Article of the Month - August 2021

FIG e-Working Week 2021 Keynote:
Integrated geospatial information for transformational change

Greg Scott, Rosamond Carter Bing and Anders Sandin

Instead of a paper we would like to share with you a series of video recordings from the keynote sessions of FIG e-Working Week 2021.

In this recording that is offered to you in this "Video of the Month Series" Greg Scott and Rosamond Carter Bing talk with Anders Sandin about the UN-GGIM Integrated Geospatial Information Framework - IGIF.

The Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) was adopted in 2020, and provides a basis and guide for developing, integrating, strengthening and maximizing geospatial information management and related resources. The IGIF focuses on location information and are important for a nation's development priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. The purpose of the session is to present the current status of the development of IGIF, and what steps and actions are needed by member states for the implementation of IGIF.

FIG has an interest to encourage the implementation and creation of country level action plans and hopes with this session and recording to inform about the ideas behind IGIF and its current status, and also to inspire the implementation of IGIF at a national level. FIG would like to encourage that experiences and best practice on the plementation of IGIF will be shared among countries.

The session took place on Tuesday 22 June 2021 and duration of the video is 1½ hours.

Watch and be inspired by the keynote session here:

https://youtu.be/93o52KY1FR0

About the keynote speakers

Greg Scott, Inter-Regional Advisor, UN-GGIM Environment Statistics and Geospatial Information Branch United Nations Statistics Division Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Greg Scott joined the United Nations Statistics Division in 2012 with the specific task of establishing the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) and growing its relevance and status with Member States and related International Organizations involved in national, regional and global geospatial information management. In his role as Secretariat, Greg provides strategic policy advice and leadership, and guides the development, coordination and implementation of the substantive content for the Committee of Experts.

Greg previously spent 25 years in Geoscience Australia in several key roles delivering Australia’s national topographic mapping and derivative geospatial programs, and providing independent scientific analysis and advice in the use of geospatial information for environmental management, emergency management, and critical infrastructure protection. Greg possesses formal qualifications in Cartography and Survey Mapping from New Zealand, a Graduate Diploma in Geography from the Australian National University, and a PhD in Geomatics Engineering from the University of Melbourne.

Rosamond Carter Bing, Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga

In her role as Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Bing is responsible for the executive oversight of six divisions – leadership and policy, land administration, surveying is responsible for the executive oversight of six divisions – leadership and policy, corporate services, land administration, survey services, natural resources, land and geographical information systems and the national spatial planning office.
Ms. Bing is the current Chairperson of the Pacific Geospatial and Surveying Council, a Co-Chair of the Extended Bureau of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management and a board member of the UNGGIM Asia Pacific Extended Bureau. She is also a member of the UNGGIM’s working group on land administration and management and the expert group on legal and policy frameworks.

Ms. Bing’s interests are in constitutional and administrative law and natural resources management.

Anders Sandin, Director, Lantmäteriet The Swedish mapping cadastral and land registration authority

Anders Sandin is managing the Geodata Division within Lantmäteriet. This involves managing the cooperation between Lantmäteriet as the main government body and the Swedish municipalities at the local level. The division also has the overall responsibility of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure NSDI and the contribution to the Swedish implementation of INSPIRE. Mr. Sandin is an advisor to the chairman of the Swedish Geodata Advisory Board. Mr Sandin has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Gävle.

On an international level Mr. Sandin has been representing Sweden and Lantmäteriet in the establishment of the United Nations initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM): Europe. He has also been engaged in the work with UN-GGIM since 2013 on a global level, and as member of the Working Group on Geospatial Information and Services for Disasters since it was established. He has also been engaged in the work with Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF) and he is now one of the co-chairs in the UN-GGIM High Level Group IGIF.