Creation of National Spatial Data Agency is discussed in Brasilia

Eduardo Francisco, professor from the Department of Information Technology and Quantitative Methods of FGV’s Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (EAESP), participated in the seminar titled ‘Regulation of Geo-referencing in Brazil - Challenges of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (INDE)’, discussing the creation of a national spatial data agency. The event was held in the Federal Senate, in Brasília. Francisco explained that Brazil still lacks an institution with this competence, which hinders the establishment, revision, and management of regional and development policies in the country. “We must define a modern, streamlined and flexible regulatory framework to ensure the proper management of spatial data”. During the meeting, the professor supported his claims with studies carried out in several research and development (R&D) projects, focusing on the benefits of a broad dissemination of a geoinformation culture over the market’s decision-making process, management and research in general. The professor addressed the perspective of an audience that is not aware of the immense potential of geo-referencing. “Many believe that finding your home in Google Earth is the highlight of the tool”. However, the professor points out that the information extracted by information technology can have several different applications. “Statistics regarding the use of information created online are questionable, but the most important thing is to understand the relationships between these media. In a very conservative estimate, 70% to 80% of this information has geographical components. And we can integrate the information at the heart of this geography”, he said. The event was opened by Senator Wellington Fagundes and attended by Daniela Maciel Pinto (Analyst at Embrapa Territorial), Emerson Granemann (President of MundoGEO), George Porto Ferreira (General Coordinator of Ibama’s National Center for Environmental Monitoring and Information), Luís Orlando Rezende (National Manager of the Sinter project and Auditor of the Brazilian Internal Revenue Service), Luiz Ugeda (President of Geodireito), Maurício Wanderley (Director of Seinfra HidroFerrovias - TCU), Rafael Sanzio dos Anjos (Professor at the Center for Applied Cartography at UnB), and Thiago Lobão (Partner at SP Ventures).