The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has issued a new document that provides guidance and direction to develop an overall baseline for common geospatial standards used to share, manipulate, and exploit digital geospatial data. The document, “Geospatial Intelligence Standards: Enabling a Common Vision,” outlines the standards that will be used in the National System for Geospatial-Intelligence (NSG). The NSG is the combination of technology, policies, capabilities, doctrine, activities, people, data and communities necessary to produce geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) in an integrated multi-intelligence, multidomain environment.

www.nga.mil

A group of international experts has called on the Swiss government to ensure a more coherent land use policy in the country. Their comments come at a time of increasing debate on urban sprawl in Switzerland, with opponents hoping to bring the matter to a nationwide vote. The report commissioned by the Swiss Spatial Development Office gathered together the views of five experts from neighbouring Germany, Austria and France, as well as the Netherlands and Britain.

www.swissinfo.org

This concept note, prepared by the GISAssociation, defines goals, objectives, scope, structure, fundamental principles and activities regarding establishment and development of spatial data infrastructure of the Russian Federation. The GISAssociation is an interregional community created to promote the geospatial technologies and services market. It has been active in Russia, the CIS countries and Baltic States since 1995. The main goal of the Association is to promote market relations into promote market relations in the geoinformatics sphere, which includes digital mapping, topography, and navigation and RS data usage in regional and corporate GIS projects

The Department of Science & Technology, Survey of India (SOI) and the Ministry of Urban Development (MOUD), have come together to make the data based on 3D city model available to the city of Delhi. It will combined efforts to see that data starts flowing after nine months and for the National Capital Territory of Delhi, it is completed within three years. The project is estimated to cost over Rs. 100 crores (US$ 2 million), which would soon be recovered by way of enhanced revenue collection.

http://pib.nic.in

Malaysia and Japan shall develop a flood hazard mapping system which will enable the country to forecast the effects of global warming. Malaysia’s Natural Resource and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk S. Sothinathan said the system will enable the government to predict the worst case scenario of flood disasters in 50 to 100 years due to climate change that had already taken its toll globally.

www.bernama.com.my

The West Bengal government has appointed Mott MacDonald to determine the distribution of land in the state. West Bengal Industrial Development corporation has been assigned the task ofhas been assigned the task of monitoring the land mapping exercise. According to Ms Nandini Chakrovorty executive director at WBIDC “The land-mapping exercise will be carried out in two phases. In the first stage, to identify places which have roads, water, electricity and mineral resources suitable for setting up industries. In the second phase, intense study of the land and come up with suggestions on which areas in the state are suitable for setting up industries.

www.timesofindia.com

National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) would map the entire country down to the village level using spatial technology through its Golden Map Service. The programme has been launched at the concluding ceremony of NATMO’s golden jubilee on held recently.

www.hindu.com

The Afghanistan Information Management Service (AIMS) has been facilitating the development of advanced GIS and mapping capability in Afghanistan, and therefore created 11 GIS labs within 11 government ministries and departments. They are able to print their own maps for planning and project implementation purposes and were chosen based upon their need for GIS capacity building and services.

The Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), Ministry of Water Resources, Bangladesh shall be “Setting up GIS facilities in the Agricultural Division of the Planning Commission and e- Government Survey”. Under the sub project, the Division will be enriched with the establishment of a GIS based Customized Application Software, comprising metadata, and a web-based Project Information Management System.

www.cegisbd.com/secretary.htm