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Information infrastructure is a pre-requisite for development agenda - Prof. Ranjith Premalal De Silva

By Ranga CHANDRARATHNE

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) organised an Expert Group Meeting on Geo-Reference Disaster Risk Management Information System in Asia-Pacific Region recently at the UN regional office in Bangkok.

Prof. Ranjith Premalal De Silva

Prof. Ranjith Premalal De Silva,Vice Chancellor of the Uva Wellassa University was the single member delegation representing Sri Lanka who participated in the meeting. The Sunday Observer exclusively interviewed Prof. De Silva on the benefits of regional and national initiatives supporting disaster risk management.

Question: Can you brief the readers about the objectives of the UNESCAP Expert Group meeting held in Bangkok recently.

Answer: The main focus of the expert meeting was the 'Improvement of Disaster Risk Preparedness in the ESCAP Region' through developing mechanisms for sharing data and information in real time or near real time.

The expert committee is supposed to support a regional initiative by ESCAP strengthening the Government is capacity to use standardised statistical and geographic information which has been a major stumbling block for the implementation of successful disaster preparedness programs in the region. The meeting was attended by experts of 23 member countries of the UN in the Asia and Pacific and also representatives of UN bodies such as UNCCD, UNDP, UNISDR, UNOCHA, UNOOSA, and the representatives from intergovernmental organisations of JAXA, ICIMOD, SPC, AIT and ADPC.

Access to data

It was agreed that access to digital geographical information or spatial data is imperative to support the development initiatives. It was also understood that with increasing populations, expanding economies and changing natural environments, governments tend to increasingly rely on geographical information for applications such as environmental planning and conservation, utility management, resource allocation, public health projects, agricultural production schemes, human resource management and disaster management. In other words, information infrastructure is a pre-requisite for any development agenda.

The focal point for discussion was the inability for one agency or a project to compile all the required geographical information or spatial data from the diverse sources to develop a single spatial database. This is the point where we realise the need for a national strategy to deal with spatial data.

Such a national strategy should be supported through a regional mechanism to reach a uniformity in its approach so that a regional initiative for compilation of national data would no longer be a distant reality.

Such a national strategy, which supports ready access to geographical information, is commonly called a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).

Q: Can you elaborate and explain the concept of national spatial data infrastructure?

A: The first formal definition of the term 'National Spatial Data Infrastructure' was presented in the US and it states that National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) means the technology, policies, standards, and human resources necessary to acquire process, store, distribute, and improve utilisation of geospatial data.

Another definition states that Spatial Data Infrastructure encompasses the data sources, systems, linkages, processes, standards and institutional arrangements involved in delivering spatially-related information (both commercially and publicly held) to the widest possible group of potential users. In summary, NSDI would provide solutions to a number of spatial data problems that exist in the spatial data user community.

Activities

Implementing NSDI involves a wide range of activities, including technical matters such as data, technologies, standards and delivery mechanisms and also institutional matters related to organisational responsibilities and policies. It also requires financial and institutional resources. Several national initiatives are already under way in developing regions but most countries still lack a national framework to ensure that geographic information is consistent, available, and affordable.

The political support that enables smooth development of NSDI is seldom seen initially. However, it is nonetheless possible to pursue individual NSDI activities when and where opportunities arise. To understand why setting for new broad strategies on the national political agenda and pursuing their implementation is so difficult, a deeper understanding of the activities is needed.

We need to understand what factors need to be considered in promoting and implementing broad national strategies. A regional initiative with support from strong professional assembly such as ESCAP expert group is of immense value in this vital endeavour.

Benefits

Q: In addition to the Government and decision makers, would you detail the benefits the public can derive from such an initiative?

A: Most of our spatial data are collected by government institutions utilising public funds. Therefore, the public should have a right of access to the data and information. In the past, some of the Government departments and institutions denied the public to have any information from their data archives.

Data were not released even for a research project. Because of the restrictions, those who hold the data had the opportunity of demanding lucrative business deals from global and regional level institutions. National Data Infrastructure could introduce regulations regarding the public domain data and information and also the policies related to the ownership of the data.

Copyright issues of the digital data are not given due consideration in our society. In general, the public is not aware of the value of respecting the ownership of a product to continue innovations and new developments.

Expert Group Meeting on Geo-Reference Disaster Risk Management Information System in Asia-Pacific Region held in Thailand

Also the quality of our data and information products is of very little concern. When a map is produced from the computer, most of us believe it is totally correct.

In spatial data processing through Geographical Information Systems (GIS) each processing algorithm introduces an element of error into the spatial boundaries irrespective of the data model used.

Indiscriminate processing steps would undoubtedly introduce significant variability of error both in terms of spatial and attribute accuracies. Conversion of analogue data to digital form also involves errors.

However, accuracy and precision are normally ignored or not considered as important issues as we do not have a data standardisation policy in Sri Lanka.

This problem is common to most of the developing nations as discussed at the UN ESCAP Expert Group Meeting. The issues of standardisation can be very contentious because scientists tend to draw up their own standards for specific tasks. Bringing all these ideas to a commonly agreed standard requires a great deal of interaction and discussion to iron out the issues. Standardizations may require some amount of data restructuring and it was agreed that having a well established NSDI would therefore undoubtedly address the issue.

Q: According to your explanation, the real market value has not been assigned to digital data in society today. Would you further clarify this issue?

A: The generation of digital spatial data such as cadastral data, land use data, topographic data, is extremely difficult and costly. Maintenance of up-to-date dynamic digital spatial databases is very much restricted due to resource constraints and the limitations of technological sophistication available at individual institutions.

In this situation, it is of utmost important to pool and share the resources available.

Processes of data sharing should be facilitated among various institutions to utilise these data for national planning and development endeavors.

In addition, an approach should be introduced to regularise the data sharing mechanisms. This would add value to the digital data and significantly improve the affordability status of the data.

Most of the spatial data are archived and distributed in the original form and value addition is hardly seen in the local industry today. There is a tremendous potential for value addition of spatial data products so as to provide the information for a larger group of society.

Our corporate sector has not really explored the potential of developing value added products from spatial data. Development of well planned spatial data industry would undoubtedly add momentum to the economic growth of the country. In addition, development of customised software solutions will have tremendous business opportunities.

Preservation

Most of our invaluable historical spatial data are still in paper form and the preservation of paper products is not practical and durable in view of the tropical environmental conditions of the country and the ignorance of the people about the value of the data. Therefore, measures need to be taken to archive the historical spatial data from the paper based records into digital spatial data libraries.

Q: What are the other areas where regional initiative such as ESCAP could assist the respective governments ?

A: Acquisition and distribution of the satellite data at proper spatial and temporal resolutions is another area where the regional initiative and guidance could make a significant impact in national economies. Satellite data are a very useful dynamic data source for spatial data. Non-availability of satellite data hampers development initiatives.

Defense

Even in the defence sectors, the value of updated satellite information is outstanding. A considerable budget is allocated for the data purchases from the public funds.

Recent satellite data are very costly and for procuring them are mechanisms. There should be a procedure to coordinate among the satellite data users and acquire one set of imagery for the country and share it among the entire user community.

The establishment of a coherent body as the sole authority to deal with satellite data procurement and distribution in the country is mandatory today. This central coordination body can perhaps be named as the National Remote Sensing Data Archive Centre or National Remote Sensing Centre and could be an integral part of NSDI.

Q: Do we have the competent human resource to undertake a national programme such as NSDI

A: Although we have in-house professional capacity to undertake the initiative immediately in Sri Lanka, it is understood that the training and education needs of the spatial data sector have not been addressed properly by the institutions mandated to design and develop educational and training programs. Under the ESCAP initiative, it is intended to conduct a series of training programs specifically aimed at disaster management.

In general, the attitudinal changes of the society required to implement spatial data management strategies should be facilitated through the delivery of proper awareness programmes. The relevant education curricula need to be developed to support formal education in this sector. The concepts of data sharing and exchange should be emphasized in the educational and training curricula. Some of the educational establishments offer very poor quality educational programmes and hence confuse the ideologies of trainees on the usefulness and application potentials of these concepts and work programmes. It is timely for the education authorities to evaluate the relevant education and experience of the educators and introduce quality accreditation criteria to evaluate the course offered in the country.

E-learning opportunities in the sector need to be promoted as there are several virtual campuses available with a wide spectrum of education and training opportunities. The ESCAP programs can be linked with ICTA e-government initiatives and the collaboration can open new avenues for spatial data use in Sri Lanka.