GSDI Grant Program

Geographic information systems (GIS) are an important technology for managing spatial information at local, regional, national, and global levels. Digital map data is used for managing the natural environment, economic planning, emergency response, conservation, public health programs, and a variety of other challenges facing society in the twenty-first century.

For the past decade, a network of national, regional, and international organizations and individuals have discussed a vision of constructing a Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) involving the development and open sharing of digital map data. This framework is promoted by the GSDI Association and its members. The realization of this vision is to map the entire land area of the globe at a 1-km resolution and better, with boundaries, drainage systems, transportation networks, population centers, elevation, land cover, land use, and vegetation.

Over the same time period the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM) has been working to develop Global Map, a digital map at 1:1 million scale with eight data layers. At present, 151 nations and 16 regions are involved in Global Map. A key element has been that participating nations are trained to complete and verify their own contribution to Global Map. The ISCGM and GSDI Association are working in close cooperation to support the development of geographic data sharing in the context of a GSDI.

At the GSDI-5 conference in 2001, a grant program was announced to provide GIS software and training for participant organizations in honor of Professor Jack Estes, the original chair of ISCGM. To date, over 100 countries have become participants. The purpose of this letter is to invite organizations that are not yet participating to apply for the grant. The attached documents outline the grant components.

The grant program is a valuable resource for national mapping organizations or spatial data development organizations that are leading the effort to build a national spatial data infrastructure within a country and that are, or wish to become, participants in Global Map. These are important steps toward the achievement of a more sustainable world, which was specifically recognized at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002.

But it is also an important step toward the achievement of a Global Map. Participation is key. If you have not already, please coordinate with your colleagues to make a grant application. You can access more information at www.gsdi.org or www.iscgm.org.

Please refer to the following documents for specific details of the Global Map/GSDI Grant program.

• Global Map/GSDI Grant Application Request Form
• Global Map Participation Form [PDF]

If you have any further questions, please send an e-mail to sdigrants@esri.com or your local ESRI International Distributor.