Annual Meeting of the Joint Board of Geospatial Information
Societies
26 August 2012, Melbourne, Australia
The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)
hosted the 2012 edition of the meeting of the Joint Board of Geospatial
Information Societies (JBGIS) at its XXII Congress in Melbourne, Australia
on 26 August 2012. Prof. William Cartwright from the International
Cartographic Association (ICA) chaired the meeting after the welcome by
Prof. Orhan Altan, President ISPRS.
Preamble
JBGIS is a coalition of the Presidents (or the nominees) of recognized
international organizations involved in the coordination, development,
management, standardisation or regulation of geospatial information and
related matters. It’s aim, where possible, is to provide that collective and
unified voice at the international level regarding geospatial affairs,
especially to the United Nations and to assist in the coordination of
relevant activities between the organisations represented by its members.
The current members of the JBGIS are the Presidents or equivalent
officers of:
- Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI)
- International Association of Geodesy (IAG)
- International Cartographic Association (ICA)
- IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (IEEE-GRSS)
- International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)
- International Geographical Union (IGU)
- International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
- International Map Industry Association (IMIA)
- International Steering Committee for Global mapping (ISCGM)
- International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)
It should be noted that FIG has bilateral Memoranda of Understanding
with:
- Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI)
- International Association of Geodesy (IAG)
- International Cartographic Association (ICA)
- International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
- International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)
and the permanent address of JBGIS is the permanent office of FIG. The
FIG Office is responsible for the administration of the online/web presence
of JBGIS as well as publication of the minutes of its annual meeting.
2012 Annual Meeting
The Presidents of IAG, ICA, FIG, IMIA, ISPRS whilst GSDI is represented
by its immediate Past President and IEEE-GRSS by a Past President, attended
the 2012 Annual Meeting. Apologies were received from the Presidents of IGU,
IHO and ISCGM. The substantive matters discussed included the revision to
the Terms of Reference, primarily to clarify that JBGIS is a coalition of
Presidents of member organizations and the confirmation of the tenure of the
Chair. The decision is that the Chair, which will be rotated amongst member
organization, for a duration of one year, from one annual meeting to the
next. If there is a consensus at the annual meeting, the tenure of the
incumbent chair can be extended further by one-year.
JBGIS Ad-hoc Committees
The meeting also discussed on the work and progress of its two Ad-hoc
Committees. For the Ad-hoc Committee on Capacity Building in Africa, the
discussion was around the request for access, access to technologies, access
to finance, access to curriculum and access to expertise from within the
continent in the context of capacity development for Africa. Noting that a
number of the member organizations have ongoing and active capacity
development initiatives in Africa including FIG, it was subsequently agreed
that this Ad-hoc Committee be dissolved. For the Ad-hoc Committee on Risk
and Disaster Management, the progress of the ISPRS initiated VALID Project
was presented and noted. The VALID (The Value of Geo-Information for
Disaster and Risk Management) Project is a collaborative effort between
JBGIS and UN-OOSA led by ISPRS and supported by some JBGIS member
organization. The intention of the project is to produce a publication that
will provide evidence on the economic, humanitarian, operational and
organizational benefit that can be realized by utilizing geo-information in
disaster and risk management. The project intends to be based on analyses
and assessments of representative cases that will include the classical
cost-benefit analysis. FIG supports this JBGIS endorsed initiative and is
represented by the current chair of FIG Commission 3, Prof. Yerach
Doytsher.
International Year of the Map
ICA tabled a proposal for the International Year of the Map. An
initiative of the Swedish Cartographic Society, the 2011 ICA General
Assembly in Paris accepted the motion that ICA should organize an
International Year of the Map in 2015 with the primary aim to highlight the
essential role of maps in society. ICA proposed that JBGIS endorsed this
proposal and work collectively towards a United Nations declaration for the
Year of the Map, particularly in view of its Global Geospatial Information
Management (UN-GGIM) initiative. In the ensuing discussion, ICA agreed that
2015 might be an ambitious target year when working with the United Nations
structures and JBGIS agreed in principle to support the proposal with ICA
taking a lead towards the realization of the International Year of the Map.
United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management
JBGIS was again visible and played its role at the Second Session of the
United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information
Management (UNCE-GGIM) with the Chair making a presentation on the ongoing
role, activities and support provided by member organization towards this
initiative. The meeting agreed that JBGIS must continue to be visible and to
work collectively to present a single voice on various issues and
initiatives.
Tenure of the Chair of JBGIS
The meeting thanked Prof William Cartwright, immediate Past
President of ICA for ably chairing JBGIS and representing JBGIS at UNCE-GGIM
for the past one year. The meeting was of the consensus that he should
remain as the Chair for a further one-year. This had the agreement of the
current ICA President and FIG congratulates and looks towards working with
Prof. William Cartwright in the coming year.
Venue of the Next Meeting
In line with JBGIS aim of having it’s annual meeting attached to a member
organizations event each year, it was agreed that the 2013 edition of the
JBGIS meeting be held at Potsdam, Germany on the eve of the Congress of the
International Association of Geodesy, who are celebrating its 150th
anniversary during this period.
CheeHai Teo
FIG President
September 2012
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Members of the JBGIS from L to R: FIG President; Prof.
William
Cartwright, Chair JBGIS; Prof. Georg Gartner, President
ICA, Mark Cygan, President IMIA; Prof. Tony Milne,
IEEE-GRSS; Prof. Chris Rizos, President IAG; Prof. Abbas
Rajabifard, Immediate Past President GSDI, Prof. Chen Jun,
Secretary General ISPRS |
26 September 2012
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