An ARCHIPElAGO On OnE MAP
> GIS
An ARCHIPElAGO On OnE MAP Linda Papa, the Deputy Administrator of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, gives her take on how the Philippines is streamlining its efforts to put an entire nation on one map. Report: Clarice Africa.
T
he National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) is embarking on a multi-agency project that seeks to establish a geoportal that will serve as a system for accessing and sharing geospatial information through a common multiscale basemap.
that will facilitate the flow of information for all stakeholders. Papa remarks how most of the wealth of information generated in various government agencies remains untapped or underutilised for decisionmaking simply because it is frequently not in the proper or useful form. “With the Philippine Geoportal, we are integrating data from relevant government agencies and organisations to make geospatial data more meaningful and relevant,” she says.
Linda Papa Deputy Administrator, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority
The Philippine Geoportal is the realisation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). It will provide the mechanism for a clearinghouse network, data management and exchange standards protocols, and an institutional interface
“By doing so would give decision makers heightened situational awareness and help them have greater appreciation and understanding of its value.”
PROGRESS The Philippine Geoportal will be undergoing intensive beta testing in Metro Manila, under the leadership of NAMRIA Administrator Peter N Tiangco, prior to its full commissioning in the last quarter of 2012. The project’s stakeholders are the National Government Agencies (NGA), Local
Government Units (LGUs), the academic community and the general public. They will be providing their organisation’s fundamental datasets to the Philippine Geoportal and these include data on verticals such as agriculture, environment, health, education, national roads and infrastructure, tourism, transportation and communication, climate and natural hazards. To cite an example, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) can add the national roads; LGUs can add the local roads; the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) can add its thematic maps on forestry, mines and environment; water utilities agencies can draw their pipeline network; Barangays (villages) can add addresses to every building footprint based on a standard; and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) can tag buildings and associate the establishments that have been tax mapped. Though the project is progressing well, she reveals that they had encountered several issues and concerns relating to data sharing and coordination
PDF Editor GIS is the Platform for Government
34
>
futureGOV Asia Pacific
September - October 2012
> GIS > The Geoportal consists of several layers of spatial information such as ground control points and orthorectified imaging.
during the early stages of the project. These issues were quickly addressed and resolved thanks to various consultations and high-level meetings NAMRIA had with the stakeholder agencies directly involved in the project. She adds that NAMRIA also made significant effort in making sure it was establishing a long-term relationship with its stakeholders by providing them with resources such as laptops, software and the technical training necessary to ensure that the Philippine Geoportal is effectively supported. “Key staff from NAMRIA and
stakeholder agencies have been undergoing technical training to make sure that the information available in the geoportal is continuously updated and maintained.” “Apart from training technical staff, we also came up with information education campaigns for senior level decision-makers to keep them informed about the project and be knowledgeable about the benefits they can derive from it.” She notes that by keeping stakeholders close, it has enabled sustained interest in the project and reduced any hesitation from their part to
share data. Since the sustainability of the geoportal relies heavily on the online availability and usability of geospatial the data, NAMRIA will continue to hold its extensive information campaigns to ensure participation of data contributors in the broadest possible way.
CHALLENGES IN MAPPING THE WHOLE COUNTRy Like many government agencies, NAMRIA has fallen prey to periodic budget cuts within the past few years, resulting in
PDF Editor
esri.com/futuregov
September - October 2012
>
futureGOV Asia Pacific
35
> GIS
appreciation or support for mapping projects from policy makers is because the majority in the Philippines is not map oriented.
fragmented investments in its many mapping activities. Historically, the agency has relied heavily on Official Development Assistance (ODA) from bilateral and multilateral agencies to do its mapping projects. While foreign assistance may have been of substantial help, the funding is usually intermittent, thus resulting in fragmented and poorly orchestrated investments. In addition, the funds allocated would not be enough to cover the cost of mapping the entire country and are usually only enough to cover a particular region or island.
Clarice Africa Senior Journalist FutureGov Magazine To advocate Geo literacy it is important to engage and communicate the goals of GIS, such that the stakeholders involved will embrace the idea through their own volition and without much convincing.
“A major challenge that we have now is in updating the data, since most of the data provided have been from previous projects. This is where we want to be careful because it puts the integrity of the data available in the geoportal at risk of being questioned.” Papa adds that perhaps a contributing factor as to why there is a low level of
However, the onset of several web-based applications such as Google Earth and Google Maps has emphasised the importance of location information and served as a wakeup call for policy makers that maps are important in almost every aspect of decision making in the government. “Maps now are not like the paper-based maps we had ten years ago, where information was limited and you didn’t have the nitty gritty details that made you feel like you’re really well-informed. The maps we have now are more interactive and give us real situational awareness, and we are quite pleased that our policy makers now know the value of what they are investing in.” The project is being funded through the e-Government fund and has a total budget of Php 600 million (USD 14 million) over a three-year implementation period. “The Philippine government has really prioritised the acquisition of data for the whole country: so this year, we are pleased that we have been provided with the funds to enable us to pursue this project and as well as acquire new high resolution data for the whole country,” says Papa.
THE JOURNEy AHEAD The Philippine Geoportal has already earned international recognition: in July 2012, it won the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award. The SAG Awards ceremony is held at the annual Esri International User Conference and presided over by Jack Dangermond, the President and Founder of Esri. While Papa is aware that there are high expectations for the geoportal, she stresses that its overall success does not solely depend on NAMRIA alone. “It’s a collaborative vision, one that is growing, and it’s not only about making sure that we upload the data online; it’s also about making sure that data are being used.” She shares that for the succeeding phases of the geoportal, the agency is considering using emerging trends and platforms such as mobile applications, crowdsourcing or volunteered geographic information and other geospatial processing services. “We are very open to considering whatever existing trends there are and looking at how useful they might be to our own development. By doing so, we can potentially reduce any operational costs and look at the possibility of opening up other development activities that complement the geoportal,” she concludes.
futureGOV Asia Pacific
September - October 2012
An ARCHIPElAGO On OnE MAP Linda Papa, the Deputy Administrator of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, gives her take on how the Philippines is streamlining its efforts to put an entire nation on one map. Report: Clarice Africa.
T
he National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) is embarking on a multi-agency project that seeks to establish a geoportal that will serve as a system for accessing and sharing geospatial information through a common multiscale basemap.
that will facilitate the flow of information for all stakeholders. Papa remarks how most of the wealth of information generated in various government agencies remains untapped or underutilised for decisionmaking simply because it is frequently not in the proper or useful form. “With the Philippine Geoportal, we are integrating data from relevant government agencies and organisations to make geospatial data more meaningful and relevant,” she says.
Linda Papa Deputy Administrator, National Mapping and Resource Information Authority
The Philippine Geoportal is the realisation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). It will provide the mechanism for a clearinghouse network, data management and exchange standards protocols, and an institutional interface
“By doing so would give decision makers heightened situational awareness and help them have greater appreciation and understanding of its value.”
PROGRESS The Philippine Geoportal will be undergoing intensive beta testing in Metro Manila, under the leadership of NAMRIA Administrator Peter N Tiangco, prior to its full commissioning in the last quarter of 2012. The project’s stakeholders are the National Government Agencies (NGA), Local
Government Units (LGUs), the academic community and the general public. They will be providing their organisation’s fundamental datasets to the Philippine Geoportal and these include data on verticals such as agriculture, environment, health, education, national roads and infrastructure, tourism, transportation and communication, climate and natural hazards. To cite an example, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) can add the national roads; LGUs can add the local roads; the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) can add its thematic maps on forestry, mines and environment; water utilities agencies can draw their pipeline network; Barangays (villages) can add addresses to every building footprint based on a standard; and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) can tag buildings and associate the establishments that have been tax mapped. Though the project is progressing well, she reveals that they had encountered several issues and concerns relating to data sharing and coordination
PDF Editor GIS is the Platform for Government
34
>
futureGOV Asia Pacific
September - October 2012
> GIS > The Geoportal consists of several layers of spatial information such as ground control points and orthorectified imaging.
during the early stages of the project. These issues were quickly addressed and resolved thanks to various consultations and high-level meetings NAMRIA had with the stakeholder agencies directly involved in the project. She adds that NAMRIA also made significant effort in making sure it was establishing a long-term relationship with its stakeholders by providing them with resources such as laptops, software and the technical training necessary to ensure that the Philippine Geoportal is effectively supported. “Key staff from NAMRIA and
stakeholder agencies have been undergoing technical training to make sure that the information available in the geoportal is continuously updated and maintained.” “Apart from training technical staff, we also came up with information education campaigns for senior level decision-makers to keep them informed about the project and be knowledgeable about the benefits they can derive from it.” She notes that by keeping stakeholders close, it has enabled sustained interest in the project and reduced any hesitation from their part to
share data. Since the sustainability of the geoportal relies heavily on the online availability and usability of geospatial the data, NAMRIA will continue to hold its extensive information campaigns to ensure participation of data contributors in the broadest possible way.
CHALLENGES IN MAPPING THE WHOLE COUNTRy Like many government agencies, NAMRIA has fallen prey to periodic budget cuts within the past few years, resulting in
PDF Editor
esri.com/futuregov
September - October 2012
>
futureGOV Asia Pacific
35
> GIS
appreciation or support for mapping projects from policy makers is because the majority in the Philippines is not map oriented.
fragmented investments in its many mapping activities. Historically, the agency has relied heavily on Official Development Assistance (ODA) from bilateral and multilateral agencies to do its mapping projects. While foreign assistance may have been of substantial help, the funding is usually intermittent, thus resulting in fragmented and poorly orchestrated investments. In addition, the funds allocated would not be enough to cover the cost of mapping the entire country and are usually only enough to cover a particular region or island.
Clarice Africa Senior Journalist FutureGov Magazine To advocate Geo literacy it is important to engage and communicate the goals of GIS, such that the stakeholders involved will embrace the idea through their own volition and without much convincing.
“A major challenge that we have now is in updating the data, since most of the data provided have been from previous projects. This is where we want to be careful because it puts the integrity of the data available in the geoportal at risk of being questioned.” Papa adds that perhaps a contributing factor as to why there is a low level of
However, the onset of several web-based applications such as Google Earth and Google Maps has emphasised the importance of location information and served as a wakeup call for policy makers that maps are important in almost every aspect of decision making in the government. “Maps now are not like the paper-based maps we had ten years ago, where information was limited and you didn’t have the nitty gritty details that made you feel like you’re really well-informed. The maps we have now are more interactive and give us real situational awareness, and we are quite pleased that our policy makers now know the value of what they are investing in.” The project is being funded through the e-Government fund and has a total budget of Php 600 million (USD 14 million) over a three-year implementation period. “The Philippine government has really prioritised the acquisition of data for the whole country: so this year, we are pleased that we have been provided with the funds to enable us to pursue this project and as well as acquire new high resolution data for the whole country,” says Papa.
THE JOURNEy AHEAD The Philippine Geoportal has already earned international recognition: in July 2012, it won the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award. The SAG Awards ceremony is held at the annual Esri International User Conference and presided over by Jack Dangermond, the President and Founder of Esri. While Papa is aware that there are high expectations for the geoportal, she stresses that its overall success does not solely depend on NAMRIA alone. “It’s a collaborative vision, one that is growing, and it’s not only about making sure that we upload the data online; it’s also about making sure that data are being used.” She shares that for the succeeding phases of the geoportal, the agency is considering using emerging trends and platforms such as mobile applications, crowdsourcing or volunteered geographic information and other geospatial processing services. “We are very open to considering whatever existing trends there are and looking at how useful they might be to our own development. By doing so, we can potentially reduce any operational costs and look at the possibility of opening up other development activities that complement the geoportal,” she concludes.
futureGOV Asia Pacific
September - October 2012
