SDI Events Roundup – February 2016

February 26, 2016

Gordon Plunkett

In this month’s roundup, learn about upcoming important SDI events such as the GeoAlliance Canada event that will map out the future of the geocommunity in Canada. You’ll also find valuable resources including a United Nations report on future trends in geospatial information management.

Here’s a roundup of events happening in Canada and globally related to Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). You’ll also find insightful reports from recently held SDI events that you may find useful for your own projects.

Map to the Future: Establishing a roadmap for the geomatics, geography and geospatial community in Canada

If you haven’t registered yet for the GeoAlliance Canada event in Calgary on March 15-16, now is the time to do so. This event is an opportunity to benchmark where we are nationally, determine the metrics of our success, and map out a way to meet our targets by pooling our energy and resources, undertaking collaborative projects, and making targeted investments in key initiatives. Everyone is welcome to this event and there is no charge to attend.

Joint international workshop on post-2015 Nepal earthquake

A joint international workshop on 'The Role of Land Professionals and Spatial Data Infrastructure in Disaster Risk Reduction in the Context of Post-2015 Nepal Earthquake' was successfully organized last November in Kathmandu, Nepal. In total, there were 355 participants, among which 75 were international participants representing 21 different countries. There were 56 papers presented, and 24 papers were related to SDI and spatial planning.

UN-GGIM report questions our understanding of ‘geospatial’

A new report setting out the five to 10-year vision of the rapidly growing geospatial information industry has been published by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM). The report indicates that a number of important technology‑driven trends are likely to have a major impact in the coming years, creating previously-unimaginable amounts of location‑referenced information and questioning our very understanding of what constitutes geospatial information. Future trends include cities and the Internet of Things; artificial intelligence and big data; indoor positioning and mapping; and integrating statistical and geospatial information.

The changing geospatial landscape – a second look

The goal of this report by the U.S. National Geospatial Advisory Committee is to identify key trends that will define the geospatial industry in the future. Near-term trends already guide current thinking and analysis, while medium-term trends serve to shape research agendas. The long-term trends depend in large part on society’s decisions regarding the quality of life desired for citizens, including the protection of personal privacy and the integrity of information about individuals. It also depends in part on our ability to make judicious and prudent decisions with regard to: organizing the workforce; refining agency responsibilities, requirements and process; and, strategically prioritizing and partnering on expenditures and resources.