Annexure 10
Attachment C
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STRUCTURE OF THE PCGIAP PACIFIC GROUP

Introduction

This document outlines the structure and operational arrangements of:

  1. The parent body of the Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and the Pacific (PCGIAP), ie. the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific (UNRCC-AP);
  2. PCGIAP; and
  3. the newly formed PCGIAP Pacific Group.

United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia & the Pacific

The PCGIAP was established by the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific (UNRCC-AP) in Beijing 1994 to coordinate regional geographical information issues and provide a linkage with related bodies in the world. PCGIAP reports to the Conference at triennial meetings of the UNRCC-AP.

Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia & the Pacific

There are 55 PCGIAP member nations, as defined by the United Nations. Membership comprises heads of national survey and mapping organisations or equivalent national agencies of the nations from Asia and the Pacific.

PCGIAP has an Executive Board of representatives from ten member nations and projects are carried out by working groups. Current PCGIAP senior Executive positions are:

    President - Malaysia
    Vice-President - China
    Secretary - Australia.

Pacific Group

A Pacific Group comprising the PCGIAP member nations from Pacific Island countries was formed at the PCGIAP workshop in Suva, 22-25 March 1999. (Refer Attachment A for list of Pacific Group countries)

Chair and Vice-Chair

The Suva workshop agreed to appoint a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman for the Pacific Group by annual rotation in alphabetical order of country name. The initial members are:

    Chair - American Samoa
    Vice-Chair - Cook Islands.

Responsibilities of the Pacific Group Chair:

  • Chair meetings of the Pacific Group
  • Represent Pacific Group at PCGIAP meetings
  • Oversight SOPAC's Secretariat role (refer below)
  • Consult other Pacific Group members on matters of interest and facilitate exchange of information.

Secretariat

The Suva workshop requested SOPAC (South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission) to be the Secretariat of the Pacific Group (subject to approval by SOPAC's Governing Council). The SOPAC Secretariat role will be documented in a MoU.

In its Secretariat role, SOPAC would be responsible for:

  • Communications (SOPAC would encourage Pacific Group members to move to the use of email for correspondence as early as possible)
  • Pacific Group work program
  • Coordination and logistics in consultation with PGCIAP for:
      - Geodesy
      - Geographic data
      - Cadastral
  • Source funding to support activities of the Pacific Group and attendance of the Chair at annual meetings of PCGIAP
  • Arrange and support meetings of the Pacific Group. Pacific Group member countries The Pacific Group of PCGIAP member countries would carry out the following:
  • Support the Chair/Vice-Chair and SOPAC
  • Provide information of interest to other Group members and to the Secretariat
  • Participate in PCGIAP/Pacific Group work programs. PCGIAP Geodesy and the Pacific Group At the Suva workshop the Pacific Group:
  • expressed it desire to become more involved in PCGIAP's regional geodesy campaigns
  • agreed that a senior geodesy expert from Fiji would be the Pacific Group representative at the PCGIAP geodesy workshop to be held in Vietnam in June or July 1999.

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