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Spatial Data Infrastructure: The Road Map for Middle East Development
6. Spatial Data as a Central Resource for Development
The Middle East SDI can be defined as set of polices, standards, organizations and technology, all working together to produce, share, and use the spatial data of the region to support local, national and regional sustainable developments. There are many types of regional spatial data which can be integrated and shared by Middle East Countries, such as:
- Geographical Information: these may include but not limited to meteorology, environmental data, economic and social, ground water, geosciences, mineral resources and oil and energy.
- Environment information: to initiate a system for planning, design and development process to harmonize efforts and strength to consolidate national environmental information. This may target water resources, environmental policy, real time environmental status and changes.
- Geoscientific information: increasing the knowledge and improvement of the Middle East geoscientific activities, such as coordination of geomatics surveys to obtain, compile, integrate, validate and provide digital information for geology, geophysics, gravimetry, geological hazards, geochemical anomalies and mining activities in standardized format.
- Geostatistical information: integration of social, demographic and economic statistical information obtained from census, surveys and administrative records using current technology to store query and analyze information with emphasis in design and methodology, survey and research on social and economic data including quality of life, construction, national population and housing and collection of information for planning, development and control.
The Middle East Initiative should draft and develop and define standards and policies, and undertake regional programs for Spatial Data Infrastructure. The system will also require production of spatial data, analysis and distribution of georeferenced information which is aimed at supporting regional planning, territorial ordering processes. The initiative should also standardize and develop an integrated GIS to build and maintain national databases in topography, soil, ground water. The conceptual model of an integrated GIS may be considered to include aspects of design and implementation, creation of spatial databases according to the data model and the establishment of data exchange formats for internal and external users of the system.
7. Conclusions
Spatial Data Infrastructure has a fundamental role to play at the national and regional levels in ensuring the successful implementation of regional SDI initiatives and in facilitating sustainable development. SDI programs and organizational entities should be started in the Middle East with full support from the governments of the countries in the region. The authors recommend Spatial Data Infrastructure Initiative for Middle East region, and to be adopted by the countries of the region, acknowledging the fundamental roles to be played by this SDI initiative in enhancing the national and regional developments, competitiveness and productivity. The work of SDI initiative should be started by establishing regional geodetic infrastructures as a basis for a homogeneous spatial data in the Middle East region, and then followed by the implementation of regional information systems as well as joint research and scientific studies in the field of regional natural resource for exploration and exploitation and predicting the regional hazards. This can be done through promotion and coordination of related activities in the region and to encourage International Corporation, in order to provide more basic information for natural hazards such as earthquake prediction, volcanic eruptions, temperature and sea level rise. An effective national or regional Spatial Data Infrastructure can result in lower costs in obtaining data and in a continuous enhancement of handling spatial information.
The paper also suggested that emphasis should be given to standardization, specification and production processes of spatial data, and should be supported with policies, Metadata, dictionaries, format of data exchange, establishment of databases and networks. The adoption of standards and specifications will lead to a much wider applications in the government, industry and private sector applications, as well as the ease of GIS implementation processes. The standardization aims to develop a new more efficient and more functional automated system for mapping, records management, planning and other functions. This will help improve countries ability to accomplish the goals of the new standardization Plan. Enhancement of the overall land development process can be achieved through the integration of decision-making in the context of the current and forward planning issues. The integration of national and regional spatial data infrastructures will facilitate the creation of Middle East Spatial Data Infrastructure, which could be stand firmly as the road map for Middle East development.
References:
- Muggenhuber, Gerhard (2004). Build, Share Information for Human Well Being Proceedings of the Third International Conference & Exhibition GIS-2004, Kingdom of Bahrain.
- Porter, M (1998) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. Free Press, 592 pages, ISBN: 0684 –84146 – 0 (1998).
UNRCC Resolution (1997) Resolutions Adopted by the 14th UNRCC – AP Bangkok. Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and Pacific.
- Waleed Khalifa Al-Jassim (1997). Dynamic Planning Using GIS: The Kuwait Experience. GIS Conference '97, Doha, Qartar, Website:
http://www.gisqatar.org.qa/conf97/links/e3.html, Accessed at March19th, 2005.
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