STRATEGIC CHALLENGES FOR NATIONAL MAPPING AGENCIES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
J. Kure, F.A.A.F. Amer
Associate Professors
ITC, Department of Geoinformatics, P.0. Box 6, Enschede, The Netherlands, ISPRS Commission VI
ABSTRACT:
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perspective that has to be implemented.
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INTRODUCTION
live in a world of increasing rapid change,
that is further complicated by the fact that
the importance assigned to these changes varies
with the view used to observe them. As a
result, the world becomes more divided with
regard to finding solutions for its problems.
Prince Claus of the Netherlands put this aptly
as follows, in an address to the 1991 World
Conference of the Society for International
Development:
"The world of the 1990's will be neither one
world nor several. It is likely to be one world
and many. It will be increasingly united by
some problems and increasingly divided by
others. It will be even more complex than it is
today and, while the imperatives of development
will be even more compelling, there will be no
clear hierarchy of issues and purpose. Against
a growing background of complexity and frag-
mentation, there will be no obvious answers to
many of the problems on the global agenda."
. This complexity in the issues involved can also
be found in the surveying and mapping world. As
a result, National Mapping Agencies (NMA’s) are
faced with the unenviable task of re-appraising
their role in the light of these changes, which
include the emergence of an information
society.
1988 and 1991 for the
discuss just these
ITC hosted seminars in
executives of NMA’s
problems. This paper, summarising the chal-
lenges facing NMA’s in the fields of deter-
mining their future role, in organisational
issues, in technological issues, in social
issues, in economic issues and in educational
issues, is largely drawn from the conclusions
reached at these workshops and has been pre-
pared for presentation at this ISPRS Congress
in Washington for the sake of passing on the
experience gained from the NMA executives
attending the workshops.
to
THE EXISTING ROLE OF NMA's
NMA’s throughout the world differ considerably
in terms of their organisational structure and
current responsibilities. This is reflected by
the fact that:
- some of the NMA's report to the head of
government, whilst others report to a
minister of a major user department such as
defence, lands or natural resources
- some agencies only have a central office,
whilst others are supported by regional
offices
330
in the light of the rapid
in the surveying and mapping world, coupled with the
paper outlines the challenges faced by National Mapping Agencies to critically review the premises
of their traditional activities
taking place
social, economic and technological changes
emergence of a new information
- some NMA’s have a tradition of over 200
years, whilst others have only recently been
established
- the size also varies considerably, with staff
ranging from over 30,000 to a few hundred
- the NMA mandates also vary. Whilst
topographic surveys and geodetic network
densification and maintenance is common to
all, other responsibilities such as cadastral
surveys, hydrographic surveys, etc. are not
always part of the NMA mandate.
- differences are also found in the facilities
available for basic data collection, such as
field surveying, aerial photography, photo-
grammetry and remote sensing. In particular,
remote sensing is often under the responsi-
bility of a completely separate organisation,
sometimes even belonging to a separate
ministry.
National Mapping Agencies world-wide are facing
budget restrictions, forcing them to become
cost conscious, cost effective in terms of
carrying out their "core" activities which are
subject to funding by government, and to go to
cost recovery operations. The latter is either
a partial recovery through charges made for its
"core" services or a full recovery of the costs
incurred in "project" activities.
Core tasks of an NMA arise from the responsi-
bility that governments have to ensure law and
order and to encourage progress. The former
involves ensuring security, both internal and
external, and providing protection to the
rights of individuals to life, property and
liberty, whilst the latter requires government
involvement in the collection and maintenance
of topographic and thematic information. The
extent of this involvement is disputable, but
as a minimum requirement, governments should
interfere when it is impracticable for indi-
viduals or groups to provide this information
themselves, either through the economy of scale
(when it is less expensive for the nation as a
whole if this information is provided central-
ly) or through the economy of aggregation (when
it is cheaper to pool the
information and meet these
than in separate programmes).
varied needs for
centrally rather
Typical core tasks arising from the above
responsibility include:
- that a national geodetic network is estab-
lished and is maintained, both for scientific
purposes, such as measuring continental drift
ad for locational reference purposes in topo-
graphic surveys, thematic surveys, cadastral
surveys, GIS's, etc.
