Products and Services SA Spatial Data Infrastructure Implementation of SA Spatial Data InfrastructureImplementation of SA Spatial Data Infrastructure
The Spatial Data Infrastructure Act, 2003 was passed by Parliament in December 2003. The President assented to the Act in February 2004. The aim of the Spatial Data Infrastructure Act (Act No.54 of 2003) is to provide for the establishment of the South African Spatial Data Infrastructure (SASDI) in order to regulate the collection, management, maintenance, integration, distribution and utilization of spatial/geographic information. NGI is a major role player in the implementation of South African Spatial Data Infrastructure (SASDI).
The Act promotes the efficient and effective use of state resources by the sharing of the information among the different spheres of government.
It gives effect to the constitutional right of access to information held by the State.. A co-ordinated approach to building SDI is motivated both by the fact that it is cost-effective, as well as necessary to ensure that information from diverse sources can be integrated readily and meaningfully. The need for cost-effectiveness is all the more pressing where resources are limited.
To achieve the said objectives, the Act establishes the Committee for Spatial Information whose function is to advise the Minister, the Director-General or an organ of state dealing with spatial information on any matter regarding the capture, management, maintenance, integration, distribution and use of spatial information. In appointing members to the Committee, the Minister have due regard to the Committee for Spatial Information principles contained in section 5 of the SDI Act: the diversity of interests, the need to ensure and promote gender, disability and other demographic representation. Each organisation nominates a primary member and an alternate member to ensure continued participation in the activities of the CSI. Members are required to set a strategic direction for the development and implementation of the SASDI and to address matters related to spatial information to ensure that maximum benefit is derived from investments in spatial information.
SASDI TECHNICAL PLATFORM
A metadata database (the Spatial Metadata Discovery, or SMD) is available through the internet. The SMD contains around 500 records on spatial data holdings within both public and private sectors and is searchable through a variety of different interfaces (see http://nsif.dla.gov.za ) The map interface used includes the identified framework data sets, in order to promote the use of certain standard base datasets. In itself, it provides viewing access to key spatial data sets, which may in fact be sufficient to meet the less sophisticated use. "
Figure 1: SMD Framework