Meeting Dates/Arrival Time (April 3):
The meeting will be all day April 4-6; the 6th will also
be utilized for some post-meeting coordination and meetings on future
proposals, etc.
Participants are requested to arrive by the evening on April
3. We will try to meet informally for dinner that evening to
"get to know each other" at a restaurant or hotel (to be determined).
Venue/Meeting Site:
The venue is still being finalized. There will be a conference
room with 2 or 3 desktops and 2 laptops, Powerpoint equipment/overhead
projection. We will let you know shortly if access to the Internet
will be available.
Entry to Eritrea:
A visa is required for Eritrea, and those traveling from Africa
will need to check if a health certificate is required to enter
into the country. Upon entry, visitors are required to register
all digital equipment including laptops, digital cameras, etc. We
will try to have a support person at the airport to assist with
the arrival process. Please remember that registration is required.
Lodging and Local Transport:
Hotel rates:
Sunshine Hotel approx: U$50-55 (typically booked, so may not be
available)
Ambassoira Hotel approx: US$20-25 (near center of the city where
it is convenient to take evening walks)
Expo Hotel approx: US$40
Bologna Hotel approx: US$40
Intercontinental Hotel,l $126 per night (which is within the USAID
per diem, but participants are encouraged to utilize less expensive
facilities, which good sources have told us are clean and comfortable)
[ here is a website with information about Asmara: http://www.asmera.nl/asmara.htm
]
Local transportation for participants from hotels to meeting site
and back will be provided during the dates of the workshop
Hotel arrangements will be made by Yemane Tekleyoannes (
yemane@gemel.com.er )
for the group as a whole, as feasible. If you have a particular
preference, please indicate so. Everyone is expected to assume responsibility
for their own payments, flight arrival and departure dates, etc.
Please COPY ALL COMMUNICATIONS regarding meetings with IFDC (International
Fertilizer Development Centre)-Larry Hammond, who manages the
GISD Secretariat
( lhammond@ifdc.org
).
MEETING AGENDA AND OBJECTIVES (Preliminary):
Note: If someone who is planning to come is not listed, or if the
tentative title or timing is inappropriate, please let me know as
soon as possible. Contact: Robert E. Ford, USAID ( rford@usaid.gov
) Tel. 202-712-5073. You may also contact IFDC (International
Fertilizer Development Centre)-Larry Hammond, who manages the
GISD Secretariat ( lhammond@ifdc.org
). Tel. 256-381-6600
Meeting Objectives:
- Share progress being made by funded and non-funded partners
within the GISD alliance leading-up to the WSSD (World Summit
on Sustainable Development)
- Discuss plans for "presentations and exhibits" (deliverables)
at the upcoming WSSD as well as coordination of efforts to influence
policies to be discussed by governments and other entities participating,
e.g. declarations on "open access" to geospatial data, planning
SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure) needs, defining future plans
post-WSSD in capacity-building.
- Provide opportunity for "networking" and sharing of capacities
of both funded and non-funded partners involved in the growing
GISD alliance. The goal is to increase collaboration between various
institutions involved in the West African region who use, develop,
test and need access to geospatial databases, tools, and capacity.
- Provide overview of Spatial Data Infrastructure components
and engage participants in discussions on data standards, sharing
and access (so as to develop a common vision/strategy for geospatial
data management activities beyond GISD/WSSD).
- Engage participants in directed discussion on spatial data
policy, including custodianship, data pricing, data maintenance,
data protection, and data distribution.
DAY ONE (tentative) - Thursday, April 4, 2002:
Introduction:
8:30 - 8:45 am - Welcome by Notables:
8:45 - 9:00 am - Introduction of Participants and Explanation
of Objectives - (Bob Ford)
9:00 - 9:30 am - Overview of national and global spatial
data infrastructure [mainly focusing on the need for infrastructure]
(Dozie Ezigbalike)
9:30 - 10:00 am - Spatial data infrastructure components
(Doug Nebert)
Metadata
Clearinghouse
Data Standards
Core / Framework Data
Data Policy
Institutional (and legal) framework
10:00 - 10:15 am - Coffee Break
10:15 -10:45 am - Present situation of SDI initiatives in
Africa (in particular in Eastern Africa) (Kate Lance)
10:45 - 11:10 am - OGC Pilot Project (Sam Bacharach)
11:10 - 11:40 - Discussion and preparation for working groups
for following data (mini-survey to identify participants primary
interests)
11:40 - 12:00 IFDC West Africa: Linking Biophysical and
Economic Models within a Spatial Framework (Paul Wilkens)
12:00 - 1:00 pm - Lunch
1:00 - 2:30 pm - GISD & Partner Project Presentations (applications
/ implementations) [20 minute presentation, 10 minute Q&A]
7:30 - Dinner
DAY TWO (Tentative) - Friday - April 5, 2002:
8:30 - 9:00 am - Data access and dissemination policy -
Examples of different strategies and constraints
9:00 - 10:00 am - Data dissemination policy (possible strategies
within Africover context) (Luca Alinovi)
10:00 - 10:15 am - Break
10:15 - 12:30 am - Working Groups (sample topics for break-out
working groups - the mini-survey above will help determine the best
themes for the working groups). Each group will be expected to come
up with a draft outline or set of recommendation for future GISD
use:
- Data Policy for Africover Data
- Geographic Information
Declaration of Principles document
for WSSD
- Data
gaps (including scale and timeliness needs) and/or standards
gaps (key national standards needed (e.g., geocoding identifiers
for different datasets)
- Institutional and financial mechanisms to maintain/update datasets
- Past initiatives/projects that may or may not have been successful
(what has helped/hindered)
12:30 - 1:30 pm - Lunch
1:30 - 2:30 pm - Continuation of Working Groups.
2:30 - 3:45 pm - Presentation of working group results
3:45 - 4:00 pm - Break
4:00 - 4:30 pm - Presentation of outcome from Bamako workshop
(Bob Ford)
4:30 - 5:30 pm - Discussing planning for what to do at the
WSSD (development of task list and schedule)
DAY THREE - Saturday, April 6, 2002
--training in various tools/software (more small workshops)--in
parallel sessions - provided there are computers available, if needed
Mini-Workshops:
- Dynamic Knoledgeware tools (FAO Freeware) (SKE, Inc.)
- GEOVIS (FAO Freeware) (Terranova)
- OGC Pilot Project Coordination (Sam Bacharach)
- Hands-on metadata discovery and training (MetaLite, Enraemed,
etc.) (Doug Nebert)
- ArcGIS/ESRI tools and software overview (CJ?)
- Future proposals and collaboration --
next steps for moving
forward / vision for post-WSSD (Bob Ford, Kate Lance)
Please note that all the freeware software will be distributed
during the seminar and demonstrations and specific trainings could
be set up during all the 3 days
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