Organizer(s): UN-GGIM: Europe EuroGeographics National Geographic Institute Belgium
Description: At its Thirteenth Session, the Committee of Experts welcomed the report of the Working Group on Policy and Legal Frameworks for Geospatial Information Management and its continuing efforts to address the Committee's issues related to authoritative data. The Committee also appreciated the efforts of the Working Group to engage and collaborate with other functional groups and key partners of the Committee of Experts and to promote and raise awareness on the importance of sound and robust policy and legal frameworks for achieving the societal, environmental, and economic benefits from geospatial information management. The Committee endorsed the paper entitled "Authoritative data in an evolving geospatial landscape: an exploration of policy and legal challenges", intended as a policy and legal guide to help national geospatial entities to better produce, sustain and govern the use of geospatial information that is deemed authoritative and trusted. The paper promotes the concept of a continuum of "Control versus Trust" (figure below) when considering authoritative data governance framework according to national circumstances. Given the increasing global challenges and the related need for reliable data, the Committee acknowledged the Working Group's planned exploration of fit-for-purpose authoritative geospatial data and applications in crises and disasters is timely. The Committee of Experts further noted the convening of the next expert meeting of the Working Group in Belgium in February 2024 in partnership with the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Regional Committee for Europe (UN-GGIM: Europe) and EuroGeographics, to be held back-to-back with the EuroGeographics Policy Knowledge Exchange Network (POLKEN) to maximize the participation of and input from Member States, relevant stakeholders, and policymakers. The Second expert meeting of the Working Group on Policy and Legal Frameworks on Geospatial Information Management is hosted by the Nationaal Geografisch Instituut (National Geographic Institute) of Belgium in partnership with the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management Regional Committee for Europe (UN-GGIM: Europe) and EuroGeographics. The second expert meeting will be held back-to-back with the meeting of EuroGeographics's Policy Knowledge Exchange Network to maximize the participation of and input from Member States, relevant stakeholders, and policymakers. This second expert meeting will also incorporate the workshop on "Fit-for-purpose authoritative geospatial data for crisis".
