets.
As geolocation becomes ubiquitous for human and machine,
time and place become ever more powerful data attributes.
Understanding of complex problems involves: What? Where?
When? Who? How? and Why? Data Ecosystems see several
actors interacting with each other to exchange, produce
and consume data to create value. Today data ecosystems
are driving data and knowledge-based economies. The
Spatial Dimension delivers a critical or foundational
component in building the power of a Data Ecosystem
Analytics can be more nuanced and contextualized,
serving Governance, Security and Public Safety,
Business Enterprises and Citizens alike. Spatial
Dimensions to Data Ecosystem helps to measure value
impact and Return-on-Investment, as well as render
accountability and transparency in systems. This panel
will explore:
-
What are some good practices or examples of data
ecosystems that have embraced the spatial dimension?
-
How are the fourth industrial revolution technologies
driving change towards Data Ecosystem adoption?
-
What role does national mapping agencies play vis-à-vis
the private sector players in this? The role of
government in increasing the spatial element of wider
data ecosystems
Moderator:
Greg Scott, Inter-Regional Advisor, UN-GGIM,
United Nations
Panellists:
Michael Lutz, Digital Economy, Joint Research Centre
Tan Boon Khai, Chief Executive, Singapore Land
Authority
Carl D. Shapiro, Ph.D., Director, Science and
Decisions Center, U.S. Geological Survey
1300 – 1325 hrs:
Collaborative Approach Towards Building Geospatial
Knowledge Infrastructure
The web is a collaboration by definition, and the hallmark
of a knowledge ecosystem is collaboration. Value is
created by partnerships that enable data creation,
maintenance, exchange, analytics and consumption.
Few organizations or businesses work across sensor,
data, platform, application and consumer in the
knowledge economy. In order to get the most out of a
Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure, the scope of
partnerships needs to be broadened to include the
entire knowledge value chain, from sensor to
citizen. With national geospatial agencies in mind,
this panel will discuss:
-
What are some good practices in partnerships for
data production across the wider data environment?
What are the challenges?
-
We are seeing interesting new ideas in ‘crowd-sourcing’,
from vehicle sensors to OSM. How can NGAs form
partnerships with citizens to take advantage of these
types of idea?
-
What potential partnerships could help move
national geospatial agencies up the knowledge
value chain?
Moderator:
Anamika Das, Vice President – Professional
Geospatial Market, Geospatial Media and Communications
Panellists:
Basanta Shreshtha, Director of Strategic
Cooperation, International Center for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal
Albert H. Anoubon Momo, Vice President &
Executive Director, Emerging Market and Funded Projects,
Trimble, USA
Paul Janssen, Geo-standardisation Expert,
Social Engineering, Geonovum, The Netherlands
1325 – 1330 hrs:
Closing Remarks