1. Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Capacity Building
Cambridge Conference
Keith R. Thackrey
GSDI Secretariat
20-25 August, 2003

2. Topics
Background
Capacity Building
Funding and Current Programs

3. Background

4. GSDI History Started in the mid 1990s Small group of visionaries
The same benefits that are realized internally translate across international boundaries

5. GSDI Purpose
To encourage the collection, processing, archiving, integrating, and sharing of geospatial data and information using common standards and interoperable systems and techniques
….. and accessible via the web

6. GSDI Conferences
1st International meeting held in Bonn Germany in 1995
A small group of invited attendees only
6th International GSDI meeting Budapest in September 2002
Jointly with International Steering Committee for Global Map (ISCGM)
Over 250 attendees
Representing over 50 countries

7. GSDI-6 Resolution Resolution 4 – Capacity Building for NSDI
The GSDI Association will give special attention to develop capacity building efforts with particular reference to obtaining resources for sustained capacity building in developing nations.

8. Capacity Building

9. Basic Training Build a common basis for discussion and development
Concepts
Definitions
Tools

10. Regional Training Begin work on Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI)
National SDI (NSDI) information sharing
Things that worked and didn’t
Facilitator brings examples
Participants share examples
Maintain in training data base, and GSDI cookbook
Every current NSDI has weaknesses
There are no “smart people” telling “ignorant people” how to do it
Begin small
4 to six nations
Start with a single sub-region in each region
Expand to other nations within sub-regions
Expand to other sub-regions within region

11. Sustainability
Establish task force of local, regional, and global partners to monitor growth
Establish national and regional coordinators
Track progress against pre-defined criteria (goals of regional training)
Build remediation plans to address shortfalls

12. Beyond GIS NSDI is only valuable as a tool to the non-GIS communities
Identify and contact user disciplines
Workshops for other disciplines
Components of NSDI (GIS basics)
How to use NSDI (discipline specific)
Successful examples (discipline and region specific)

13. Funding
GSDI doesn’t need to lead the individual projects, but should be a partner
GSDI must coordinate across projects to ensure we achieve global goals
Many other partners
Potential grant sources
National contributions

14. Current Projects Global Map (GM)/GSDI Grant Intergraph Grant MACGA
URISA GeoCorps
JICA Sponsored Regional GM/GSDI Nairobi Training
Examples of other partners
-Global Map (ISCGM)
-Eros Data Center (EDC)
-International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC)
Grant Sources
-Industry (e.g., ESRI, Intergraph)
-Government (e.g., JIVA, RAVI, USAID)
-NGO/Foundations

15. Additional Information
Global Spatial Data Infrastructure
Federal Geographic Data Committee
Open GIS Consortium
European Umbrella Org. for Geog. Info.
Permanent Comm. For the Americas
PCGIAP