GSDI recognizes work at KgGISA

The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure organisation for the second time awarded a 'Small Project Grant' to the Kyrgyz GIS Association. Based on an application developed and submitted by Dr. Ainura Nazarkulova, this project will support the development of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) Awareness training, implemented jointly with the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) represented by Mariana Belgiu, MSc from the ÖAW GIScience Institute in Salzburg.

Spatial Data Infrastructures are increasingly evolving into critically important infrastructures for managing livelihoods, environments and societies. Much more than just online maps and satellite imagery, an SDI provides the foundations for each country, region or municipality as well as NGOs to organize and coordinate its resources and assets in a 'spatially intelligent' way. SDIs now are rapidly becoming state-of-the-art toolsets for planning, logistics, environmental monitoring and general spatial development.

The first prototype SDI awareness course will be offered as a GISCA preconference workshop in Almaty. Participants will have the opportunity not only to work with Geoportals, but to learn about SDI architectures, standards, organisational frameworks and how to leverage the potential of spatial information for a range of application domains.