UNRCC – PCGIAP International Symposium on Spatially Enabled
Government and Society
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 14-16 February 2012
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Plenary panel discussion |
The International Symposium on Spatially Enabled Government and Society,
hosted by the Department of Survey and Mapping, Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment Malaysia was recently held at the Kuala Lumpur
Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over the period February 14–16,
2012. The premise for the symposium is that spatial information and data add
valuable dimensions to governance decision making processes and supports
societies’ involvement in the governance process in the pursuit of economic,
social, political and environmental objectives. The Symposium was sponsored
by the Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific
(PCGIAP) with support from the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG),
the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI), The International
Cartographic Association (ICA) and the International Society for
Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing (ISPRS). The main symposium (15th and 16th
February) was preceded by an Expert Group Meeting on Spatially Enabled
Government & Society held on 14th February and in which FIG representatives
played active roles. FIG was represented at the expert meeting and main
symposium by CheeHai Teo (President), Professor Ing. Rudolf
Staiger (Vice President), Dr Michael Sutherland (Chair,
Commission 4), Dr Daniel Steudler (Chair, FIG Task Force on Spatially
Enabled Society), Peter Laarakker (Dutch Kadaster), Enrico Rispoli
(CNGGeL Italy) and Brent Jones (ESRI).
The symposium was officiated by Datuk Prof. Sr Dr. Abdul Kadir bin
Taib, Director General, Department of Surveying and Mapping Malaysia
(JUPEM), Dr. Paul Cheung, United Nations Statistics Division,
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and YB Tan Sri Datuk
Seri Panglima Joseph Kurup, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and
Environment Malaysia (NRE). Over the 2-day period of the event attendees
received presentations from many countries including Malaysia, Japan, Korea,
The Netherlands, Singapore, Brunei, Trinidad and Tobago, Iran, Australia,
Switzerland, and Hong Kong. Representatives from institutions and
organizations such as FIG, ICA, Trimble, ESRI and the World Bank also made
presentations.
It was clear from the results of the expert meeting and presentations
that spatial enablement of government and societies are desirable, and that
these desires are not only contemporary but have been trumpeted by geomatics
professionals as needs in the governance decision making process, for
decades. The need for spatial data infrastructures and levels of stakeholder
collaborative, cooperative or integrative institutional and governance
arrangements to support the infrastructures were also common points
underscored as many speakers presented the various institutional,
technological and social barriers to spatial enablement to be overcome in
many jurisdictions. These continuing inhibitive situations to the
realisation of spatial enablement of government and society pose challenges
and opportunities for land professionals to ply their trade and apply their
knowledge and skills. FIG Commissions, in particular, ought to rise to the
challenges and seek to assist in finding solutions, not only in the exercise
of skills in their particular professional domains but also in seeking to
forge and continue to develop collaborative relationships with relevant
governmental and professional organizations. Spatial enablement of
government and society provide opportunities and challenges that require
vital input from all FIG perspectives: Professional Standards and Practice,
Professional Education, Spatial Information Management, Hydrography,
Positioning and Measurement, Engineering Surveys, Cadastre and Land
Management, Spatial Planning and Development, Valuation and the Management
of Real Estate, and Construction Management.
More to read:
Michael Sutherland
Chair of FIG Commission 4
April 2012
Group discussion.
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FIG was among others represented by Chair of Commission 4
Michael
Sutherland and president CheeHai Teo |
Michael Sutherland at the Seminar. |
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20 April 2012
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