Report from Working Group 2

Report from Working Group 2
Mr. Gholam Reza Fallahi, Chair of Working Group 2
Saturday 31 January 2004


Report back to the Committee from Working group 2 meeting


The working Group voted the advice given by the PCGIAP Board at its meeting in Melbourne in Nov. 2003 that WG should become a little more focused specifically on:

Task force 1- WG give consideration to administrative boundary dataset
Task force 1- work being done in relation to Global Map should be a priority
Task force 2- give priority consideration to implementation of directory of metadata held on clearinghouse
Task force 3- might focus more on key stakeholder groups

It is indicated by ISCGM that Global Map project valued the support given by PCGIAP


Fundamental Datasets
One issue is desirability of integrating Global Map data provided by countries in the Asia-Pacific Region into a single dataset. If desirable, how might this be done.
Global Map data may provide a useful framework for the region as a region-wide fundamental dataset.
The WG could examine the technical possibility of aggregating 1:1M coverage for the region.

This would provide a relatively straightforward but comprehensive framework for the region.
Administrative boundaries would be technically relatively straightforward to develop, recognizing there are a number of significant political difficulties in some areas.

Administrative boundary link readily to statistics, which would increase interest by others, such as UN statistics division in developing very useful application.

Consider that the PCGIAP region should develop its own datasets. A 1:1M scale would most likely be acceptable to most counties. Larger scales tend to raise difficult issues with at least some countries.

Important that capacity is built and maintained within country so people take control of their own work. It may be easy to take a pragmatic approach and build datasets for people but this is unsustainable and disempowering for countries.


Clearinghouse
China and Japan are working on the clearinghouse training course.
Focus will initially be on metadata, then data.
A variety of approaches, determined by state of development and budget, is most likely to be effective. A starting point should be the mandatory elements in the ISO 19115 metadata standard and ISO 19139 implementation protocol.
The clearinghouse will most likely be a distributed network of national nodes, facilitating communication, including ISO-standards-based metadata directories. Metadata nodes in individual countries would point to datasets held by individual custodians. As technology improves and participants agree, this could eventually lead to virtual regional datasets, with individual elements continued to me maintained by their custodians.


GIS Application
Issues that Task Force 3 (GIS Applications) were given to examine overlap with other Working Groups and need to be further considered by Plenary to clarify the tasks.

Resolutions

Taskforce1 ? Pan Asia ? Pacific datasets
Work package1 administrative boundary dataset using the specification already drafted by PCGIAP.
Work package2 examine options and priority for other datasets.

Taskforce2 Clearinghouse
Work package 1 build understanding of clearinghouses in the Asia-Pacific Region
Work package 2 support extension to the GSDI clearinghouse through facilitating a richer set of directory nodes in the Asia-Pacific Region
Work package 3 facilitate exchange of information on standards-compliant metadata profiles to underpin regional clearinghouse development

Links

WG4 in relation to capacity building. WG2 to develop priorities for capacity building for clearinghouse development.

Work Plan and Activity Plan [ PDF : 57KB ]

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