UN Establishes a Committee on Global Geospatial Information

Matt Ball

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) voted to establish a committee on global geospatial information management in order to enhance international dialogue and cooperation on spatial data infrastructures. The UN recognizes the benefits of geospatial information for application to humanitarian, peace and security, environmental and development challenges as well as to responses to climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, famines, population displacement, and food and economic crises.

The committee will focus on helping countries to build the infrastructure for gathering, validating, compiling, and disseminating geospatial information, especially in developing countries. It will also compile best practices and case studies from national, regional and local scales. The committee will include experts from all member states and international organizations.

Learn more here.