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Spatial Data standards pencilled

Spatial Data standards pencilled

The first phase of standardisation for Spatial Data will take 2 – 5 years to fully develop, the Namibia Statistic Agency said when they hosted the first National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) workshop on standards and specifications at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST).
During the workshop NSA focused on two national specifications for the capturing and publishing of metadata and quality specifications for the purchase, capture, collection and dissemination of spatial data.
The NSDI standards relate to locational data or geographic data. They ensure that geographic information and services in Namibia are fit for providing evidence based development planning.
All government projects are spatial in nature as the geographic information that identifies the geographic location of features and boundaries. These guidelines will be later developed further through the Namibia Standards Institution (NSI) to become national standards.
Currently there are no national guidelines and standards for geographic information in Namibia, especially datasets of national coverage. Many different Organizations, Ministries, and Agencies employ various standards for documentation, quality, encoding, and dissemination of Government spatial data.
Experts in the geo-information science field attended the consultation workshop before the development of any national profile is complete.
The workshop’s intent was to develop critical specifications for geographic information through public consultations.
According to the Agency, National Spatial Data Infrastructure standards are published documents that establish specifications and procedures designed to ensure the reliability of spatial data and services people use every day.
These Standards address a range of issues such as the various rules that help ensure spatial data functionality and compatibility to facilitate easier exchange of both spatial data and services and support consumer safety and public health.

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