Keynote and Featured Speakers
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RADM Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister for Information, Communication & the Arts, Singapore |
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Jack Dangermond, Founder and President, Esri
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Ivan B. DeLoatch, Staff Director, Federal Geographic Data Committee
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Abbas Rajabifard, President, GSDI Association
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Ng Siau Yong, Director of Geospatial Division, Singapore Land Authority. Singapore SDI
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Santiago Borrero, Secretary General, Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH/ IPGH)
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Stig Enemark, President, International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)
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Mark Reichardt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC)
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Abdul Karim Al Raeisi, Executive Manager, Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC) |
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Ian Williamson, Professor of Surveying and Land Information, Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration, Department of Geomatics, The University of Melbourne
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Greg Scott, National Mapping & Information Group Leader, Geospatial & Earth Monitoring Division, Geoscience Australia
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"Technology is catching up with the GSDI vision of providing maps and systematic geographic knowledge to everyone in the planet. This technology is providing a platform for not only creating and mapping this infrastructure, but also sharing and collaborating in what we know. The world now needs to evolve the organizational and institutional policies and procedures for realizing our future: a shared geospatial platform for everyone". 
"The complexities and challenges in our world evolve and change everyday...every hour...every minute...every second. The use, need, and value of spatial data and information are more compelling than ever in managing our world. Using place-based (geography) approaches to address societal challenges nationally, regionally, and globally is becoming more widespread in all sectors of society and has become a core component in how different communities interact. Place-based planning offers decision-makers a new analytical lens for priority setting. A place-based approach leverages the importance of location in planning, implementing, and analyzing government programs to benefit its citizens. The GSDI Conference provides leaders, practitioners, and users of spatial data an opportunity to learn, share, and better understand the vast and quickly changing landscape of Spatial Data Infrastructures." 
"In modern society, spatial information is an enabling technology or an infrastructure to facilitate decision making. Spatially enabled societies where we use spatial component for managing information spatially. Spatial enablement will assist countries to pursue Sustainable Development objectives and it will ensure better productivity and efficiency. It contributes to the expansion of consultative and participative government services to the society such as better management of health services, urban planning and disaster management. In facilitating this and to improve access, sharing and integration of spatial data and services, our activities on spatial data Infrastructures (SDIs) have emerged as enabling platforms. SDI is a dynamic, hierarchic and multi-disciplinary concept that includes people, data, access networks, institutional policy, technical standards and human resource dimensions. With this in mind, this conference will share the experiences around the concept of spatially enabled societies." 
"We envision a spatially-enabled society in which geospatial elements become indispensable in our daily life, at work or at play. For this to happen, we will need an efficient value chain of geospatial information between data users and content providers, supported by a vibrant geospatial ecosystem. From our experience managing the land data network in Singapore, we realise that the critical importance of understanding the user demands. We hope to attain another milestone by unlocking the vast potential of spatially-enabled socio-economic data in the city."
"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." 
"Good Land Governance is a key tool for meeting the Millennium Development Goals and also for facing the challenges of the 21th century in terms of climate change, natural disasters, urban growth, poverty eradication, and environmental degradation. All these challenges relate to land and can only be dealt with through enabling spatial data infrastructures. Spatially enabled society is achieved when governments use "place" as the key means of organising their activities in addition to information, and when location and spatial information are available to citizens and businesses to encourage creativity. GSDI 12 is likely to be milestone in paving the way towards this goal." 
"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." 
"The theme of GSDI 12 - Realising spatially enabled societies - is very topical. It has been stated that the move to a spatially enabled society is potentially as important as moving from a paper based to a digital world. However the concept is still evolving with the impact of spatial enablement confusing to many and uncertain at best. The question is often asked "Is spatial enablement just another term for SDI?". The answer is a resounding no! While spatial enablement requires a SDI, its implementation is far more significant. Personally I am delighted to be speaking at GSDI 12 in Singapore since this nation state could be considered a working laboratory for a spatially enabled society. I am excited about the opportunity of debating and discussing the concepts, technologies and systems supporting the conference theme. I have no doubt GSDI 12 will help determine the road map for spatial enablement of countries globally." 
"The Asia-Pacific region represents sixty percent of the global population and experiences some of the world’s worst natural disasters. As such, national leaders have endorsed disaster risk reduction as an emerging priority in achieving economic growth and sustainable development. Although many challenges remain for the global geographic information community as it works to develop spatial data infrastructure capacity and capability, disaster risk reduction is an emerging and valid driver for realizing a spatially enabled Asia-Pacific."