2011-2012 GSDI Small Grants Program

For close to ten years, international geospatial efforts have received support through the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI) Association Small Grants Program. The goal of the programme is to aid GSDI member organisations in fostering partnerships, developing in-country technical capacity, improving data compatibility and access, and increasing political support for spatial data infrastructure and Earth observation applications development.

The GSDI Association, the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee and the GISCorps of URISA are partners in this programme. Three types of awards are available: cash award up to USD2,500, SDI/GIS consulting services up to the value of USD2,500, or a combination of cash award and SDI/GIS consulting services. The consulting services are offered through the GISCorps
(www.giscorps.org).

The 2011-12 GSDI Small Grants Program Review Committee awarded funding to 17 of the 37 proposals received, as follows:

Cash award:
Albania – Increasing the Understanding of SDI within the Albanian Geo-society by Promoting and Distributing SDI Cookbook 2009 in the Albanian Language
Colombia – Linked Data and Spatial Data Infrastructures
Ecuador – Training in the Field of Metadata for the Implementation at National Level of Ecuadorian Metadata Profile (EMP)
El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua – Gulf of Fonseca Surveying and Nautical Charting Stand Up and Planning Meeting
Ethiopia – Establishment of Geoportal (Metadata and Clearinghouse Node) with Open Source Solutions for Environment Resources Management and Conservation
Macedonia – Non-Governmental Organizations for Spatial Data Infrastructure - NGO4SDI
Rwanda – Use of GIS and SDI in promoting Coffee Quality in Maraba Sector South Province of Rwanda
South Africa – Developing a Framework for South African SDI Education and Training
Tajikistan – Introducing Cadastral Maps into National SDI of Tajikistan: Designing and Implementing a Pilot Project

Cash award and professional services from GISCorps:
China – Multilingual (Four Languages) Place Name Data Base for Regional SDI
Southern Africa – Knowledge Management System and Geographic Information System Project
Uzbekistan – Stakeholder Analysis of Institutions in Uzbekistan Involved State Cadastres in Order to Increase Awareness on Implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructure
Zimbabwe – Strengthening the National Spatial Data Infrastructure Effort in Zimbabwe through the Establishment of Requisite Institution and Technological Structures in collaboration with Zimbabwe Standards-based Web Mapping and Data Access Services Online Platform/Portal

Receiving professional services from GISCorps:
Russia – An Interregional Seminar ‘Creation of Infrastructure of Spatial Data for the Southern Urals (Russia)’
Sudan – Estimating Genocide: Using Satellite Data and Image Processing to Determine the Impact of Human Rights Violations
Tanzania – Modeling Fragmentation in Vulnerable Ecosystems Using Remote Sensing in Morogoro Region

Additional information and links to final project reports are available at website 1.

The GSDI’s Societal Impacts Committee (website 2)oversees the programme which is chaired by Dr. Carmelle J. Terborgh. The request for proposals for next year’s programme will be available through the Committee website later in 2012. The contact for the GSDI Small Grants Program is Ms. Gita Urban-Mathieux: burbanma@fgdc.gov.