MAKING GEOSPATIAL CAPABILITIES MAINSTREAM
Geospatial refers to data that is linked to specific geographical locations.
“It is essentially location data. Data that has a georeference, so it can be located somewhere in space,” said Professor David Taylor, head of the Department of Geography at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
“But it’s also more than simply locational data, because it’s also the technologies that we have to visualise those data, (and) to analyse and evaluate those data.”
At the ongoing Singapore Geospatial Festival 2023, SLA unveiled new engagement plans, including an upcoming challenge that will see organisations and professionals harness artificial intelligence (AI) and develop innovations to enhance the country’s data-driven national map, known as OneMap.
The annual event, held from Tuesday to Friday, brings the global geospatial community together for activities promoting the innovative use of such information and technology.
This year, the theme of the festival is “Enriching Minds, Empowering Lives”.
Mr Sin said the aim is to make the use of geospatial data and capabilities accessible to the layman.
“We don’t want geospatial data and technologies to be only used by experts and scientists, we want it to be used mainstream,” he added.
“That means to be used by everyday laymen to solve the problems that we face every day.”