NAME OF REGION: ASIAN AND THE PACIFIC
Name of Respondent Supplying Information: Dato’ Abdul Majid bin Mahomed
Title: President Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP).
Mailing Address: PCGIAP Executive Officer, c/o AUSLIG PO Box 2, Belconnen ACT 2616 AUSTRALIA
Telephone Number: +61 2 6201 4267
Fax Number: +61 2 6201 4366
E-mail Address: permcom@auslig.gov.au
http://www.permcom.apgis.gov.au/
Does your region have an active or proposed initiative for developing a regional spatial data infrastructure (or its equivalent).
Yes

The Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP) was established pursuant to Resolution 16 of the 13th triennial meeting of the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific (UNRCC-AP) held in Beijing, May 1994. PCGIAP operates under, and reports to, the UNRCC-AP.

Membership comprises directorates of national survey and mapping organisations and equivalent national agencies of the nations from Asia and the Pacific. Each nation nominates a single representative but may invite experts to meetings as advisors. There are 55 member nations of the PCGIAP as defined by the United Nations.

PCGIAP meets annually and has an Executive Board of representatives from nine key member nations with projects being carried out by working groups.

The aims of the PCGIAP are to:

maximise the economic, social and environmental benefits of geographic information in accordance with Agenda 21 by providing a forum for the 55 members nations across the region to cooperate in the development of the Asia and the Pacific Spatial Data (or GIS) Infrastructure (APSDI) and contribute to the development of the global infrastructure.

**** POLICY ISSUES ****
LEADERSHIP: Which agency or organization is coordinating or leading spatial data infrastructure (SDI) development efforts in your region? (If no single agency is coordinating, please provide a primary point of contact from whom we may learn more.)

In the Asia and the Pacific region, the PCGIAP has taken lead responsibility for coordinating the development and implementation of the Asia and the Pacific Spatial Data Infrastructure (APSDI).

Contact Details
Agency/Organization Name: c/o AUSLIG
Mailing Address: PO Box 2, Belconnen, ACT 2616 AUSTRALIA
Telephone Number: +61 2 6201 4267
Fax Number: +61 2 6201 4366
E-mail Address: permcom@auslig.gov.au
URL: http://www.permcom.apgis.gov.au/
Name of Primary Contact Person: Bob Irwin, PCGIAP Executive Officer
AVAILABILITY: What are the primary types, categories or forms of spatial digital data being made available through your region's SDI?

At the current stage of development PCGIAP is identifying a range of fundamental data sets which in the future could be covered by PCGIAP policies. The core fundamental datasets may include geodetic control, geographical place names, topographic/hydrographic features, and major administrative boundaries (ie. country boundaries). Other administrative boundary/cadastral data is not expected to initially from part of the APSDI as member countries’ cadastral systems are quite varied and in many cases are in vastly different levels of development.
MECHANICS OF ACCESS: Through what technical and organizational mechanisms are spatial data being made available through the APSDI?

PCGIAP plans to establish a network of APSDI data nodes to distribute, manage and maintain fundamental data. These data nodes should also be responsible for metadata records.
LEGAL AND ECONOMIC FRAMEWORKS FOR ACCESS: What are the legal and economic constraints under which citizens, businesses or others may gain access to data available through the APSDI?

There is a broad range of legislative and administrative principles and policies operating within PCGIAP member countries. However, to establish common arrangements that would enable ready access to data for regional applications, PCGIAP aims to achieve agreement on simple and workable principles and policies.
Legislative and administrative principles and policies would not be framed until member countries’ policies related to specific datasets at resolutions suitable for regional applications are better known.
Issues such as regulations, security, financial limitations, and programme conflicts may be impediments to sharing data, reinforcing the value of developing agreed common principles and policies.
Agreement on common legislative and administrative principles and policies, and their acceptance under the institutional arrangements of the APSDI, will help member countries that do not currently have such principles and policies in place.
DATA COLLECTION COORDINATION: What parties are involved in collecting data for the APSDI and how is data collection coordinated?

Fundamental datasets in the APSDI are the responsibility of PCGIAP member countries. PCGIAP has established working groups for Regional Geodesy and for Regional Fundamental Data to determine and propose mechanisms for the coordination of data collection at the regional level.
PRICING: If charges are assessed for spatial data made available through the APSDI, what is the basis or method for determining the price of various forms of spatial data?

PCGIAP has not developed a policy on charging for spatial data however for regional applications, regional fundamental data is expected to be subject only to the cost of transfer.

Within the broad range of legislative and administrative principles and policies operating within PCGIAP member countries, there is a variety of regulations, security, and financial limitations in place.
COMMERCIAL INVOLVEMENT: Please describe how private commercial firms are involved in helping to build the APSDI.

The private sector is involved in a number of ways in the development of the APSDI. Firstly, it acquires data under contract to a number of government agencies in PCGIAP member countries. In some countries industry has expressed support for SDI concepts. PCGIAP expects that by improving the access to regional fundamental data there will be a stimulus to the spatial data industry.

The private sector may also be invited to participate in SDI development projects and seminars that are being identified by a PCGIAP Development Needs Taskforce.
PUBLIC DOMAIN DATA SETS: Please describe those digital spatial data sets for countries within your region that are available to anyone without any licensing or intellectual property restrictions imposed on the data sets and the data sets are available at no cost or little cost. How may copies be acquired of these public domain data sets?

Yet to be determined by PCGIAP.
PUBLIC GOODS ASPECTS OF regional SDI: Please describe any additional services or goods provided by government in support of the APSDI for which individual users are not charged.
Data documentation and publications are expected to be made freely available, including over the Internet.
PRIVACY: Please describe how the information privacy of individual citizens is protected relative to data that may be accessed through the APSDI.

Matter not yet addressed by PCGIAP. However privacy laws exist in a number of member countries.
**** OPERATIONAL ISSUES ****
AUTHORITY: Do the laws or formal orders of any legislative or executive branches of government explicitly recognize the need to establish or further develop the APSDI?

UNRCC-AP recognised the need for a regional SDI and recommended its implementation as part of Resolution 16 of its 13th meeting held in Beijing, May 1994.
FUNDING: Have funds been specifically budgeted and acquired for APSDI activities?

Each country normally funds its own involvement. AUSLIG acquired a small grant from an Australian international S&T funding programme to conduct a regional geodesy workshop of PCGIAP in 1998. Additional funds will be sought from international aid and other agencies to help support PCGIAP activities, in particular for development needs projects identifed by the PCGIAP Taskforce.
INCLUSIVENESS: Please describe the types and extent of participants involved in building the APSDI and their roles.

Previously described. In summary, development of the APSDI requires the cooperation and commitment of the member countries to be successful.
COMPONENTS: Please indicate whether the vision of a SDI for your region incorporates the following components or concepts.

A. METADATA YES
B. CLEARINGHOUSE YES
C. DATA STANDARDS YES
D. CORE DATA YES
RESEARCH: Have funds been specifically budgeted and spent on research projects to advance APSDI concepts?

No specific funding on research. Costs of working group activities, including research, normally covered by members. However as previously indicated, external funds being sought for PCGIAP activities.
LINKAGE TO GENERAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS - Which international or national information and communication technology standards has the APSDI adopted?

No information and communication technology standards formally adopted for APSDI. However PCGIAP pays particular attention to standards development in
ISO TC 211 and the Global Map project.
PCGIAP has a web site at: http://www.permcom.apgis.gov.au/
GLOBAL SPATIAL DATASETS: Does your SDI provide access to spatial datasets with global coverage.

Currently NO. However PCGIAP is working closely with the Global Map initiative and the developing GSDI model.
GLOBAL OR REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INITIATIVES: Is your SDI formally affiliated with or connected to any global or regional spatial data infrastructure initiatives?

Yes, it is the regional SDI for Asia and the Pacific - the APSDI. PCGIAP also has close links with global and other regional SDI developments.

PCGIAP is hosting the third Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference (GSDI3) in Canberra Australia from 17-19 November 1998.
LONG TERM VISION OR STRATEGIC PLAN: Has a long term vision statement or stategic plan been developed for your region's SDI?

PCGIAP has recently published:

PCGIAP Publication No.1
A Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Asia and the Pacific Region.

Publication No.1 contains PCGIAP's definition of the APSDI and outlines the Committee's vision with this regional initiative. PCGIAP welcomes comments on this document.

Publication No.1 can be found on the PCGIAP Web site at:
http://www.permcom.apgis.gov.au/
along with other information about PCGIAP’s plans and future directions.
GRAND CHALLEGES: Name one of the most pressing challenges for SDI development in your region.

Ongoing participation of PCGIAP’s member countries and availability of funding support.
FURTHER INFORMATION:

If a WEB SITE exists where information about SDI efforts in your region may be found in the future, please provide the web site address.

http://www.permcom.apgis.gov.au/
If brochures or other written materials exist describing SDI efforts in your region, please provide an address for requesting copies of these materials.

Refer to PCGIAP web address for information.

If a user requirements analysis or cost-benefits analysis was undertaken to estimate the benefits of building a spatial data infrastructure for your region, please provide an address for requesting a copy.

Nil. However reference has been made to the cost benefit analysis study commissioned in 1995 by the Australia New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC), titled:
“The Australian Land and Geographic Data Infrastructure Benefits Study”.