Keynote and Featured Speakers ... more coming
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Jose Achache, Director, GEO Secretariat Geneva
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Santiago Borrero, Secretary General, Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH/ IPGH)
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Dorine Burmanje, Chair of the Executive Board, Dutch Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency
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Robert Chen, Director, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and Secretary General, CODATA, International Council for Science
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Jacqueline Cramer, Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment
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Denise Lievesley, Head of School, King's College London |
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John McLaughlin, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of New Brunswick
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The Honorable Gary Nairn, Former Special Minister of State, Australia
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Janez Potocnik, European Commissioner for Science and Research (tentative commitment) |
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Mark Reichardt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC)
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Pirkko Saarikivi, Managing Director, Foreca Consulting Ltd. |
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Cees Veerman, Chairman Delta Commission and Former Netherlands Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
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"Since 2005, 140 nations and international organizations, assembled in the Group on Earth Observations, or GEO, are interlinking all the planet's monitoring systems into a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). GEOSS consists of satellites, ocean buoys and land-based instruments that are tracking geophysical parameters, and modeling and forecasting capabilities needed to understand and manage the Earth system. Such a reinforced environmental intelligence gives us the ability to measure and understand ongoing changes, to assess impacts and to better predict future evolutions. This system is generating vast quantities of data and analyses about the earth system. GEOSS promises to become a geo-spatial public infrastructure that will underpin economic development in the same way transport and communications infrastructures supported economic growth in earlier eras." 
"At the global level but, particularly, in the case of the Developing Nations, the building of sound spatial data infrastructures is a prerequisite to attain the UN Millennium Development Goals. Beyond the current incorporation of technology and the production of digital data, spatial information should perform properly everywhere to support day-to-day citizenship growing needs." 
"The Netherlands is a small country with a dynamic market for real estate property and has an extensive need for high quality geographic information. The SDI-community in the Netherlands support these needs in an adequate and innovative way. I am proud to be part of this community. Kadaster crosses borders and has the ambition to be an international forerunner in the fi eld of land registration and mapping. We want to lead in making information available in a comprehensible, accessible and a tailored/made-to-order way. In addition, we support countries in development in order to help them obtain legal certainty in real estate, which is an important basis for economic growth. Let's share experiences and build a solid relationship." 
"A critical need for the geospatial community today is not just to develop the advanced technology, infrastructure, and data required for geospatial applications, but also to strengthen the policies and institutions that enable sharing, use, and reuse of geospatial data and information flexibly, efficiently, and fairly. The GSDI conferences have been invaluable in spurring discussion and promoting good practices concerning data and information policies and institutional framework." 
"International cooperation is important to make geo-information accessible to everyone. In other words, we need to build bridges and cross borders. Geo-information is everywhere, and it is used everywhere. It is a source of information that is of use in all fields of work and study - from history to space research. We've taken the initiative to bring together people from the business community, the academic world and government. We can produce a really effective geo-information infrastructure by pooling resources. And the results of this close cooperation are already plain to see. I see by example lots of new innovations and new applications." 
"It is incumbent on the global spatial community to continually evolve its methods and knowledge to better provide the information infrastructure and skills that our citizens need to be able address our planet's greatest challenges. We are in a time of great hope where, if we work together across our nations, we can all contribute in meeting the environmental and economic challenges on our doorsteps." 
"Within a very short space of time Australia realised the necessity of moving from a multitude of local spatial data infrastructures to a truly national one. However governments within Australia first had to address the issues of standards and interoperability before that could be achieved. With the exponential growth of global issues, those internal challenges of standards and interoperability must now be addressed globally so that the nations of the world can cooperate on the building of global spatial data infrastructures." 
"Now more than ever, government agencies, businesses and citizens are benefitting from the GSDI best practices. Open standards such as those from ISO and OGC are critical to the level of interoperability necessary to publish, discover, access, share and apply critical geospatial information from across the web and local networks for decision making. Interoperability based on open, consensus-derived interface and encoding standards enable cross-boundary "systems of systems" and "networks of networks" that give decision makers the information they need to maximize effectiveness during emergencies as well as day to day operations. Open standards also enable managers to extend the lifetimes of current systems while economically mobilizing new "best of breed" services designed to spatially enable enterprise operations." 
"In view of climate change the Dutch government asked the Delta Commission to formulate recommendations in order to be able to adapt the Netherlands to the expected sea level rise. Since half of the Netherlands in below sea level and 65% of GDP is created in these regions, this question is essential. In order to come to scientifically based projections and scenario's the help of spatial data is paramount. All the more since sea level rise is a global issue: more than 50% of the world population live in delta's. In my speech I will give a review of the work of the Delta Commission and elaborate on the meaning of our recommendations for other parts in the world."