The UN Integrated Geospatial Information Framework - Strengthening geospatial information management

The UN Integrated Geospatial Information Framework

The UN Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF) was developed by UN-GGIM in collaboration with the World Bank as a guide to support governments in the development and strengthening of integrated geospatial information management practices and their inclusion in national plans and strategies. It is also intended to be used as a tool for engagement that will lead to better “coordination, collaboration and coherence across government when working towards strengthening national geospatial information management” (UN-IGIF Part 1 p. 25). The framework was first developed as a means to support and guide lower to middle income countries in the development and strengthening of their own geospatial information management practices and related infrastructures. However, the broader benefits to many high income and developed countries also become apparent as the framework was developed due to its "integrative and inclusive strategic nature" (ibid. p. 1) and it has been applied much more widely than originally intended.

Through an overarching strategic framework, implementation guide, and templates and guides to create and implement country-level action plans, and its seven underpinning principles, eight goals and nine strategic pathways, the framework “creates an enabling environment where national governments can coordinate, develop, strengthen and promote efficient and effective use and sharing of geospatial information for policy formulation, decision-making and innovation” (ibid. p. 9). Both the GSGF and UN-IGIF, by design, allow flexibility to ensure that a range of statistical and geospatial capabilities can be accommodated, which is particularly useful for less-developed countries.

The UN-IGIF is presented as three separate, though interconnected, parts:

Part 1 takes the form of an Overarching Strategic Framework which presents a comprehensive overview of the UN-IGIF, sharing its key strategic messages and policy drivers. It presents the benefits of the framework, the drivers for change, and barriers to success which need to be overcome. It sets out why integrated geospatial information management is critical to sustainable development, both at national and global levels, particularly focusing on the framework's vision, mission, underlying principles, goals and strategic pathways. The Overarching Strategic Framework is designed to be read by a wide variety of stakeholders, especially decision-makers from institutions and organisations within and across government.

Part 2, the Implementation Guide, is a set of documents which provide specific guidance and detailed information on the actions which should be undertaken when implementing the framework as a means of solving the puzzle. The documents expand on each of the nine strategic pathways, presenting both strategic and operational needs, and sharing important guiding principles, actions, deliverables, outcomes and resources that enable governments to establish "nationally integrated geospatial information frameworks in countries in such a way that transformational change is enabled, visible and sustainable" (UN-IGIF Part 1 p. 8).

Part 3 consists of documentation to support the development of Country-Level Action Plans that operationalise the framework within unique national (and sub-national) contexts, through the provision of specific guides, recommended tasks and templates. Topics include stakeholder identification, a baseline survey, gap analysis, and needs assessment for example. The documents present the purpose of specific tasks and the methods to be undertaken which are clearly outlined in a series of detailed steps. These resources provide an important means to support countries in the preparation and implementation of their own action plans which take account of specific national circumstances and priorities.

Adopting the UN-IGIF has clear benefits

These benefits transcend across the three development pillars of society, the economy and the environment, and will help to address the many challenges we face such as climate change, global health issues, political conflict, and poverty. The UN-IGIF provides a mechanism for countries to take action and bridge the geospatial digital divide for the benefit of all.

Looking ahead

The UN Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information (EG-ISGI) has recognised the importance of the UN-IGIF as an enabler to the Global Statistical Geospatial Framework (which was presented in our previous post). The UN-GGIM Decision 12/108 highlighted the importance of leveraging the UN-IGIF for the statistical domain, to strengthen its linkages with the GSGF, and enhance the value that geospatial data can bring to statistical production. As part of their Work Plan 2022 - 2024, the EG-ISGI is currently working to identify a set of actions that expand upon the UN-IGIF for the statistical domain, including the development of a white paper on the subject.

There is also exciting work being undertaken across the European region as James Norris, International Policy Lead at Ordnance Survey (UK) and Chair of the UN-GGIM: Europe Working Group on Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, describes:

In Europe, the UN-GGIM: Europe Working Group on Integrated Geospatial Information Framework has been actively promoting the UN-IGIF within our Region. We were really pleased to be able to participate in the Joint UNECE, Eurostat, UN-GGIM Europe Workshop on Integration of Geospatial and Statistical Data and to see it focusing on the the themes of Effective Governance, Data and Technology, and People and Partnerships. It was also important to hear from Member States on the different ways that they are implementing the UN-IGIF. Looking forward into 2024 our focus is to continue delivering our Regional webinar series. This will build on the webinar An Introduction to the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, and will be a more in-depth look at the different methodologies that Member States can use to implement the UN-IGIF, we hope that you will be able to join this discussion. It is also important for us to hear from you about how you are implementing the UN-IGIF and to develop case studies that can be shared. Please do get in touch if you'd like to share your experiences. 

With all these activities and support forthcoming, there is never a better time to adopt the UN-IGIF and realise its many benefits!

Next time . . .

We will present an exciting new R package which has recently been developed, allowing users to seamlessly integrate two GIS data sources by pre-processing, cleansing, and unifying the data based on common attributes. This package may solve all your technical problems so won't want to miss this! Until next time!