Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 14-16 February 2012

In continuation of the collaboration between GSDI and FIG and with support from the United Nations-sponsored Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (UN-PCGIAP) and further support from the International Cartographic Association (ICA) and the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS), an international symposium on Spatially Enabled Government and Society was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This symposium was conceived as a first response from the Asia Pacific region to the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UNGGIM) initiative. Such an event was perceived to respond to, and recognize the needs of society, especially those of the Asia Pacific region, for further information and discourse on the topic of spatially enabled government and society. This assessment was based on the expertise and experiences of executive representatives of GSDI and FIG.

The aim of this event was to further discuss the strategies and development of a roadmap for implementation, as well as improving the delivery of, spatial enablement in different jurisdictions. This event was coordinated by PCGIAP W3 on Spatially Enabled Government, and supported by GSDI, FIG, ISPRS and ICA.

Prior to the symposium, an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) was held which brought together some of the leading experts on Spatially Enabled Societies (SES), providing a high level platform for considering ongoing initiatives as well as directions for future activities. This EGM was also a response to the joint FIG and GSDI task force on SES.

The outcome of this event will form the basis of, and will be reported to, the next United Nations Asia Pacific Regional Cartographic Conference (UNRCC-AP) in Bangkok in October 2012 through PCGIAP.