RIYADH: In a joint effort aimed at enhancing the performance of the geospatial sector in Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services signed a partnership agreement with the General Authority for Survey and Geospatial Information to provide reliable geography and mapping information.
The agreement, signed at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh, aims to raise the level of business planning, unify efforts, avoid duplication, and raise the efficiency of government spending in the survey and geospatial information sector, according to a press release.
This will also facilitate providing reliable and approved basic geospatial information to allow rapid access, exchange and sharing.
This step falls within the ministry’s framework of fostering qualitative partnerships with numerous governmental and non-governmental agencies to achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
The agreement aims to promote joint cooperation between the two sides in areas like data governance, the exchange of geospatial information, and the exchange of technical advice.
To officiate the deal, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Logistics Badr Abdullah Al-Dalami and President of GASGI Mohammed bin Yahya Al-Sayel inked the agreement.
According to the press release, the work will be done to transfer and localize cutting-edge technologies while developing human cadres in geospatial information fields through seminars, conferences, and workshops, the release added.
In April, GASGI participated in the inaugural meeting of the international advisory committee of its UN counterpart in Deqing, China.
During the meeting, the Kingdom presented the experience of GASGI in developing a national strategy in line with global standards prescribed by the UN’s Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre Framework.
This integrates location information to plan cities, build infrastructure, develop disaster management strategies and manage natural resources such as green spaces, water and minerals.
Last year, Saudi Arabia signed a deal with the UN to offer consultation services in the geospatial survey to boost its national capacity.
GASGI and the UN Development Program agreed on the third phase of a project that will allow the authority to improve its services and increase public awareness of its operations.
The partnership also aimed to provide the necessary infrastructure to gather data to support Saudi Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s sustainable development goal.
