FIG Asia Pacific Capacity Development Network (FIG AP CDN)

News

FIG AP-CDN at the FIG Working Week 2025

April 2025

The network worked collaboratively with FIG commissions, task forces, and the Pacific Geospatial Survey Council (PGSC) to organise 6 technical sessions and 2 Talanoa meetings for the 3-day technical program in Brisbane, Australia.

• Report from the Chair of the Network, Rob Sarib
• Video from FIG working Week 2025

General

The origins of the FIG Asia Pacific Regional Network (FIG AP CDN) emerged at the FIG Pacific Small Island Development Symposium (SIDS) held in Lami Bay Suva, Fiji, September 2013. The network officially formed in response to the Suva Statement on “Spatially Responsible Governance”, and after the Christchurch, New Zealand Working Week in 2016.

Overtime the network has become known as the FIG Asia Pacific Capacity Development Network (AP CDN). The network’s remit and audience has varied and interchanged, as our attention to build capacity and capability for geospatial reference systems has also diversified into providing similar advice for surveying and geospatial information management. As a consequence, the FIG AP CDN membership has expanded and consists of participants from our Commissions, the corporate sector, professional associations, academic networks, our sister organisations, and affiliated government agencies involved with geodesy, surveying, mapping, and geospatial information management.

For this work plan, the main purpose of the FIG AP CDN is provision of specialist advice and support to develop the capabilities and capacities required to modernise geospatial survey infrastructures (GSIs) in the Asia Pacific region, and for countries to establish for fit for purpose GSIs that realise responsible land governance, administration, management in multiple environments.

To put the above into context:

• Geospatial Survey Infrastructure – comprises of people, hardware, technology, software, work processes, standards and practices, legal and policy frameworks, and the geodetic reference frame (co-ordinate system or datum) underpinning spatial data.
• Capacity development means - improving the foundations of a geospatial survey organisation (GSO), such as infrastructure, resources, and systems that enable the GSO to achieve the business objectives. It also includes understanding the impediments to development, establishing a GSO culture and environment that facilitates the achievement of sustainable development outcomes, and consists of relevant policies, legal frameworks, as well as financial and technical programs.
• Capability development means enhancing the necessary skills, knowledge, and resources that enable individuals within the GSO to undertake tasks and activities to achieve business objectives, as well as personal goals.  To ensure the success of capability development, a program that identifies the challenges, capabilities, as well as strategies, plans and implementation pathways to build specific capabilities is a necessity.

The activities of FIG AP CDN also are focused on:

1. addressing the technical and administrative GSI challenges, and
2. advocating how GSIs can influence the socio and economic issues being faced today.

To deliver these remits, and to support GSI workshops, seminars and meetings, FIG AP CDN will rely on the will to succeed, significant collaboration and relationship building with like-minded agencies and professional bodies, engendering local leadership and action on GSI capacity and capability, and the alignment or harmonisation of expectations, wants and needs with the broader objectives of a country’s government.

Outcomes

• Capacity and capabilities of professionals are developed through formal and informal alliances and relationships with relevant like-minded bodies or development partners.
• Communities are self-reliant, have a culture of learning and innovation, and comprise of a blend of mature and young professionals, and gender.
• Regional issues and challenges are resolved by a regional, unified, coordinated and collaborative approach.
• FIG profile and membership in the Asia Pacific region is enhanced.
• Objectives of the regional group Pacific Geospatial Surveying Council (PGSC) Strategy 2017-2027 “Positioning the Pacific Islands Countries and Territories for the Future” are progressed.
• A strategy to regionalise capacity and capability development in the south east Asia region is developed.
• Capacity and capability activity is recognised as an integral part of an organisation’s business. 
• Geospatial and surveying professionals are contributing to the measurement and monitoring of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Activities  

• Identifying and evaluating the essential capacity and capabilities of geospatial and surveying community.
• Providing technical, administrative and professional advice and support, through organising, facilitating and actively participating in: 
  • Discussion forums
  • Meetings
  • Seminars / Workshops
  • Technical Sessions
• Advocating, and sourcing material that demonstrates the importance of the GSI, and its professionals, to the broader community, stakeholders and decision makers.
• Encouraging co-operation and collaboration between countries, like-minded agencies, donor and / or funding organisations, and related professions, through partnerships and agreements.
• Connecting and engaging professional networks from traditional and non-traditional industry sectors.

Rural village, Timor Leste	Low laying atoll, Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean.  Source: wordatlas.com	Fiji

Performances

The success of the FIG AP CDN to improve GSI capacity and capability will be measured on the effectiveness of our activities to –

• Deliver support to the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) and PGSC with their strategic and implementation plans.
• Engage better with countries from the south east Asia region
• Participate in forums, meetings, seminars / workshops, and technical sessions.
• Ensure more consistent inclusion and assistance from both the academia and corporate sector.
• Assist with the preparation of regional, sub regional, country or organisation based strategic / implementation / operational plans.
• Provide advice and advocate UN initiatives, such as the Global Geodetic Reference Frame, Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, and the Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence.
• Discover existing GSI capacity and capability building material, and suitable platforms for portals to share knowledge, experiences and ideas.
• Work with educational institutions to explore how core competencies for GSI can be provided and recognised.
• Conceptualise a framework or mechanism that will support mutual recognition of GSI qualifications between countries in a region
• Source communication material / fact sheets that explains the importance and value of GSIs
• Create information that clarifies the role of FIG AP CDN and its partners.
• Contribute and collaborate with FIG Commission 5 on the Reference Frame in Practice workshops, and the revision and updating of the FIG Publication - Reference Frame in Practice Manual.