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Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure Community Discusses Development & Spatial Enablement Of Government Services
Published Oct 7, 2012
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The Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Center (ADSIC) has organized a regular meeting of the Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure (AD-SDI) community. As one of the key initiatives of the Abu Dhabi e-government program, AD-SDI facilitates the exchange of spatial data between government agencies and other stakeholders. Since the inception of AD-SDI in 2007, its community members have been committed to periodically discussing the program’s current status and latest developments and achievements, in addition to identifying activities and initiatives that should be implemented for its further development.
The latest meeting was held recently and was attended by nearly 100 representatives from 52 entities representing AD-SDI’s membership. Achieving further progress and growth in Government services and enabling them spatially topped the agenda of the sessions held in Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Abdulkarim Al Raeesi, ADSIC’s Director of Strategy and Planning, began the proceedings by welcoming the attendees and commending their efforts, which he said has positioned the program at par with global best practices in the geospatial field. He stressed both the importance of the meeting and the key roles of the attendees as pillars of the program. He also welcomed AD-SDI’s new community members, the Abu Dhabi Retirement Pensions and Benefits Fund and the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs.
“AD-SDI is not just another technology program, it is a blueprint for Abu Dhabi’s future growth. Its success hinges on the cooperation of its members towards our desired end, which is why we are pleased with today’s excellent turnout and the strong show of support for this very important government initiative. At this stage, our focus will be on how AD-SDI will make the emirate’s dream of geospatially-enabled growth a reality,” said Abdulkarim Al Raeesi.
During the morning session, Mr. Khaled Al Sheikh, AD-SDI’s Entity Liaison Manager, talked about the ‘What, Why and How’ of Government Services Transformation. He also recounted AD-SDI’s Master Plan, the alignment of the program’s Data Projects, and the Working Groups involved for 2012. The Technical Team then took over and presented the technical aspects, achievements and plans of the program.
“Some of the best technologies and practices in the GIS domain have been incorporated into AD-SDI to make it one of the most comprehensive ICT developments of its kind in the region. But we do understand that constant excellence requires constant efforts, which is why we continue to search for better ways to enhance the various systems and solutions embedded into the program. We also appreciate the value of strategic partnerships, which is why we are eager to expand our local, regional and international affiliations and come up with a meaningful MoU with ESRI, one of the GIS industry’s leading experts,” added Khaled Al Sheikh.
Details on the upcoming ESRI User Conference Middle East & Africa 2012 taking place in Abu Dhabi this December were presented as well.
The afternoon session that followed centered on updates on the latest projects and initiatives undertaken by AD-SDI’s community members. The Abu Dhabi Police, represented by the GIS Security Center, discussed how experience and capabilities can overcome various challenges. It also underscored the importance of full cooperation among AD-SDI members to ensure the optimal use of spatial data. The Abu Dhabi Municipality then presented the development status of its basemap project.
The Abu Dhabi Education Council also discussed some geospatial applications and their use in the Council’s planning processes as well how to take advantage of such applications and share them with the AD-SDI community.
For its part, Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi talked about the development of a roadmap for the GIS Center being undertaken in collaboration with ADSIC.
Several other matters related to AD-SDI and views and proposals on developing the program moving forward were tackled..
Since its inception in 2007, AD-SDI has been geared towards the attainment of the highest levels of geospatial maturity in Abu Dhabi via the provisioning of free and high-quality access to electronic geospatial information and services to government, corporate and individual entities. By effectively managing the collection, use and exchange of geospatial data and related services, AD-SDI prevents data duplicity and project repetition, enhances coordination among its diverse stakeholders, and facilitates efficient decision-making. ADSIC, the steward of AD-SDI, looks to achieve these objectives through advanced competencies, customer-centric approaches, excellence, creativity, sustainability, teamwork and transparency.
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VMD - [Virtual Marketing Department]
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