The 7th International Conference of the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) concluded in Bangalore yesterday (February 6, 2004). The Conference, which was inaugurated by Dr K Kasturirangan, Member of Parliament, (Rajya Sabha) on February 2, 2004, was attended by about 400 delegates including 115 international delegates from 36 countries. During the four Plenaries and five Technical sessions spread over the last 5 days, the conference focused on spatial data infrastructure for a sustainable future and deliberated on the policies, technologies and applications for making remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) as essential parts of governance and commerce. The conference also addressed the national, regional and global Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) initiatives.
The 7th GSDI, which was organized by ISRO and Department of Science and Technology with support from several public and private agencies across the world, brought to focus India’s achievement in the field of imaging, mapping and GIS applications. The Spatial Expo organized as part of the conference showcased the latest products and applications of GIS, Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remote Sensing.
A round table was held today (February 7, 2004) between the Open GIS Consortium (OGC) and ANTRIX of the Department of Space, in which about 20 representatives from the Indian industries participated to discuss the interoperability and common standards for SDI.
Another important outcome of the conference was that the GSDI Association has accepted India’s offer to host the International Secretariat of GSDI Association at Bangalore.
The 8th GSDI is proposed to be held at Cairo, Egypt in April 2005.
