The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA), held a number of seminars and workshops during the month of February, on geospatial law and the Integrated Framework for Geospatial Information (IGIF). These seminars were presented by a number of international experts who are members of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) and specialists in global geospatial data infrastructure.
The presentations covered various topics affecting the collection, use, storage, and dissemination of geospatial information within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as a range of legal issues, including location privacy, legal liability, and related matters.
Mr.Kevin Pomfret, a member of the UN-GGIM, stressed that IGIF's second strategic pathway aims to identify gaps to address current legal and policy that enables the availability, accessibility, exchange, application and management of geospatial information. He pointing out that the Kingdom has become a global leader in implementing and enhancing the value of IGIF. Mr. Pomfret explained that the second strategic pathway can also be used to address current legal and policy issues with respect to the issues raised by emerging technologies, e.g. geospatial intelligence, geospatial digital twins, and autonomous vehicles. He pointed out that many of legal concerns raised by participants are similar to the challenges faced by geospatial professionals worldwide.
On the second day, Tim Trainor, Dr. Lesley Arnold, and Pomfret discussed their presentation goals, which contribute to raising the awareness of participants from different sectors about the UN-IGIF nine strategic pathways and their role in the successful management of geospatial information in the Kingdom.
Additionally, they aimed to understand the current status and future potential for integrating geospatial data within the UN-IGIF, explore the challenges and opportunities related to achieving the UN-IGIF vision at the national level, especially within the Kingdom, and promote the importance of governance and cooperation needed to advance the framework vision in Saudi Arabia. Trainor, Dr. Arnold, and Pomfret emphasized the importance of geospatial data in decision-making and its role in sustainable development.
These seminars held by GOESA performed a pivotal event in promoting the UN-IGIF vision, providing a platform for fruitful dialogue, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas, insights, and experiences. Attendees included over 100 specialists from 50 governmental, academic, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Saudi Arabia hosted earlier this month in Jeddah the fifth meeting of the High-Level Group of the UN-GGIM Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, aiming to oversee the global implementation of the IGIF, providing support, strategic leadership, and necessary resources for the framework’s ongoing development in collaboration with member states and relevant stakeholders.
The High-Level Group meeting, held for the first time in the Arab region, brought together 47 participants from various countries, representing member states of the UN-GGIM, attendees included several heads of technical working groups of the UN-GGIM as well as international experts and specialists. At the same time, the Kingdom hosted the twelfth meeting of the Regional Committee of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) for the Arab States, whose presidency and general secretariat are held by the Kingdom.