Spatial data sharing policy explained |08 June 2020
Ms Adrienne (Photo: Louis Toussaint)
With a global movement geared towards open data governments, the Centre for Geographic Information Services (GIS) is working to implement the Seychelles Spatial Data Sharing Policy, recently approved by the cabinet of ministers.
The Centre for GIS, based within the Ministry of Habitat, Lands, Infrastructure and Land Transport, developed the Seychelles Spatial Data Sharing Policy in collaboration with the World Bank and other ministries, departments and agencies involved in collecting geospatial information in the country.
The policy aims to provide an enabling environment and platform for proactive sharing and open access to geospatial data created, collected and archived on a national level under public funds.
It will have to adhere to existing policies and laws, most notably the Access to Information Act (ATI) in force since 2018.
Once fully implemented, the policy expects to make issues such as data access, quality and ownership easier to manage.
GIS director, Francis Cœur de Lion, explained that spatial data are presently collected by a wide variety of organisations including the Public Health Authority, Planning Authority, National Bureau of Statistics and telecom companies.
However these data are often archived separately from each other and are not shared to the public.
The SSDSP hopes to change this by promoting data sharing and accessibility as means to help make decisions.
According to Mr Cœur de Lion, the policy will benefit community leaders, businesses, citizens, academic institutions and partner agencies.
Nonetheless data that are relevant to sensitive information and privacy will not be made available.
“We are trying to do as much as we can to facilitate open data governance and make it accessible to the public. Obviously there are information that people cannot be privy of, but according to international norms, the majority of data collected through public funds should be open to the public,” senior GIS officer, Cynthia Adrienne, explained.
Open Government Data (OGD) is a philosophy – and increasingly a set of policies – that promotes transparency, accountability and value creation by making government data available to all. By making their datasets available, public institutions become more transparent and accountable to citizens and by encouraging the use, reuse and free distribution of datasets, governments promote business creation and innovative, citizen-centric services.
The ultimate goal of the Centre for GIS is the creation of an online platform on which all of these spatial data can be accessed.
Meanwhile, the centre is now working on an electronic form which will facilitate the department of health’s contact tracing exercises for COVID-19.
Elsie Pointe