Issues related to SDI implementation
However the law did not touch all activities that have geographic applications. For instance, there are no mechanisms for the protection of databases content from being misused. Similarly, the law having not covered exhaustively all the activities related to geospatial data, it has left the door open to the proliferation of the cooperative agreements
The problem of human resources
In the UAE and elsewhere, geo-spatial information technologies are high technology and there is a need for skilled personnel to maintain and use them. The management of spatial information, from data collection through all stages of processing to dissemination and utilization, is multi-disciplinary and requires trained personnel with various specializations. These include surveying, geography, cartography, computer graphics, statistics, planning and database management, agriculture, land systems, and public administration. In the UAE, professionals with these specializations may be available in some departments. However, they are thinly spread and there are still too few with enough cross-disciplinary skills required for the maintenance and application of spatial data infrastructures.
Some Spatial Data Related Agencies (SDRA) have spatial data specialists among their staff, but in relatively small numbers. The majority of these staff members are non-UAE nationals. Since they deal with spatial data more from a user perspective, they tend not to have extensive knowledge of the kinds of issues involved in the development and management of SDI.
Therefore, most of the organizations face a serious lack of competent human resources to tackle the problems of spatial data integration into their business activities. With limited human resources to undertake the work of developing policies, standards and managing data, progress in establishing the required infrastructure will be slow. Consequently, the UAE government shall give priority to the building of capacity within the appropriate Spatial Data Related Agencies (SDRA). For this purpose, various levels of related courses must be structured and offered regularly to all SDRA. They shall be formulated and conducted with the assistance of
external expertise. Moreover, series of seminars and workshops shall be also
organized to expose different groups of personnel from the relevant departments to the development and usage of spatial data.
Although related training courses could be designed and run, it will take some time before this deficiency can be fully
resolved. The Higher Colleges of Technology in the UAE can make a
potential contribution to this issue. The Military Survey Department (MSD) experience in capacity building and training, has shown inspiring results, whereby a complete syllabus was developed and implemented. A diploma program was designed and run in collaboration between MSD and Abu Dhabi Men's College in 1998. More than 60 qualified technicians in the field of spatial data have graduated from this program [Al Romaithi, 2004].
Short and long-term strategy plans need to be addressed, utilizing the local educational institutions and operational agencies to train and graduate an adequate number of UAE nationals to ensure the successful implementation of NSDI. There are local training capabilities, if well managed, they can bring encouraging results. Having set clear strategies, this will lead to:
- Promoting institutions of higher learning in the UAE, through technical colleges and universities to modernize their various geoinformation-related curricula;
- Advancing the publication of GIS applications and case studies in national and international journals;
- Encouraging the establishment of a national association (e.g. the Geoinformation Society of UAE) as a representative for SDI and its activities.
Strategies to support the existing education system comprise the following educational institutions which have some experiences in spatial data and GIS education and training:
- UAE University, remote sensing master program.
- Abu Dhabi Higher Colleges Spatial data program master program
- Abu Dhabi Higher Colleges Spatial data program special courses.
- MSD training facilities and as a major spatial data producer.
- Private surveying and GIS companies
Fig 1: Showing conceptual legal framework
Economic and pricing of NSDI
UAE Government currently spends around AED 90 to120 million per year producing and maintaining spatial data. This amount includes data that can be mapped, such as information about natural resources, the environment, social services and infrastructure, as well as data for topographic maps and hydrographic charts.
Since most agencies dealing with spatial data are governmental bodies, they are all run under traditional conditions for any government entity with regards to pricing of services provided. Generally, the law delegates to each government agency, the authority to charge fees for the services it provides taking into account the general principle that these fees are calculated partially on cost - recovery and without generating any profit. Though this cost-recovery principle is quite flexible when it comes to public domain services such as health care and education. Some agencies such as MSD provide services that have been traditionally regarded as belonging to the public domain, especially the provision of basis spatial information to the community. The pricing of such data cannot be based on a cost-recovery principle simply because the production is very high and only the government can subsidize it.
At present, there is no government policy regarding the pricing of government spatial data in the UAE or in Abu Dhabi emirate. Although some organizations (i.e. MSD) charge marginal fees for spatial data services according to local Executive orders, these practices are not permanent policy.
The policy shall aim at establishing a consistent pricing basis which can be applied to all forms of spatial data. This will encourage widespread use of data (for economic development purposes) which at present tend to be limited mainly to government agencies. This in the longer term will allow agencies to determine what exactly are their costs of spatial data provision?
The price of government spatial data may be set at the (approximate) cost of disseminating the data to the customer (government or private), based on "transfer cost". In other words, only the variable costs directly related to the distribution of that additional unit are included. They may include staff costs, material consumed, accounting, postage and other direct distribution costs.
SUMMARY
It is important for SDI implementation in the UAE that it should be perceived in the context of the national IT strategy as a whole. It should not be regarded as technical issue for application purposes only. The general government trend towards the adoption of the principles of privatization and the optimal use of the latest technology in government administration, is the proper context for the introduction of spatial data as a vital component of electronic government. In this regard, no formal law has yet been implemented. However, existing legislation is insufficient and new "Cyber laws" now need to be drafted which would ensure rational management and protection for all forms of spatial data.
There are many challenges for an SDI to overcome to accomplish its expected objectives. These include the areas of education, technology, applications and policy among others.
The paper has mentioned the lack of awareness of the value and role of spatial data in general decision-making as a limiting factor in the infrastructure development of UAE together with the human resources issue.
The federal and local governments have spent over AED 300 million in the past five years on producing and maintaining spatial data. This is due mainly to the absence of a clear policy for geospatial data management, sharing and pricing. The existence of such policy would have allowed minimizing and recovering part of this expenditure.
This will also encourage more widespread use of data. The price of government spatial data will be set at the (approximate) "transfer cost" level. This will allow agencies to determine the exact costs of their spatial data provision.
References
- Abbas 2004, SDI Development and Capacity Building Abbas Rajabifard1 and Ian P. Williamson GSDI 7 Conference, 2004- Bangalore, India.
- Al Romaithi Khalifa, NSDI and e-government, V Arab Conference on GIS, 2004, Egypt Cairo.
- CSDC, Australia, Spatial Data Access and Pricing, Interdepartmental Committee on Spatial Data Access and Pricing, Commonwealth Spatial Data Committee (CSDC) ANZLIC, PO Box 2,Australia. Email: grahambaker@auslig.gov.au
- George Cho, 2005, Geographic Information Science Mastering the legal issues, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex, England. 2005.1-33.
- McLaughlin & Sue Nichols 2001.The Future Orientation of Geoinformation Activities in Africa A Position Paper, the Second Meeting of the Committee on Development Information, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Rhind D, 2001. Funding an NGDI. In: G. McLaughlin (Editor), Geospatial Data Infrastructure. Concepts, cases and good practice. Oxford University Press, New York.).