The Ministry of Interior, represented by the GIS Security Center at Abu Dhabi Police, and in collaboration with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), launched the first testing and conformity platform for open geospatial standards in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa).
The announcement was made during the 84th Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) PC/TC Meetings and Conference, held at the Armed Forces Officers’ Club in Abu Dhabi. The Conference includes a number of workshops and presentations on means to develop data, as well as exchange expertise and international practices between participants.
Major Mohammed Saleh Al Mansouri, Director of the GIS Security Center, indicated that the platform will be launched in collaboration with a competent specialized consulting firm, to serve government, private and academic institutions, and research in the region. Moreover, he pointed out that this measure is part of the Ministry of Interior’s commitment to adopt international standards, and transfer knowledge directly from the source, to its staff in particular, and to community members in the region. This embodies the strategy of Abu Dhabi Police, which calls to invest in information and knowledge; and with its ambitious strategic initiative, to create advanced and smart GIS systems and highly qualified and educated national cadres that can take part in the science industry on the international arena.
Al Mansouri noted that the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) PC/TC Meetings and Conference discussed standards related to buildings and private facilities blueprints and maps, by adding geospatial dimensions to text messages sent from mobile phones. This initiative, submitted by members of the consortium in Taiwan, and adopted by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), can be used to locate missing persons and natural disasters victims. It allows individuals to send the text messages, with adopted geospatial standards and common language, to emergency centers, to call for help.
Al Mansouri lauded the great turnout of the geospatial community in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He noted that the Conference, organized in collaboration with the GIS Security Center and Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ASDIC), aims to acquaint the geospatial community in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, with the important open geographic standards for existing or developed geotechnical projects in the various departments of the Abu Dhabi government. It also aims to define the benefits of acquiring an OGC membership, to receive technical and scientific guidance; as well as highlight the role of the Consortium to match and approve systems, through the application of these standards, both in the acquisition or programming of these different applications in the government.
Furthermore, Al Mansouri stated that Engineer Mark Reichardt, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Open Geospatial Consortium, (OGC), underscored the important role of the government, private and academic sectors, through their representatives in the OGC, and their participation in discussing these standards for the benefit of government departments and institutions.
Commenting on the selection of the UAE to host this important international event, Reichardt stated: “The Consortium always seeks to achieve the aspirations of its members. The United Arab Emirates, represented by the Ministry of Interior, is the first member state from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. We have seen the higher leadership’s vision, and its great attention to international GIS specifications and standards. For us, it was the proper opportunity to spread international standards in the region, which can benefit society as a whole.”
Reichardt added that the OGC holds 4 meetings annually in diffe