GEOSA Wins OGC Board Chair Award For Excellence In Geospatial Infrastructure Development

The General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information (GEOSA) has been honoured with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Board Chair Award for Excellence 2024. This accolade highlights GEOSA's significant contributions to developing a national geospatial infrastructure and enhancing geospatial capabilities in Arab countries. The award was presented during OGC's 30th Anniversary event.

Prashant J. Shukle, OGC Chair, remarked on GEOSA's achievements: "Through its commitment to knowledge-sharing, GEOSA has created a strong foundation for enhancing geospatial capabilities across the region. By extending this framework to the Arab States, they have opened the door to new opportunities for collaboration and progress in addressing shared challenges. This effort holds immense potential to drive regional growth and cooperation, setting a model of leadership that resonates far beyond the Arab States."

Established in 1994, the Open Geospatial Consortium is a US-based multinational non-profit organisation. It is governed by a board of directors and includes over 550 members from various sectors such as public, private, academia, civil society, and non-profit organisations. The consortium aims to promote open standards for geospatial content and services.

GEOSA has made notable strides by launching the National Geospatial Center and establishing governance policies for national geospatial data. They have also set criteria for national geospatial data, produced a national geospatial data model, and created both a national geospatial data dictionary and descriptive model. Additionally, an operation manual for government agencies' geospatial information units was introduced following best practices and international standards.

The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) Arab States has adopted GEOSA's experience due to its effective deliverables and efforts. Furthermore, GEOSA's work received commendation from the UN-GGIM legislation and policies team during their meeting in Belgium in May 2024.

This recognition underscores GEOSA's role in leading regional collaboration to address challenges while achieving development goals at both regional and international levels. Their efforts serve as a benchmark for leadership that extends beyond the Arab States.

With inputs from SPA