Why geospatial information matters

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Europe

"You cannot manage that what you cannot count, you cannot count that what you cannot locate," Dr Derek Clark, a South Africa government official once said on a forum. That's why we people should care about geospatial information.

Geospatial information is data referencing a place and space. By providing the fabric of the world, the data is able to support most decisions in policy making and development planning.

With the aim to make the geospatial more useful for a sustainable world, the first United Nation World Geospatial Information Congress (UNWGIC) kicked off on Monday in Deqing, eastern China's Zhejiang Province.

The week-long event is organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs under the support of the Chinese government to enhance communication, understanding, and application of geospatial information management, pooling talents to help address local, regional and global challenges.

During the opening speech, Chinese Vice Minister of Natural Resources Kurexi Maihesuti expressed "the Chinese government has prioritized the development of geospatial information and made great contributions to the global community over the years."

With the world being poorly mapped in many areas, every effort must be made to collect, manage, and spread fundamental geospatial information if we are to contribute to the effective development of the regions in the world.

After the opening ceremony, delegates from relevant industries like satellite navigation, positioning service, artificial intelligence, big data, attended the summit discussing cooperation among different industries and how to make geospatial information bring useful to the world.

As an important part of the UNWGIC, the Geospatial Information Technology and Application Exhibition is also open to the public from November 19 to 23 this year in the Deqing International Exhibition Center.

The Geospatial Information Technology and Application Exhibition /VCG Photo

Covering an area of 12,400 square meters, the exhibition featuring five venues and themes showcases intelligent equipment, smart applications, location-based services, map culture, and future life.

Moreover, the UNWGIC will issue a report to share China's effective cases and experiences using geospatial information to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the local level.