Redlands, California—Abu Dhabi has been honored as the inaugural recipient of Esri’s Smart Government award at the company’s annual user conference in San Diego, California.
With the increasing use of geographic information systems (GIS) in the country, the Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Centre (ADSIC) launched the Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure (AD-SDI) initiative in 2007. Today, the initiative includes more than 70 government and quasi-government agencies. Sectors include urban planning, local government, utilities, infrastructure, safety, security, environment, cultural heritage, public health, business, and education. Initiative members are required to share their spatial data with one another to facilitate the use of geospatial data among government agencies and other stakeholders.
"Geographically based information gives us the means to better understand the world around us, plan effectively, and comprehensively make informed decisions, and carry out the results of those decisions in a coordinated and efficient way,” says Rashed Al Mansoori, Director General of ADSIC.
Incorporated into the AD-SDI is a data clearinghouse, geospatial portal, and website as well as a framework for community engagement and formal agreements for data provision and sharing. The SDI is transforming government services to support inter-government and multi-stakeholder collaboration for better planning, analysis, and decision making. This has resulted in a real return on investment through social, economic, and environmental benefits.
“Abu Dhabi’s SDI Initiative is a lighthouse example of what can be accomplished by a nation that recognizes the many benefits that can be derived through the cooperative use of geospatial information,” says Jack Dangermond, Esri president. “I am very pleased to honor them with our first Smart Government award.”
