UNSDI.HU website attacted 420 visitors from 49 countries in July

Last 15 visitors as displayed by ShinyStat. Image Visuals resource, 2007

United Nations, Japanese Ministry of Education, University of Jena, European Commission among the visitors of the last several hours

Breakdown by countries: Hungary 23%, USA 22%, The Netherlands 9%, Germany 5%, United Kingdom 4%, India, Canada, Italy,Austria, Japan, European Institutions etc.

The GeoVisitor sketch of the geographical distribution of the http://www.unsdi.hu/ site visitors of the past 24 hours.

Contribution SDIC HUNAGI to the panel discussion at the 13th EC GI&GIS Workshop

Even this commercial wristwatch of today is using process control, based on the time service of an ultra-precise clock and a regular radio communication from thousand km distance. Guess if the Internet, PC and GNSS capabilities will be added within a decade... Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2006

The 4th dimension - the temporality in GI/GIS -

the potentials are unlimited
The importance of the time aspect, the temporal dimension was underlined. The slightly enhanced version of the merit of the HUNAGI comment is as follows:
While the excellent presentation on the Healtcare GIS in the Environment II Session was focusing on GIS based monitoring and reporting having an impact on the policy planning and legislation amendments in month and years on the time scale, many GI/GIS application environments needs feedbacks with a turnaround time in days and weeks. But the indoor and outdoor sensors, measurement devices and wireless intercommucation technologies today allow also near-real time feedbacks and control with decisions on reactions in minutes and hours. The timescale and temporal resolutions are extremely important aspects in many applications from disaster mitigation to healthcare and from history-GIS to geoscience and life science related investigations. Meteorology is the best example, how their operational services can facilitate the daily life and human activities based on full 4 dimension modelling, simulation and forecasting.
It is encouraged to improve the INSPIRE legislation framework on a longer run taken into account the potentials of the 4th dimension, which is not only a subject of research but also innovation and daily practice.
Based on the exchange of views with the acknowledged expert Professor Michael K.Buckland at the 5th Digital Earth Symposium held at UC Berkeley recently, by invitation HUNAGI is now looking for committed experts who can join the team dealing with the temporal changes of objects and phenomena of the real world, which are usually represented by maps and databases having validity only for a given time or timeframe.

AfricaGIS 2007 - A UN SPIDER Announcement

Africa GIS 2007
will be held in Burkina Faso

From our daily mail: SPIDER Programme Coordinator Mr. David Stevens of the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs wrote:
Dear Colleagues,
Please find attached the announcement/information of the next IEEE GEOSS Workshop - The User and the GEOSS Architecture which will be held inBurkina Faso just before the planned AfricaGIS 2007. This is the 17thworkshop in this series of workshops. These workshops have beencontributing in a significant way to bringing the user community to GEO andUNOOSA has been promoting and participating in several of these meetings.
If you are planning to attend AfricaGIS 2007 (http://www.africagis2007.gov.bf/) then you should definitely plan toattend this workshop as well.If you would like to receive further info please contact (please do notcontact me as I will just be forwarding your e-mail directly to him): Mr. Jay PearlmanTelephone ++1 (253) 773 5419, Fax ++1 (253) 773 2772email: jay.pearlman@boeing.com RegardsDavid (See attached file: AfricaGIS 2007 GEOSS Workshop.pdf)
David Stevens Programme Coordinator UN-SPIDER United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Vienna - AustriaTel. ++43-(1)-26060-5631 - Skype: tazarkountFAX ++43-(1)-260607-5631 - E-Mail david.stevens@unvienna.org

Setting up formal communication between HUNAGI and SAGI

In line with the preparatory actions related to the EUROGI Industry Day (will be held later this year), with the helpful assistance of Mr. Jiri Hiess, President of CAGI a successful link has been established between Ms. Dagmar Kusendova, Chair of SAGI, the National GI Association in the Slovak Republic and HUNAGI's SG. Taking the liberty based on the request of Prof. Mauro Salvemini, President of EUROGI to propose some entities from the EU12 New Members, the Hungarian member of EUROGI ExCom recommended SAGI to be invited for the EUROGI event.
Although the Industry Day is now postponed, recent communication between HUNAGI and SAGI is promising and paves also the way toward a closer collaboration of the NGIAs of the Visegrad subregion in the field of GI&GIS. Initiated by Jiri Hiess and seconded by HUNAGI, also a Summit Think Tank is foreseen.
More information on SAGI: www.sagi.sk
More information on CAGI: www.cagi.cz

e-Government Conference under the PT Presidency

Lisbon downtown riverside. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

e-Government Conference under the EU PT Presidency in Lisbon

4th Ministerial e-Gov Conference will be held as part of the PT Semester in Lisbon 19-21 September 2007.

The European eGov Awarding 2007 is a part of the event More information: www.egov2007.gov.pt

New Book of Ian Masser now about the European SDIs

Cover photo: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007


New, comprehensive book on the European SDI

Published by ESRI Book Series, Professor Ian Masser, former President of AGILE, EUROGI and GSDI wrote his second book devoted to Spatial Data Infrastructures focusing on Europe. The book was actually announced at the ESRI Users Conference in San Diego this summer and generously distributed also for the participants of the gala dinner of the 13th European Commission GI–GIS Workshop held in Porto, Portugal

eContentplus - New Call announced on 7th July.

New Call for Proposals in the eContentplus programme
From our daily mail, a letter from the eContentplus HelpDesk:
Dear Sir/Madam,
You have asked to be informed about the eContentplus programme.
We are pleased to inform you that the eContentPlus work programme and call for proposals have been adopted by the Commission on 6 July 2007, and that the eContentplus 2007 call announcement was published in the Official Journal on 7 July 2007.
You will find all informations on: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/econtentplus/calls/proposals/index_en.htm
The eContentplus helpdesk is at your disposal for any questions you may have.
Best regards,
eContentplus HelpDesk

ExCom Meeting of EUROGI made important decisions

The second part of the Meeting was hosted by the Mercure Hotel in Porto. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007

The Meeting held in Porto on 6-7 July 2007 discussed many items in light of the INSPIRE developments and the conclusions of the 13th GI&GIS Workshop.

Some of the participants on the image from left to right:

Joao Geirinhas, Pascale DiDonato, John Leonard, Daniel Holweg, Bruce McCormack, President Mauro Salvemini, Isabel Barros, Rene Sonnay, Sebastian and Antti Vertanen.

Two of the ExCom members are Members of the EU INSPIRE Committee namely Sebastian representing Spain and Antti Vertanen representing Finland.

Jelle U. Hielkema voted unanimously as Director of the EUROGI WAG International Affairs

Henry the Navigator. Statue in Porto. Image: HUNAGI Visuals resource, 2007
As the former director of WAG IA became member of the Executive Committee of EUROGI, the vacant place was open for candidate nominees. The application of Jelle U. Hielkema as candidate of AM/FM Italy was approved by the ExCom on its meeting on 6th July 2007 in Porto. He was introduced by the SG of HUNAGI, the former director of the WAG IA.

13th EC GI&GIS Workshop

The historical custom house now converted to the Porto Conference Center, site of the Workshop Image: HUNAGI Visuals resources, 2007
Summary on conclusions will come soon