GSDI Board teleconference

Tools needed for a global teleconference: line phone, timer and the agenda with background documents. Image: HUNAGI Visuals Resource, 2006

GSDI Board teleconference held on 8th August
HUNAGI representative participated the teleconference chaired by President Prof. Harlan Onsrud yesterday. The topics discussed included the wide variety of activities and official GSDI representation e.g. at the GEOSS Workshop in Brazil, the Spatial Society Research Summit in Banff, Canada, and CEOS-WGISS to be held in Annapolis,Md. Further events include the GSDI/FIG Session at the 2006 FIG Congress in Munich and the UNSDI GeoNetwork global partners' meeting (postponed to February 2007).
In the successful GSDI Small Grants Programme one of the beneficiary was the academic Institute of Bottany, Vácrátót, Hungary, member of HUNAGI.
The major action-related topic of the teleconference was the promising development of the GSDI9 Conference will be held in Santiago de Chile. The programme is available at www.gsdi9.cl Invited keynote speakers include Maryvonne Plessis-Fraissard, Director of Transportation and Urban Development Department of World Bank, Jack Dangermond, President of ESRI, Ben Eazzetta, President of Intergraph Security, Government ad Infrastructure as well as Ivan Deloatch, Director, US Federal Geographic Data Committee. The Conference's motto is "Spatial Information: Tool for reducing poverty". The known figures are attractive: 38 technical sessions, 10 workshops, 6 regional roundtables and 6 technical committee meetings will enhance the GSDI9 Conference and Exhibition program. The session dedicated to FIG/GSDI will deal with "Spatially enabled Land Administration" . FIG, FAO, EuroGeographics, EUROGI will be well represented. INSPIRE will be presented by Max Craglia and Alessandro Annoni of the DG JRC , European Commission. A paper entitled "Economic, societal and environmental benefits of Spatial InformationInterest Communities" written by the Secretary Generals of EUROGI and HUNAGI (Joao Geirinhas and Gabor Remetey respectively) was accepted for oral presentation, while the Convenor of EUROGI WAG on International Affairs, Bruce McCormack will deliver a presentation on "European Role in Global Poverty Reduction with particular reference to Aid Programmes - A GI Perspective.