The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and to foster the global development geospatial information. [1]
In 2011 the British geographer Vanessa Lawrence was elected to serve as the inaugural co-chair of United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM). [2] [3] She served in this role continuously for four years, and was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Under-Secretary-General, Dr Wu Hongbo [4]
The UN-GGIM Geospatial Societies (UN-GGIM GS), previously Joint Board of Geospatial Information Societies (JBGIS), is a coalition recognized by the UN-GGIM: [5]
Other than the full members above, there are the following observing members of the UN-GGIM GS:
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized agencies, the eight functional commissions, and the five regional commissions under its jurisdiction.
The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) was built by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) on the basis of a 10-Year Implementation Plan running from 2005 to 2015. GEOSS seeks to connect the producers of environmental data and decision-support tools with the end users of these products, with the aim of enhancing the relevance of Earth observations to global issues. GEOSS aims to produce a global public infrastructure that generates comprehensive, near-real-time environmental data, information and analyses for a wide range of users. The Secretariat Director of Geoss is Barbara Ryan.
The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), formerly the United Nations Statistical Office, serves under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) as the central mechanism within the Secretariat of the United Nations to supply the statistical needs and coordinating activities of the global statistical system. The Division is overseen by the United Nations Statistical Commission, established in 1947, as the apex entity of the global statistical system and highest decision making body for coordinating international statistical activities. It brings together the Chief Statisticians from member states from around the world.
The year 2006 was declared the International Year of Deserts and Desertification by the United Nations General Assembly. The Year aims to raise $20 million from industry and governments and will spend half on co-funding research, and half on "outreach" activities. It will be the biggest ever international effort to promote the Earth sciences. Apart from researchers, who are expected to benefit under the Year's Science Programme, the principal target groups for the Year's broader messages are:
The International Cartographic Association (ICA) is an organization formed of national member organizations, to provide a forum for issues and techniques in cartography and geographic information science (GIScience). ICA was founded on June 9, 1959, in Bern, Switzerland. The first General Assembly was held in Paris in 1961. The mission of the International Cartographic Association is to promote the disciplines and professions of cartography and GIScience in an international context. To achieve these aims, the ICA works with national and international governmental and commercial bodies, and with other international scientific societies.
Eduardo Sojo Garza-Aldape is a Mexican economist. He served as chief economic advisor to President Vicente Fox and as Secretary of Economy in the cabinet of President Felipe Calderón since December 1, 2006 to August 6, 2008.
Peter Baumann is a German computer scientist and professor at Constructor University, Bremen, Germany, where he is head of the Large-Scale Scientific Information Systems research group in the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh is the chairman and founder of the international Jordan-based organisation, the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org). Dubbed as the godfather of Arab accounting, Abu-Ghazaleh has also been credited for promoting the significance of Intellectual Property in the Arab World.
Vanessa Vivienne Lawrence is a British businessperson, geographer and speaker working internationally.
The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) is an international non-governmental organization that enhances international cooperation between the worldwide organizations with interests in the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences. Originally named International Society for Photogrammetry (ISP), it was established in 1910, and is the oldest international umbrella organization in its field, which may be summarized as addressing “information from imagery”.
The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is one of the nine expert groups of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and deals with the national and international standardization of geographical names. Every five years they hold the UNGEGN conference. The UNGEGN also publishes international guidelines.
George Joseph is an Indian space scientist, best known for his contributions to the development of remote sensing technology in India, especially in the field of Earth observation sensors. He is a former chairman of the Lunar Mission Study Task Force of the Indian Space Research Organization and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Indian Academy of Sciences and Indian National Academy of Engineering. The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1999.
Global Map is a set of digital maps that accurately cover the whole globe to express the status of global environment. It is developed through the cooperation of National Geospatial Information Authorities (NGIAs) in the world. An initiative to develop Global Map under international cooperation, the Global Mapping Project, was advocated in 1992 by Ministry of Construction, Japan (MOC) at the time.
The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is a non-profit association of professionals using geographic information systems (GIS) and other information technologies to solve challenges at all levels of government. URISA promotes the effective and ethical use of spatial information and technology for the understanding and management of urban and regional systems.
Tan Sri Zakri bin Abdul Hamid has had a distinguished career in science as a researcher, educator, administrator and diplomat.
James O. Adegoke is a Nigerian-American climate scientist and professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) where he served as Chair of the Department of Geosciences (2008-2010). He also served as an appointee of the Mayor of Kansas City Missouri on the city's Environmental Management Commission (EMC) and has testified before the South Africa Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology and the Climate Change Committee of the Nigerian House of Representatives. In the United States, he has testified at the United States House of Representatives for the United States House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.
Abbas Rajabifard is a Professor and the Director of the Smart and Sustainable Development and Discipline Leader of the Geomatics Department of Infrastructure Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and IT at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is also the Director of the Center for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA).
The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 2018 by the merger of the former International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC), making it one of the largest organisations of this type.
The International Society for Digital Earth is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the Digital Earth concept. It publishes the International Journal of Digital Earth. It is recognized as one of the main international Geospatial Societies by the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. It is also a member of the Group on Earth Observations.
Manuel Ntumba is a Congolese-Togolese inventor, advisor, geostrategist and geospatial expert. He is the Founder of the global public-private partnership Tod'Aérs Global Network [TGN].