Written by Clifford Stanley
PARTICIPANTS at a public consultation on Guyana’s national policy on Geographic Information (GI) yesterday agreed that the upgrading and computerising of geographic data on Guyana was crucial for effective planning, decision making and implementation of programmes for sustainable national development.

The one-day forum was held by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MNR&E) at the Guyana Forestry Commission’s (GFC) Multi-Complex in Kingston, Georgetown.
The participants included representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, Conservation International – Guyana (CI), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Central Planning and Housing Authority (CH&PA), University of Guyana, Bureau of Statistics, Wildlife Management Authority (WMA), Ministry of Public Works and  Ministry of Health, among others.
Delivering the feature address, Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana and a GI systems expert Professor Jacob Opadeyi disclosed that GI refers to information that describes places and areas, the attributes of those places and areas and how they have changed over time.

The use of GI has been growing throughout the world in relation to information about natural resources, natural and man-made features, location addresses, infrastructure such as roads, human activities, and natural and environmental phemomena.
He said that it has been widely recognised that many decisions by government and or the private sector are based on geographic or spatial information hence the need for this type of information to be upgraded, made more detailed and be better managed to make it fully useful to those who need it.
The national policy, being finalised, is intended to provide the necessary framework for identifying key geographic datasets needed for socio-economic development, and specifics on the mechanisms for data collection, storage and dissemination.
“The ideal is that six months after we have upgraded our GI system any Guyanese student, government official or even foreign investor can go to a website or to a clearing house and access information of a geographic nature for research and general information or project planning.”
Meanwhile, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud said that GI is being used universally in a wide range of activities, including land use planning, zoning and other planning for economic development.
GI is concentrated in the natural resources and environmental sectors for use in land boundary demarcation and mapping, hence the need for upgrading and widening of the range of data sets and for the adoption of a policy on the compilation, dissemination and use of such information.
GI has moved to online servers using a variety of software and requiring only an internet browser and connection, thereby making it more widely available than before.
He said that cases in point for the usefulness of such an upgraded GI system were the recent completion of a National Land Use Plan as well as the imminence of a National Lease system.
“A fully automated, fully computerised  GI system is badly needed for developmental planning and decision- making not only at a governmental level but even at the level of a private investor who may need accurate geographic information or spatial data.”
The now sought after policy, Minister Persaud said, will consolidate rapid development of local GI systems by minimizing the risk of duplication, ensuring compatibility of current efforts, identifying national priorities that could be best served, and providing the conceptual framework within which the public and private sector can plan their development and investment efforts.
It is envisaged, he said, that the GI data will be located at a central location where it could be accessed via a clearing house mechanism to be controlled by a broad based National Committee of experts who will determine standards and conditions for access and use.
Where GI is already in use at such agencies as the GLSC, the GGMC and the GFC, the policy will also indicate how these agencies will share information and collaborate in updating information in the GI.
He said: “The GI system is going to very crucial if we are to effectively manage development; to address in a very fully informed and holistic way the challenges of sustainable development.”
He added: “There are tremendous benefits in a modernized GI. If we do not do it we would be doing ourselves a disservice. We have no options but to bring the best technology into the management of the natural resources and environment; to take all the necessary steps to advance a national GI policy.”
He said that government was fully committed to facilitating the process.
During the opening session, Minister Persaud handed over to Director of the   School of Earth and Environmental Services, Dr. Paulette Bynoe four computers to enhance the tuition being offered to students of that University of Guyana (UG) faculty.
Mr. Veetal Rajkumar, Policy Coordinator attached to the MNR&E said the National Policy on Geographic Information will be the compilation of a first draft that is an update on a previous policy elaborated by the ministry in 2012.
A report is to be submitted to the Cabinet at the end of the consultations.