Fiji Geospatial Information Council 2nd QRT Meeting - Minute Minute of the Fiji Geospatial Information Council (2nd Quarter) Meeting Held at the Banyan Room, Holiday Inn. Time: 10.00 am-2pm, Friday 27th June, 2014 Present: No. Name Designation/Ministry 1. Mr Tevita Boseiwaqa Chairman ( PSLMR) 2. Mr Naipote Katonitabua PM’s Office 3. Mr Peni Vasuturaga PSC 4. Mr Viliame Gucake Director Sugar/Ministry of Sugar 5. Mr Serevi Baledrokadroka Fiji Bureau of Statistics 6. Ms Salote Panapasa Fiji Correctional Services 7. Mr Noa Vakacegu Ministry of Fisheries and Forestry 8. Ms Elisapeci Tamanisau Ministry of Itaukei Affairs 9. Ms Marilyn Korosere Ministry of Itaukei Affairs 10. Mr Isoa Talemaibua Ministry of Finance 11. Mr Kaliova Tunabuna DTCP 12. Mr Moape Qiolevu ITC 13. Ms Suliana Waqavakatoga ITC 14. Mr Josua Wainiqolo WAF 15. Mr Emosi C WAF 16. Mr Etika Naitini FEA 17. Mr Sebastian Aqulala FEA 18. Mr Qays Mohammed FEA 19. Ms Nelly Snow TLTB 20. Mr Mosese Ratubalavu TLTB 21. Mr Conway Pene MWH Global /FRA 22. Mr Tim Brown Fiji Sugar Tribunal 23. Ms Vasiti Soko Litidamu Fiji Sugar Tribunal 24. Mr Nick Rollings USP 25. Mr Wolf Forstreuter SOPAC 26. Ms Emily Artack SOPAC 27. Mr Paserio Samisoni Housing Authority 28. Mr Senitiki Tupou National Fire Authority 29. Ms Akata Takala Lands Department 30. Ms Meizyanne Hicks Lands Department 31. Mr Tevita Nasova Lands Department Fiji Geospatial Information Council 2nd QRT Meeting - Minute Apologies: 1. Mr Mukesh Verma FNU 2. Mr Samuela Naicegucegu Land Use Unit 3. Mr Opetaia Ravai WAF 1. Mr Malakai Vakautawale Lands Department 2. Ms Veniana Finau Lands Department 3. Mr Anare Motokula Lands Department Secretariat: Minutes: 1) Welcome:  Mr Chair (PSLMR) welcomed the council members to the 2nd Quarter FGIC meeting for 2014 and most importantly acknowledged the attendees to the council -NFA, PSC, PMO and the meeting was declared open at 10.10am. Mr Chair emphasized on the importance of this meeting, as today was for the agreement of the members to endorse the strategy. 2) Opening Prayer:  Mr Baledrokadroka (FBOS) opened the meeting with a word of prayer. 3) Apologies:  At that time there was only an apology by CEO WAF 4) Agenda:  Agenda was read out by the Chair and amendment was made on Agenda 6 to be moved to agenda 7 (b). 5) Confirmation of minutes of last meeting/matters arising  The floor had agreed that this is the true record of the minutes of the last meeting.  Resolution 1: TLTB and Lands Department to liaise on the MOU, since it is out of the councils matter to be removed from the council’s resolution.  Resolution 2: Web application – GEONET: For maps to be displayed on the web using the ITC platform, the layers that are to be used are from the National Utilisation Development Plan Project. This will first be trialled out to govnet users before it is opened to the public. The web map is to be ready by end of the year, December 2014. ITC rep has notified the council members that all needed are the data layers and expertise from the Geospatial Division, the rest can be facilitated by them. ITC also confirmed that dialogue has begun between ITC/FGICTAC. Fiji Geospatial Information Council 2nd QRT Meeting - Minute  Resolution 3: Council endorsed the Strategy. Consultation on Geospatial Strategy with TLTB on proposal to have a legal framework. :: Meeting through correspondence, TLTB has agreed and support the strategy but requesting the inclusion of “legal framework”. :: One of the recommendation of the Cabinet Paper is for Cabinet to consider having a Legal Framework at a later stage. .  Resolution 4: Proposed setup of Professional Degree in Geospatial Science at USP. :: Support letter by the Council has been sent to the Vice Chancellor of USP. :: Dr Nick Rollings to present in the next quarter meeting on the proposed Bachelor Geospatial Science program. 6) Update on the National Geospatial Strategy:  Mr Malakai Vakautawale gave a brief on the amendments done on the strategy based on the comments forwarded by council members on previous two council meetings on 13th November, 2013 and 28th March, 2014 (13/11/2014, 28/03/2014). :: Comments by DISMAC have been included as “the emergency management and disaster risk management”. :: Comment by TLTB on the exclusion of the “Land Use Decree” from the Strategy, the floor had agreed to keep the issue on land use decree on the strategy but to rephrase the sentence since TLTB is the custodian of majority of Native Land in Fiji. All Typo error has been amended accordingly. :: FGTAC has included the review all the legislations on those related to geospatial.  Mr Conway Pene gave a summary on the goals and principles of the strategy .He explained on the importance of the “ACTIONS” that will be taken when the strategy is being approved by cabinet. The council members will be responsible for the implementation of the “ACTIONS” on the five categories of the strategy. :: Action 5.2.2 can be achieved in the short term, to publish fundamental data custodian list so that Agencies will know “who has what” to make work more efficient.  Mr Chair mentioned about the comment by TLTB for a “Legal Framework”, once strategy is approved each institution can create their own legal framework to be based on the strategy. Resolution 5: National Geospatial Strategy :: The forum has agreed and endorsed on the following: (1) the change/amended done on the strategy; (2) the amended strategy; (3) the actions to be the responsibility of the council members; Fiji Geospatial Information Council 2nd QRT Meeting - Minute (4) for the Cabinet Paper on Strategy to be drafted and sent to Solicitor General’s Office for vetting. 7) Update on International Institute of Surveyors (FIG): to be circulated to council members for their information. Chair also requested representative from TLTB to update the Council on their capacity building trip to the FIG Congress in Malaysia in the next Council meeting. Resolution 6: Update on FIG Conference. :: Presentation by TLTB on lessons learnt during the International Institute of Surveyors Congress in Malaysia in the next Council meeting. 8) Presentations: (a) Fiji Geospatial Conference - FGICTAC Chair-Mrs Akata Takala :: Chair for the FGTAC gave a brief on the work done by the Technical Committee and the purpose of the Fiji Geospatial Information Conference: - Technical visits to Commissioner Northern Office and DTCP. - Partnership with FRA on GPS of bus stops in Fiji and also NFA has expressed their interest for partnership with Lands Department. :: Please refer to Resolution page for the proposed “Fiji Geospatial Information Conference” logistics. Resolutions 7: :: The floor had enormously agreed that the Technical committee draft an agenda, theme and logistics and also confirm on the funding for the proposed conference and tabulate to Council for their recommendations. :: Majority of the council members are opting for a “cost sharing” funding for the proposed conference and we can benchmark on the GIS regional conference on the theme. :: FGTAC will present on the next meeting on the resolution of the above. :: Request by MWH & SOPAC if it can be discussed during the conference for Topography maps which is under the custodian of the Lands Department to be revised and updated by using larger scales such 1:250, 000 and also the projection problem in Fiji. (b) Presentation by Dr Nicholas Rollings (USP) – Developments of the new Bachelor Geospatial Science program. :: Dr Rollings provided an update on where the new degree sits and the content of the program. :: The award has been benchmarked to some of the universities in Canada and RMIT, Australia and has received feedbacks from them. It had satisfied the educational Requirements forwarded by the Surveying and Spatial Science Institute of Australia. :: Dr Rollings emphasized on the current studies found that there will be an acute shortage Fiji Geospatial Information Council 2nd QRT Meeting - Minute of GIS experts in the future since more countries will be moving into GIS technologies for their decision making. This statement was agree with by the Chair of the council. :: The school is still enlisting comments/input for the program. For the council members to email the professor on: [email protected] /3232620. Discussion: :: The representative from SOPAC (Emily A) questioned on whether the degree content will have a requirement for “industrial attachment”? Response: by Dr Rollings is that the industrial attachment would drag the program to a 4 year course compared to the 3 year degree courses offered by the university. :: Mr Conway Pene raised the issue whether the industry will be ready to accommodate the graduates in the future or will it be another brain drain. :: The Fiji Sugar Tribunal representative queried on the 3rd year units emphasising on the Project unit, if agencies could submit project titles that would be of need by the requesting agencies. Response: that the school will be more than willing to discuss the project for the students to undertake. (c) Presentation by Acting Principal Geospatial Officer (Mapping) – Ms Meizyanne Hicks – Acquisition of Satellite Imagery/Awareness of UAV in Fiji. :: The presenter gave a brief on the topic and an introductory note on what remote sensing is and the uses for it. :: There has been an offer by Digital Globe that owns and operates a constellation of commercial earth imaging satellites. The discounted cost of the imagery is for government licenses which Lands Department coordinate on behalf of FGIC member agencies for the purchase of satellite imagery from Digital Globe through SOPAC. FGIC government agencies to partner in sharing cost on acquisition of imagery. :: The second presentation was to introduce the council to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) device. Discussion: :: Mr Conway Pene spoke on behalf on the statutory organisations that were interested in acquiring the satellite imagery for their work. He requested if the government can allow statutory organisations to have access to this data. Quoting the draft national strategy “data needs to be captured once and used by many”, and this would mean tax payers paying the same data repeatedly. If the council members could consider buying at a higher price but for a common licence for all Government and Statutory organisations. Fiji Geospatial Information Council 2nd QRT Meeting - Minute Resolutions 8: :: FGTAC to look into the “common licence” option for the purchase of satellite imageries to benefit other non-government agencies and also to draft a “cost share model” for the above. 8) Other Matter:  Mr Conway Pene requested if the Hydrograhic unit could be included in the council Membership.  Viliame Gucake thanked the council on the presentation for this meeting. Resolutions 9: :: FGTAC to extend an invitation to the Chief Hydrograher and also inviting him to the next Council meeting. 9) Closing:  Mr Chair acknowledged council members for their attendance and reaffirmed members that the industry is in need of sustainable development and keeping abreast with technology. Mr Chair kindly requested the council members to show their full support for the Technical committee and the task at hand.  The representative for PSC (Mr Vasuturga) closed the meeting with a word of prayer.  The meeting concluded at 1.10pm, next meeting to be determined once Cabinet has been discussed by Cabinet.