Recognizing that spatial planning is critical for delivering environmental, social, and economic benefits, as well as more sustainable and predictable conditions for investment and development, the Department of Physical Planning, through the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP) has contracted a firm to work alongside local agencies to establish the country’s spatial data infrastructure.

At an introductory meeting earlier this month, a three-member team from Kadaster International met with government personnel to emphasize the importance of data collection and sharing in community and national development.

Kadaster International Project Manager, N.H van der Vegt, said: “Every government decision concerns a specific location or an area or a zone, so you need to have good spatial information about this location. That’s why the location information is key to having a good understanding of why you are making a decision. It gives the government the ability to plan ahead because you can see patterns in growth or decline,” he said.

The consultancy team comprises experts in the field of data policy issues, digital government, business policy approaches, and long-term strategic decisions.

The team, after formulating a stakeholder engagement plan, will return next month to hold in-depth one-on-one meetings with individual government departments involved in the spatial data infrastructure project.