D. Projects

 

Statistical and Geospatial Framework of the Americas (MEGA)

The Statistical and Geospatial Framework of the Americas (MEGA) Project is developed within the framework of the United Nations Regional Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management for the Americas (UN-GGIM: Americas), for the integration of statistical and geospatial information .

The MEGA defines an information infrastructure composed of statistical and geospatial information, which must be connected and conceptually integrated, that is, it connects the geospatial information with the statistics that describe the socioeconomic and environmental attributes. The MEGA will allow the integration of statistical and geospatial information in a unified manner for the region with common principles and standards, strengthening the dissemination for decision-making.

The MEGA is fully aligned with the five principles established by the Global Statistical and Geographic Framework developed by the global expert group for the integration of statistical and geospatial information and which deal with access and use, interoperability, provision through common geographies and georeferencing.

The version 1.0 of the MEGA conformed by:

  1. Population data by sex
  2. Housing data

Establishes 3 levels of territorial disaggregation:

  • Level 1 – Corresponding to the country
  • Level 2 – Corresponding to the next territorial level after country
  • Level 3 – Next territorial level after level 2

Regional SDI Dashboards

The interactive panel is a tool that allows users to visualize through a view geographical area, the performance of the Member States based on indicators that show the state of implementation and progress of National Geospatial Data Infrastructures in the Americas. This platform not only allows us to visualize and monitor the level of IDE development in a general, but it also allows us to observe the results of the IDE implementation for the following components: institutional aspects, human resources, geographic information and standards and technology.

Having this information makes it possible to understand the gaps that the countries of the region have in the production and use of geospatial information and, in turn, makes it possible to focus on the components that require more assistance to address regional development in these areas.

Caribbean Geospatial Development Initiative (CARIGEO)

CARIGEO is a collaborative effort among the United Nations Regional Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management for the Americas (UN-GGIM: Americas), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC), public agencies of Member States and Territories within the Caribbean, geospatial private sector organizations, academic institutions and civil society representatives, which seeks to empower the countries and territories of the Caribbean region to advance the use and sharing of geospatial, statistical and related information to support improved decision making for sustainable national and regional development.

CARIGEO Activities

2022 

CARIGEO Student Competition

This competition was designed to increase awareness and improve geospatial capacity toward sustainable development. This objective was to inspire the next generation of sustainability leaders through spatial thinking and data visualization. Organized by UN-GGIM Americas, CARIGEO and Esri.

 

2021

Caribbean Geoportal webinar series 

With the goal of closing the digital divide in land management, CARIGEO initiative launched a series of four webinars in 2021, crucial for the future of the Caribbean. The first session in this series not only celebrated the launch and implementation of the Caribbean Geoportal, but also solidified a community of practice dedicated to open data sharing. Through these sessions, the technical foundations were laid that now allow the region to address critical challenges such as climate change and natural disaster management with better tools.

Webinar #4 Caribbean Geoportal: Good decisions need good data… a look at best practices on data sharing (Sep. 2021)

The fourth webinar in the Caribbean Geoportal series, held on September 21, 2021, focused on best practices for data sharing to support better decision-making, highlighting how geospatial data and digital tech drive development, exploring the UN-IGIF framework, and sharing country experiences in data management for resilient prosperity in the Caribbean. Key themes included the Regional Environmental Information ecosystem (REIS), practical implementation of geospatial strategies, and fostering data exchange for sustainable goals.  + More

Webinar #3 Caribbean Geoportal: Geographical names standardization supporting national development (Aug 2021)

The third webinar in the Caribbean Geoportal series, held on August 31, 2021, aimed to support Caribbean national mapping and geospatial organizations in building awareness of the importance of standardizing geographical names and establishing national names authorities. It was organized by UN-GGIM: Americas, CARIGEO Initiative, ECLAC and the UN Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN). +More

Webinar #2 Caribbean Geoportal: Leveraging the Caribbean GeoPortal for Disaster Planning and Management (Jun 2021)

The second webinar in the Caribbean Geoportal series was a strategic technical session held on June 22, 2021. Organized by the CARIGEO initiative in collaboration with Esri, NASA, and the UN-GGIM Working Group on Disasters, the event focused on empowering Caribbean nations to use geospatial data for crisis preparedness and response. +More

Webinar #1 Caribbean Geoportal: Caribbean GeoPortal for Users (Apr 2021)

The first webinar in the Caribbean Geoportal series titled "Learn How You Can Use the Caribbean GeoPortal," was the foundational session of the CARIGEO webinar series, held on April 21, 2021. This session was designed as an introductory guide for both new and experienced users to understand the full potential of the platform. The purpose was provide a comprehensive walkthrough of the portal’s capabilities, focusing on how users can access free data, tools, and analytical services for regional development and environmental management. +More

 

CARIGEO presentations at some events

Links:

Workshop “The GIS process and geospatial analysis” October 7-8, 2019

Links:

Presentations

 

Digital Earth of the Americas


A vision to provide critical Earth observation information and capacity building to benefit the Americas.

With the support and participation of key stakeholders and a proven ODC implementation approach, it is possible to bring together users from the Americas region to create an open, sovereign and operational knowledge network at the country level in data analysis, use and management of evidence-based policies, decisions and actions.

Earth observations have demonstrated the ability to support local and national decision-making, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a series of successful Open Data Cube (ODC) country-level initiatives around the world. . More recently this has been demonstrated at the regional level with Digital Earth Africa. The demand of the countries and the different national implementations (Mexico, Colombia and Brazil) have shown that the Americas are ready for a similar path.

While data and technology are available from many sources around the world, there are still significant challenges with data access and preparation, and capacity building. The key to realizing this vision and achieving success is having interested and active stakeholders, and a sustainability plan. To date, we know that the following groups are interested and willing to contribute: UN-ECLAC, Geo Secretariat, UNGGIM-Americas, AmeriGEO, CARIGEO, SICA, GIZ Mexico, INEGI, GPSDD, CEPEI, CEOS, CSIRO-Chile and the Bank World. In addition to these, we also know that several countries in the region have developed experience in the use and application of remote sensing and could support the development of capacities for other countries; the list includes Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Chile. With the combination of institutional and national partners it is possible to expand the impact and benefit of Earth observations for all users in the Americas region and maintain this effort in the future.

Similar to the approach used in Africa, it is proposed that this effort start with a few small prototype projects focused on specific countries and use cases. With the success of these prototypes it will be possible to explore expanded efforts for other countries, attract donor funds, and develop a sustainable long-term plan for the Americas region.

 

Activities

EARTH OBSERVATION WORKSHOPS CYCLE

Virtual workshop #2 - Thursday, July 29, 2021
Data cubes: different tools for each need

Links:

Virtual workshop #1 - Thursday, April 15, 2021 Value and challenges of using earth observation data
Side Event on Earth Observations for the Sustainable Development Goals in the Region of the Americas
Presentations

 

Aguascalientes Declaration

Joint Action Plan 2021-2024
Based on the Aguascalientes Declaration, the Joint Plan of Action 2021-2024 was prepared through contributions from the Member States of regional organizations, such as the Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH), the United Nations Regional Committee on the Global Geospatial Information Management for the Americas (UN-GGIM: Americas), AmeriGEO, the Central American Integration System (SICA), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas ( SIRGAS), the Latin American Cooperation of Advanced Networks (RedCLARA) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The sections of the document were designed to address the dimensions of the implementation of the Aguascalientes Declaration and align with the three established working groups.

Links:

Aguascalientes Declaration

On September 9, 2020, a joint session was held between UN-GGIM: Americas and AmeriGEO, with the aim of strengthening and improving collaboration between both organizations on the use of Earth Observation, geospatial information and statistics. UN-GGIM: Americas and AmeriGEO Member States collaborated prior to the Joint Session through three working groups to identify those common objectives and activities in three main dimensions: i) communication, cooperation and coordination, ii) capacity building and iii) data, information sharing and knowledge. As a result of the joint session, the “AGUASCALIENTES DECLARATION, Better together: Geospatial Information for decision-making in the Americas” was signed.

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Background
Meeting in the City of Santiago de Chile 2016

At this meeting the Joint Action Plan 2016-2020 was signed.

Links:

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