The newsletter from August about Spatial Data Infrastructures in Latin America and the Caribbean (SDI-LAC) is now available in portuguese, spanish and english. Click here to download.
Assisting the free access to the information on Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) to the users, the Association for the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) has been making newsletters on SDI, available in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (SDI-LAC), and in Asia and Pacific (SDI-AP).
The newsletter SDI-LAC concentrates on aspects of the SDI and on GIS, remote sensing and the administration of data in Latin America and the Caribbean, related with SDI. It aims to create consciousness, to provide useful information for the invigoration of national initiatives of SDI and to support the synchronization of regional efforts.
The Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (IPGH), member entity of GSDI, and of the Permanent Committee for the Infrastructure of Spatial Data of America (CP-IDEA), promote the development of SDI in the area. The newsletter is prepared to GSDI by IPGH.
The Portuguese version of the SDI-LAC Newsletter was first published between November, 2007 and February, 2009, and now is being published again, since August, 2011, thanks to a group of volunteers located in several states of Brazil, in the United States and Canada.
Highlights of this edition: The Global and Regional SDI section comprises a Call for Papers on Volunteered Geographic Information; UNGIWG Becomes OGC Member; SIRGAS Meeting 2012; GeoSUR’s Participation in OGC and GSDI Committees; e-Science Commitment for Latin America; The Mesoamerican Land Information System for Disaster Risk Management; 8th FIG Regional Conference in Uruguay; Latin America Geospatial Forum (LAGF) 2012; and the UN International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Management. The IGS section includes a call for membership. The National SDI segment informs on GEOBOLIVIA meetings at Departmental level; 1st IDECA Virtual Learning Environment in Colombia; Cuba’s Generic Map Viewer Version 3.0; RedCEDIA SDI in Ecuador; Government progresses on building the Jamaican SDI; Panama’s IPDE 2011 Annual Report; and Peru’s CCIDEP 2012 National Spatial Data Policy. Articles and Publications of the month comprise comments on Argentina’s IDEF Newsletter No.1; and the article on Remote Sensing Emerges as an Important Tool for Habitat and Species Conservation. Geospatial Research and Applications underline INPE’s Launch of a New Platform for the Monitoring of Natural Disasters; Application of GIS to Improve Environmental Sustainability in Nicaragua; Colombian Aerospace Development Forum; FAO-ILC Project on landportal.info; and free gvSIG and I3GEO software to join forces. The Training and Funding Opportunities section encompasses calls for relevant initiatives including the International Seminar on Open Environmental Data in Latin America. Finally, several Events taking place in the Americas are listed in the last section.