The constitution of the Committee on Development Information (CODI), by the UN Economic Commission for Africa , could in itself be construed as a step towards the promotion of SDI development in Africa. CODI, which first met in 1999, provides an umbrella for the meeting not only of national mapping agencies, but also other agencies primarily involved in generating or using spatial information, statistical agencies, librarians and other specialists in information management and information technology. CODI-GEO, the CODI sub-committee focusing on geographic information, took on the functions of the disbanded Regional Cartographic Conference.
Input from Africa experts who had been involved in SDI initiatives within their countries was requested. It is within countries that the building of SDI is likely to impact most on the availability of spatial information for decision-making. It is also at country level that the development of most other infrastructures, must be coordinated.
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The creation of CODI created an opportunity for the closer interaction of a wider range of agencies as required for a comprehensive and coherent SDI. A report endorsed by CODI-GEO in 2001 on the future direction of geo-information activities in Africa emphasised the need to build SDI. The choice of using an existing body to promote SDI in Africa is perhaps in itself an indicator of some level of maturity: there was no perceived need to invent a new body, at this stage, to deal with SDI, as SDI was recognized not to be a "new" issue. This could be construed as an affirmation of existing initiatives towards co-operative efforts, across historically isolated agencies and sectors.
It was at CODI-GEO's most recent meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in May 2003, that the decision was taken to charge CODI-GEO with the responsibilities assumed by "permanent committees for SDI" in other regions. At this meeting, the SDI guide was introduced to delegates, at this stage in the form of photocopied draft chapters in a file, for the most part in only one language.
Need for a Guide
A number of activities to promote and establish SDI in Africa were initiated by UNECA. One of the most prominent activities related to the establishment of a body to take on the role of a "Permanent Committee for SDI" in Africa. Another, as a practical contribution to building capacity in Africa to develop SDI, served to provide:
"A document, in the form of guidelines on concrete steps to implement SDIs in Africa. The document will be targeted to all those that have a key role to play in promoting, adopting, developing or implementing spatial information infrastructure in their home countries. These include administrators and managers of topographic and resource mapping departments and agencies, legislators and policy-makers, and major users of geo-information products."
The description quoted above comes from briefing materials provided to contributors to the project. The initiative stemmed from the recognition that there were many fledging SDI initiatives within countries in Africa, as well as advocates for SDI in many other countries, yet to embark on an SDI building programme. With support from GSDI and EIS-AFRICA, thinking evolved to compile a living document, to be published both through the web as well as in the form of a book. The model was loosely based on the success of the SDI Cookbook , which focuses on the technical aspects of SDI implementation. In addition to a practical handbook on the development of various components of a coherent SDI, an on-line library of resource documents relating to SDI development, would also be compiled and added to regularly.
