Introduction

South Asia region consists of a set of countries in close geographical proximity. These countries share commonality that incorporates a whole gamut of social, economic, political, cultural, historical factors. These countries are bolstered by a collective desire to come together on a common plank to create some lasting mechanism for regional cooperation.

In its maiden initiative to address these sentiments, Geospatial Media & Communications, hosted the South Asia Geospatial Forum 2015. In an attempt to take a step forward, we are hosting the 2nd South Asia Geospatial Forum with the theme, “Trans-boundary cooperation for sustainable regional development”.

Theme: Trans-boundary cooperation for sustainable regional development

The countries of South Asia have rapidly growing populations, which have put tremendous strain on available land and other resources. Nowhere in the world are collective efforts more urgent than in South Asia; and, nowhere else is it so modest. Big and small, we face the same challenges- a long climb to the summit of development. These countries put together have a boundless potential; and, confidence - that comes from the many inspiring stories of innovation and initiative in each of these countries.

The theme “Trans-boundary cooperation for sustainable regional development” shall focus on promoting the use of geospatial technology for cooperation and collaboration across the boundaries of South Asian countries for sustainable regional development and planning. The conference shall focus on optimizing resources, standardizing policies and geospatial technology transfer towards trans-boundary cooperation for sustainable development.

Objectives

• To leverage Geospatial Technology for sustainable development of the region.
• Deliberate reform of spatial policies& action plan to empower the region.
• To harness Geospatial technology for infrastructure development by optimal sharing of available resources and enhanced cooperation in technology transfer, standardization and capacity development.

Agenda

Collaborative approaches enabling spatial technologies for regional resources management

This session will deliberate on the conscious and collective effort of the South Asian countries to understand & establish spatial technologies towards critical issues of disaster management, resource management, weather forecasting and communication. This session shall also focus on the converging abilities to apply space technology for earth observation for the purpose economic development and governance in the region.

Geospatial applications optimizing sustainable development of urban areas

This session shall focus on the South Asian perspective of GS tech & ICT in Smart Cities, Smart Transport and smart communication towards sustainable development of the urban areas.

Panel: Strategic approaches to strengthen Geospatial enablement across the region for sustainable development.

• Policy perspective
• Capacity building efforts
• Role of NMOs & SDIs