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Metadata Clearinghouse and Open Access to Geographic Data in Namibia

Content?. Namibia at a glance Namibia towards EIS/NSDIAccess to Geographical DataMetadata Clearinghouse. . Namibia at a glance ?. Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 22% Conservation and parks: 17% Others: 11 % (2002 est.).

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Metadata Clearinghouse and Open Access to Geographic Data in Namibia

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    1. Metadata Clearinghouse and Open Access to Geographic Data in Namibia N. E. Noongo & N. E. Willemse Environmental Information Systems Ministry of Environment and Tourism

    2. Content… Namibia at a glance Namibia towards EIS/NSDI Access to Geographical Data Metadata Clearinghouse

    3. Namibia at a glance … Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 22% Conservation and parks: 17% Others: 11 % (2002 est.)

    4. Namibia at a glance … Climate: Typically desert climate - hot and dry with sparse and erratic rainfall

    5. Namibia towards EIS/NSDI… “You can only manage things that you measure”

    6. Namibia towards EIS/NSDI…

    7. Namibia towards EIS/NSDI… The construction of EIS was initiated at MET in 1998 Main objective: To develop communication mechanisms to promote and encourage dissemination of environmental data/information EIS seeks to provide the infrastructure needed to support the collection, maintenance and collection of geographical information in Namibia. A significant aspect of this effort is ensuring complete and efficient access to data.

    8. Namibia towards EIS/NSDI… Funding: Governments of Namibia and Finland EIS activities incorporated in MET structure by establishing an EIS Unit

    9. Access to Geographical Data… Data Access Policy The policy on data access has been a subject of discussions in many forums. A number of resolutions have been passed by the professional bodies at the end of their seminars, workshops and meetings This approach, “uncoordinated effort”, is not effective neither it is appropriate for such an important subject.

    10. Access to Geographical Data… EIS Unit was thus shaped to be an information hub; coordinating efforts of various stakeholder on monitoring data sharing and data facilitation issues . EMIN was established in 2001. A network of data collectors and users including line ministries, NGO’s and private companies NSDI Committee was established. Main responsibilities in data sharing/exchange policy, data storage and facilitation standards/guidelines, metadata standards.

    11. Access to Geographical Data… Data Access Policy In the current situation, a cabinet paper on data access is being reviewed for formulation of data sharing/exchange/access policy. The paper addresses: Matters on the development of policies for the exchange of geographical data and information in Namibia

    12. Access to Geographical Data… Data standards Data standards allow compatibility and interoperability of data. At current EIS is developing standards for implementing the NSDI, to align available national data standards, with respect to format, content, interoperability, classifications and data exchange. Eventually, to align with the work of the SADC data standards and International Standards Technical Committee (ISO/TC211)

    13. Access to Geographical Data…

    14. Access to Geographical Data… Data accessibility EIS has produced several Environmental Information Products, e.g. Atlas of Namibia (2002), Regional Profiles. These are based on data/information given by various stakeholders. All that data are made readily available and accessible through the Internet.

    18. Access to Geographical Data… Environmental Portal (MET) www.dea.met.gov.na Metadata base Searchable library databases Downloadable research publications Policies and Legislations Descriptions and contact details for on-going projects Links to other natural resource sites as well as access to a variety of geographic and textural resource data.

    19. Access to Geographical Data… Data accessibility The digital format used for vectors data is ArcView Shapefile efficient digital format, supported on many computing platforms Imagery and raster data are distributed in Idrisi 32 or ERDAS’ img format All data is compressed using the zip-algorithm

    23. Access to Geographical Data… Data cost All data produced by EIS are free of charge. Some government institutions e.g. Surveyor General have cost recovery mechanisms for providing data. Many of the NGO’s work closely with the Government ministries. Data are produced and shared normally without cost involved.

    24. Metadata Clearinghouse… Current status All data distributed is accompanied by a metadata Metadata records conform to the current FDGC standards with the addition of some extension agreed to meet the Namibian needs

    25. Metadata Clearinghouse… We intend to transfer to the ISO metadata standard as soon as it is available.

    27. Metadata Clearinghouse… Political support Coordination and cooperation Survey tool questionnaire and follow ups

    28. Metadata Clearinghouse… Making it work To allow users to more efficiently access and utilize the metadata and, To develop an infrastructure in Namibia to collect, maintain and supply consistent metadata for all datasets, EIS hosts a national metadata directory on its website.

    29. Thank you !

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