Asia-Pacific region and SDI activities

Asia and Pacific region is the largest region in the world with a vast geographic area of land and water, some 60 per cent of the world's population and includes 55 countries as defined by the United Nations. The countries span a wide part of the globe from Iran and Armenia in the west to French Polynesia in the east, from the Russian Federation and Japan in the north to New Zealand in the south. This region is one of the first regions in the world that has started to develop Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) for its regional level and has a complex social and political environment, typified by competing and often conflicting priorities and motivations. Every case in this region is unique because of its national context, language and characteristics (such as size, population, political systems, social and economic priorities, and varied infrastructures and skills), the national traditional and cultural attitudes, and the people who participate, develop and use SDIs. In this region, spatial data and Information is traditionally collected and disseminated by a range of mandated national organisations according to a wide variety of national standards. A major difficulty in relation to these types of data and information is a lack of coordination. This article aims to draw a picture of the status of SDI development at different political and administrative levels in this region. The main focus would be on institutional arrangements, technological, social and economic dimensions which affect the SDI growth nationally and regionally in this region. To achieve this aim, the article starts by reviewing regional cooperation in this region and providing a brief description of the past and current status of spatial data and information in this region. Then it discusses the need for SDI development followed by a discussion of its concept. Based on that, the article then reviews the Asia-Pacific SDI activities, mainly at national and regional levels including the structure and activities of its coordinating committee