DIGITAL EARTH AFRICA CONTRIBUTION :

HOLISTIC GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION VISION FOR AFRICA

ANDRE NONGUIERMAGEOSPATIAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SECTIONU N I T E D NAT I O N S E C O N O M I C C O M M I S S I O N F O R A F R I C A

D I G I TA L E A R T H A F R I C A DAY – N A I R O B I , K E N YA – 1 2 AU G U S T 2 0 1 9

Cooperative, Multi-stakeholder Approach to Production, Management, and Dissemination of Spatially-enabled Data, Information and Services

OUTLINES…UN-GGIM ContextAt its July 2011 substantive session, following extensive consultation with geospatial experts of Member States, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) considered the report of the Secretary General (E/2011/89) and adopted a resolution to create the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (2011/24). http://ggim.un.org/about.html. The United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) initiative was established to create a formal geospatial information coordination mechanism involving Member States as the key stakeholders..

Why we need Geography?The Policy Drivers : Global Need for Spatially-Enabled Complex InformationEverything that happens, happens somewhere over space and time80% of all human decisions involve a “Where?” question You cannot count what you cannot locateLocation affects nearly everything we do in life.

UN-GGIM : African Holistic Geospatial information VisionCoordinated approach for cooperative management of geospatial information that adopts common regional standards, frameworks and toolsManagement of global geospatial information to address key global challenges including Sustainable development, climate change, disaster management, peace and security, and environmental stressesIntergovernmental Process where the Member States play the key roles with partners and other regional initiatives

.Geography Nexus IssuesAvailabilityFinding the appropriate information at the required time and at the relevant scale of aggregation.AccessibilityEven where information is available, it may not be easily accessible, either because of the lack of technology for effective access or because of associated costsTransformabilityThere is a general lack of infrastructure capacities for the collection and assessment of data, for their transformation into useful information and for their dissemination. GovernanceThere is also need for improved coordination among environmental, demographic, social and developmental data information, applications and services.

Way Forward

.. Policy : Institutional mechanisms aligned with national efforts, while taking into account international perspectives Data democracy : Ubiquitous availability of relevant spatial data/information as common goods. Adhering to agreed standards : metadata, data models, encoding, interoperabilityPeople : High Level Education to empower African youth in geospatial science and technology culture at all education levels (schools, universities)

Key PillarsKey PillarsSDI : Frameworks with related policies & structuresFDS : Fundamental Geospatial DatasetsAFREF : African Geodetic Reference FrameSALB : Second Administrative Level BoundariesGeoNyms : Geographic NamesGeo-Stats : Locate & Count

PROBLEM STATEMENT : POLICY DRIVERS

Countries have expressed a need for better access and capacity for applying geospatial information to national priorities, in relation to national development objectives and the SDGs.

All the required information for regional priorities would not be complete without the location. They need to be localized.

They all need to answer “where” questions from a regional perspective

Global Need for Spatially-Enabled Complex Information

GEOSPATIAL CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

NEED FOR COORDINATED APPROACHHolistic Geospatial information Vision

Coordinated approach for cooperative management of geospatial information that adopts common regional standards, frameworks and tools

Management of spatially-enabled data, information and services to address key global challenges including Sustainable development, climate change, disaster management, peace and security, and environmental stresses

Intergovernmental Process where the Member States play the key role.

UN-GGIM: AfricaPeople

Policy

Data

FOCUS AREAS

• Engendering and facilitating linkages with international programs and initiatives

• Developing enabling environments : fundamental datasets, standards, e-Services

• Fostering spatial literacy, spatial awareness. Promoting infrastructural capabilities

•

• Establisihingoverarching governance mechanism to coordinate geoinformation activities Policies

and Governance

Capacities and

Capabilities

Partnerships and

Cooperation

Technicalities and

Frameworks

KEY PILLARS

SDI

Frameworks with related policies & structures

African action Plan : Published.

African Geospatial Policies: dimensions of

geospatial overarching policies for Africa –Editing underway

Standards

Standardization and Interoperability

Development of a guiding document on

key geospatial standards for Africa –

Editing underway

FDSFundamental Geospatial

Datasets

Contribution to UN-GGIM Working Group on FDS

Development of Policies Guidelines on Standards

for AfricaImplementation of the

Digital Earth Africa initiative

AFREF

African Geodetic Reference Frame

Organization of the 2nd Meeting of the AFRFE

Working GroupStrategy for revamping the

programme – Editing underway

SALBSecond

Administrative Level

Boundaries

Data received from only 4 countries

GeoNyms

Geographic Names

Revamping the Standard Web-

based application

GeoStats

Linking NSDI and NSDS

Mainstreaming GIS in NSOs

LOGIC OF INTERVENTIONThe African Action Plan (AAP-Gi4SD), is the implementation tool of the United Nations initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa.

It focuses on five key strategic areas.

Each focus area is set out in detail with specific objectives, expected results, estimated budget figures and related activities.

The Action Plan requires a total provisional budget of $154,300,000.

African Action Plan on Geospatial Information for Sustainable Development (AAP-Gi4SD) : $154,300,000

Policy and Governance $3,090,000

Common frameworks, Fundamental Datasets,

Tools, standards and services: $132,086,000

Capacities development:

$14,100,000

International Coordination and

Cooperation in Meeting Global Needs: $90,000

integration of geospatial and statistical

information: $5,023,000

LINKING UN-GGIM AND DIGITAL EARTH…Geospatial Information for Sustainable Development (Gi4SD) in AfricaCollective approach in addressing information needs for key global challenges

Informed decisions

Common Tools

Multi-stakeholder Strategies

Standards

TrainingCapacities

High Level Education

Spatial awareness

Data

Core thematic

Open and Free

NetworksPartnershipsRegional Collaboration

Strategy

Coordinated process that adopts common regional standards, frameworks and tools

Addressing key global challenges including Sustainable development, climate change, disaster management, peace and security, and environmental stresses

AREAS OF SYNERGIES

PolicyInstitutional mechanisms aligned with continental

and national effortsStrengthening

prevailing networks

PeopleHolistic Capacity

Development. Empower African

youth in GiST cultureTransfer of related

applicable technology to Africa

DataUbiquitous

availability of relevant spatial

data/information as common goods.

Adhering to agreed standards and interoperability:

metadata, models..

QUICK WIN #1 : MAPPING AFRICA (MAFA)

Digital Earth Africa can advance UN-GGIM: Africa efforts to build :Purpose-oriented datasetsStructured and comprehensive data foundation that would be consistent, comparable and compatible at the local, national, regional, and global levels.

QUICK WIN #2 : GEOGRAPHIES FOR STATISTICS

Common Geographies Updating and sharing common

administrative boundaries

Responding to the SDG Building, Holistic, Active, All-

inclusive Information

Enriching statistical data

2020 Round of Censuses Fostering geospatially-enabled

censuses.

Building geo-referenced dwelling frames

Admin. Registers People Businesses

Location

Geo-coding

Samplesurvey data Census data

Earth Observation

Stat

istic

al In

dica

tors

Map

sG

eo-V

isua

lizat

ions

Other sources of data

Primary statistical registers

Fundamental Geospatial Themes

Statistical-Geospatial Integration

OUTSTANDING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

1. Programmatic

Is Digital Earth Africa important for Africa?

How do we ensure that DEA is implemented to

its fullest potential?

Does it serve Africa interests?

How do we link DEA with the society day-to-

day delivery of services, decisions.

2. Management

Ownership: Where are the African National

Space Agencies?Who can lead the

initiative?

Synergy: What Collaboration and

Partnerships to put in place

3. Sustainability

What are the Financial Appropriation Mechanisms?

How do engender the political buy-in and

support

DEA HOSTING ENGAGEMENT

Addis AbabaGetting to know Digital Earth AfricaMeeting at ECA

Addis AbabaReview of ECA capabilities and facilities

Addis AbabaInstitutional Hosting

Addis AbabaFilling of the assessment questionnaire

08-2018New YorkInitial Discussions with UN-GGIM:Africa

03-2019Addis AbabaFunding Launch

01-2019

12-2018

11-2018

09-2018

09-2019

Addis AbabaMemorandum of Understanding

03-2019

Addis AbabaSignature MoU

REFERENCEThe African Action Plan :

English: www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/PublicationFiles/un-ggim_-_geospatial_information_for_sustainable_development_in_africa-20171115.pdf

French :www.uneca.org/sites/default/files/PublicationFiles/geospatial_information_for_sustainable_development_in_africa_fre-20171115.pdf