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GeoConnections' renewal: Charting a new course
End-users to assume the spotlight
On June 15, 2005, the Minister of Natural Resources Canada, the Honourable R. John Efford, announced $60 million in funding from the federal government to continue the GeoConnections initiative for another five years. But whereas the program's first five years were devoted to building the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), the next half-decade will be devoted to facilitating the greater use of this decision-support resource.
In other words, a number of changes are in store.
End-users in four communities of practice to fuel new direction
GeoConnections' first phase was driven by technology development, content integration, and establishing important policy and partnership foundations of the CGDI. The second phase will be driven by the needs of specific groups of CGDI users. This approach will enable GeoConnections to generate the greatest return on the federal government's investment.
GeoConnections will continue to work with existing partners and expand efforts to deploy the CGDI in four key areas: public health, public safety, sustainable development and the environment, and issues of importance to Aboriginals. The goal is to help decision-makers in these four areas use geographically based information to tackle the challenges and opportunities they face. In fact, the new GeoConnections initiative will focus on serving end-user decision-makers who need this kind of information to do their jobs—people such as ambulance dispatchers, epidemiologists, and environmental regulatory officials, for example.
To prioritize its efforts and effectively allocate funding, GeoConnections will follow a two-step process. First, we will find out what kinds of geospatial information and services users in the four target areas require most. Next, we will look for common needs across the four target areas to determine priorities. For instance, if several communities identify a certain type of framework dataset or a specific application in support of decision making, meeting those needs will become a GeoConnections priority.
Success means integrating geospatial information into day-to-day decision making
Under the new initiative, GeoConnections will help the four communities of practice share data and integrate the CGDI into their day-to-day operations. This emphasis recognizes that the CGDI's long-term viability depends on offering concrete, practical value. In fact, the new initiative's success will be measured by the degree to which decision-makers in 2010 harness the power of the CGDI and share geospatial information to address issues in the four priority areas.
Even with the shift in its mandate, GeoConnections will continue to play some familiar roles:
- partnering with federal, provincial, and territorial government agencies and private-sector companies;
- promoting data-sharing technologies and standards;
- supporting geomatics policies that reduce duplication and improve access to information via the CGDI; and
- providing national leadership, and coordinating the management board and advisory committees.
GeoConnections expects to issue opportunities for new projects in the fall of 2005. Please stay tuned for more information.
Note: News regarding funding opportunities will be posted on the website and sent to stakeholders who have subscribed to the GeoConnections stakeholder database.