RE: [GIS-Cafe] Re: Administrative Division Map

Dear Eman,
Following are my answers to your questions from my point of view:
1- Both governmental organizations & the private sector benefit from
information infrastructure.
2- Well Experienced people.
3- I think that some companies have this infrastructure now.
4- The private sector can facilitate developing this infrastructure
according to needs & demands.
5- I think sharing data is a must ,but with copyrights.
6- May be because it's not a known directory for many people.

Best Regards,
Marwa,
GIS Specialist\Project Manager
GeoStrategies
-----Original Message-----
From: Eman Abdel_ghaffar [mailto:abdel_ghaffar@itc.nl]
Sent: Monday, May 21, 2001 12:30 PM
To: 'gis-cafe@yahoogroups.com'
Cc: 'mmostafa@idsc1.gov.eg'
Subject: RE: [GIS-Cafe] Re: Administrative Division Map

Dear GIS colleagues,

I am writing to you concerning the geospatial information availability and
sharing in Egypt.

I am currently a researcher and a student assistant in ITC, the Netherlands.
I need to have Egyptian opinions about the previously mentioned issue from
experienced persons in GIS field. Your opinion will be highly considered in
my research paper that is under development.

I will start with the same phrase that Eng. Mabrouk had started with his
last email. "It's amazing how much geodata is made available now from
several sources in Egypt".

However from my point of view, geodata availability and sharing is a major
problem in Egypt for the following reasons:

*It is difficult to know whether certain geospatial
information exists except through this respectable GIS-caf? or telephone
calls to acquaintances;
*It is difficult to decide about purchasing digital
geospatial information due to the existence of several data producers and
lack of metadata (description of resolution, data model, coverage,
updatness, etc.). Hence the geodata customer waste a considerable time in
viewing the different data in the producers' site before deciding to
purchase it;
*It is difficult to estimate its price due to market
competition and market monopoly; and
*Sometimes, it is difficult to use geospatial information
with existing information due to heterogeneity in the data and lack of
national vocabulary.

These problems from my limited experience can be only solved through
developing metadata and national vocabulary for geospatial information
(semantic, schematic and syntax). These can be offered under the umbrella of
a national information infrastructure.

I need your opinion and comments as experienced persons in the GIS field and
have good knowledge of the local Egyptian environment concerning the
following questions:

1.Who is the most beneficiary body of an information
infrastructure? Is it governmental organizations or the private sector?

2.who could take the responsibility and initiation to develop
that infrastructure and constitute the managing body?

3.why the organizations working with geospatial information
did not start developing an infrastructure up till now?

4.In case of developing the infrastructure: what role can the
private sector play?

5.In case of developing the infrastructure: are the
organizations willing to agree upon a sharing protocol?

6.With reference to the previously circulating emails that are
requesting geospatial information in the GIS-caf? : why the National digital
maps catalogue ( ) was not used both from the data
producers side to advertise their products and from the customer side to
locate the required data producers?!.

Please send your opinion and comments through either ...
Email to the group GIS caf? email : gis-cafe@yahoogroups.com
OR
Email to my personal email : abdel_ghaffar@itc.nl
OR
Fax to personal mobile number : 0031-6- 29385507
OR
Fax to department fax : 0031-53-4874335 Attention : Mrs. Abdel
Ghaffar, E.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Eman

Eman K.S. Abdel Ghaffar
Geoinformation and infrastructure division (GMI) ( http://www.itc.nl/GMI )
International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC) (
http://www.itc.nl )
Hengelosestraat 99, P.O.Box 6, 7500 AA Enschede, The Netherlands

Tel: 31-629385507; Fax: 0031-53-4874335; Email: abdel_ghaffar@itc.nl

Mideastern Cafe for GISers. Relax, discuss, and benefit!

http://www.egroups.com/group/gis-cafe/fullinfo.html

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/