Download the Workshop Report (50 pages, 425 KB, PDF)

Workshop presentations are available online. Please scroll down to the table below and click on the links to download presentations in PDF.

Many different global- and regional-scale datasets on the environment and human development are being developed and disseminated by a range of institutions around the world. With the increasing use of more open, interactive mapping servers and greater capabilities by users to access and utilize large global datasets comes the potential for increased problems related to inconsistent data integration and visualization, variable data quality and documentation, uncoordinated proliferation of different versions of data sets, unnecessary duplication of effort, excessively complex restrictions on data re-dissemination and use, and incomplete or incorrect citation and attribution of data.

This workshop brought a core set of institutions actively involved in global spatial data and information development and dissemination together with representatives of key user communities to address both short- and long-term needs for coordination and collaboration. The overall purpose of the workshop was to coordinate spatial data and information dissemination among key actors in the global data community in order to better meet user needs at global as well as regional and national levels.

The three-day workshop was co-organized by the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). CIESIN’s NASA-funded Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) served as the local host. The workshop was also co-sponsored by the Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) of the International Council for Science (ICSU).

The workshop addressed five principal areas with regards to the production, dissemination, and use of global data sets:

1. Stock taking of global data sets and identification of significant gaps and overlaps in the following thematic areas: environment; food and agriculture; population, poverty and health.
2. Standardization/harmonization of spatial data and information, including:
   a. Standards and conventions for mapping and GIS (e.g., consistent projections, scales, boundary files, etc.).
   b. Additional information on data sets (beyond discovery metadata) that would facilitate their appropriate use (e.g., data set guides).
3. Identification of user needs for online services, and for education and capacity building in how to use those services.
4. Flexible user access through interoperability and open standards of both catalog searching and Internet mapping.
5. Integration of biophysical and socioeconomic data, including substantive and methodological issues.

Workshop presentations can be downloaed from the table below.

Agenda

Tuesday, 21 September Identification of User Needs
0900-0915	Welcome by Roberta Balstad Miller, CIESIN
0915-0945	Setting the Stage: Principal Goals and Objectives of the Workshop Robert Chen (CIESIN): Global Spatial Data and Information User Workshop: Goals and Objectives (365KB) Jeffrey Tschirley (FAO): The Spatial Information Advisory Group (SIMAG) (272KB)
0945-1045	Opening Plenary Panel: Access to Global Spatial Data and Information from the User’s Perspective During the last decade, technological advancements in remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and other geospatial data management tools in tandem with development of the Internet have contributed to the creation of many global and regional spatial databases, online mapping services and geospatial data clearinghouses. However, the dramatic expansion of this wealth of geographic data and information has not necessarily been matched by increases in the ability of users to take full advantage of the available resources, or to make sense of similar products. This plenary panel sets the stage for the workshop by addressing user needs for data access and documentation. Chair: Stanley Wood (IFPRI) Panelists: Dennis Ojima (Colorado State University) Global Environmental Change Science (310KB) Robert Ford (Loma Linda University) Who Needs Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI)? (3.2MB) Jillian Thonell (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment) Global Data Challenges from an MA Perspective (81KB) Craig Beech (Regional Peace Parks Foundation) Peace Parks Foundation Requirements for Global Data (3.4MB)
1045-1100	Coffee Break
1100-1230	Presentations: Global Spatial Data and Information Dissemination Initiatives Short presentations on selected major data development and dissemination initiatives for main topical areas. Chair: Roberta Miller (CIESIN) Panelists: Robert Zomer (IWMI) Agriculture and Food Security (878KB) Ashbindu Singh (UNEP) Environment (589KB) Steeve Ebener (WHO) Health (710KB) Deborah Balk (CIESIN) Population and Poverty (1MB)
1230-1400	Lunch Optional lunch-time presentations: Demonstration of the TerraViva! SEDAC Data Viewer – Ric Cicone (ISciences LLC) Information Available at the Center for Environmental Systems Research (CESR), University of Kassel, Germany (572KB) - Joerg Priess (CESR) FAO's Global Livestock Distribution Mapping Project (2.3MB) – Tim Robinson (FAO)
1400-1500	Open Discussion: Selection of breakout topics and discussion on targeted outcomes of the workshop. Proposed breakout topics are: Chair: Robert Chen (CIESIN): Overview of Breakout Sessions (18KB) 1. Principles for data sharing and access. Chair: Paul Uhlir (NRC) 2. Gaps in global data and collaboration in data development. Chair: Uwe Deichmann (World Bank) 3. Data search, discovery, and documentation; role of portals. Chair: Ron Weaver (NSIDC) 4. Technical data interoperability. William Anderson (Praxis101) 5. Science data integration. Chair: Glenn Hyman (CIAT)
1500-1700	Breakout Session 1. Identification of major issues for each topic. (coffee break at 1600)
1700-1730	Report to plenary on issues identified in breakout session
1745-1800	Transportation to dinner
1800	Dinner with keynote speaker (Harlan Onsrud, GSDI)
2000	Transportation to hotels
Wednesday, 22 September Global Data Sets – Gaps, Standardization and Integration Issues
0830-0930	Presentation of a test bed activity in Mozambique (FAO/SADC RRSU/SETSAN) Environmental and Natural Resources Management for Food Security and Poverty Alleviation (1.5MB) - France Lamy (FAO) Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping Spatial Information Environment (VAM-SIE) (398KB) - Paolo De Salvo (World Food Program)
0930-1045	Plenary Panel:  Inventories of Global Spatial Data, Standardization, Search, Portal Development The presentation on the first day highlighted many activities related to the development and dissemination of global data sets. This plenary will discuss core data sets for sustainable development research and operational programs, efforts to develop standards, and the development of portals and online mapping tools for data access. Chair: Steeve Ebener (WHO) Panelists: Joseph Dooley (Spatial Data Services & Mapping) Core Global or Geo-Spatial Databases (CGDB) (1.9MB) Alan Doyle (EOGEO) Closing the Interoperability Gap (1.5MB) Richard Cicone (ISciences, LLC) Geospatial Data Fusion: Integration Challenges (254KB) Chris Chiesa (Pacific Disaster Center) The Asia Pacific Natural Hazards Information Network (APNHIN) (1.1MB) Kees Klein Goldewijk (RIVM) Global Spatial Data Sets and User Needs at RIVM (595KB)
1045-1100	Coffee Break
1100-1230	Breakout Session 2. Groups based on topics identified on day 1. Identification of challenges and opportunities. Recommendations for short- and medium-term actions and initiatives, including identification of possible sources of support, collaborative proposals.
1230-1400	Lunch Optional lunch-time presentations: The IRI Data Library - Benno Blumenthal (IRI, Columbia University) BAS on the Web: the WebBAS system for online updates to TIGER/GML features - Joshua Lieberman
1400-1530	Breakout Session 2 (continued). Focus on fleshing out candidate agreements; plans for new datasets, testbeds and portals; proposals to adopt or develop particular standards, etc.
1530-1545	Coffee Break
1545-1700	Roundtable Discussion: Potential Roles for Global Data Coordination Mechanisms Chair: Alex de Sherbinin (CIESIN) 1. UN Geographic Information Working Group (277KB) – Steeve Ebener 2. Digital Earth (8MB) – Hiromichi Fukui 3. Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) (125KB) – Harlan Onsrud 4. Spatial Information Management Advisory Group – Jeffrey Tschirley 5. International Steering Committee for Global Map (2.6MB) – Karen Kline 6. CODATA – John Rumble
1710	Transportation to hotels, Morningside
Thursday, 23 September Global Data Sets – The Way Forward
0830-0930	Report out from Day 2 Breakout Sessions: Identification of specific action items and initiatives.
0930-1045	Plenary Panel:  Data Documentation, Quality, Preservation, and Intellectual Property Rights Institutional efforts related to data development, management, and dissemination need to be carried out in a coordinated way, or the potential for poor interoperability between information systems, incompatibilities between key datasets, confusing or even conflicting data documentation, and complex constraints on data re-dissemination and use is likely to increase. This plenary will address these issues. Chair: Robert Sandev (UN) Panelists: Jean-Louis Ecochard (The Nature Conservancy) The Conservation Commons (425KB) James Edwards (GBIF) The Global Biodiversity Information Facility: Data Documentation, Quality, Preservation and IPR (206KB) Paul Uhlir (National Research Council) Creating a Global Information Commons for Public GSDI: Legal and Economic Policy Aspects (114KB)
1045-1100	Coffee Break
1100-1220	Concluding Discussion:  Major outcomes and the way forward. Open discussion. Chair: Robert Chen (CIESIN)
1220-1230	Close of Meeting
1230	Transportation to Manhattan, airports
1230-1400	Lunch
1415	Transportation to Manhattan, airports

 

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