fig congress 2018 - The importance of NSDI – Case of Georgia
Ekaterina Meskhidze
This is a summary on the paper on “The Importance of NSDI – Case of Georgia”. This explains the status, capacity and importance of National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) to maximize the public benefits drawn from the geographic data available in Georgia. In particular, determine the disaster risk reduction and management capabilities using geospatial data. It highlights the importance of a transparent, integrated and coordinated National Spatial Data Infrastructure to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Georgia is prone to disasters that pose a significant threat to different sectors of economy and to human development. Natural hazards, coupled with significant levels of exposure and vulnerability, have a substantial negative impact on the national economy. According to the government, over the last 40 years 70% of the territory of the country experienced natural hazards of hydro-meteorological and geological origin; economic losses exceeded USD 14 billion. If we use geographic data as a foundation for the creation of new and improved services and for decision making, better preconditions will exist for the sustainable development of business sector, government institutions and for state building in general. The assessment of disaster damages and losses is an essential practice for developing the effective national system of disaster risk management. The examples of disasters, wildfire of the forests and flood in the capital of Georgia clearly showed that dedicated legislative and policy framework for disaster risk reduction has to be substantially and consistently strengthened and enforced. Institutional arrangements and multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms require reinforcement. Technical, human and financial capacities exist; however, they need better coordination, prioritisation and systematisation across all relevant sectors, governance levels and institutions. Climate risk management and adaptation efforts require better alignment at institutional, policy and programme implementation levels, as climate and disaster-related risks can no longer be addressed separately.
Only personal, non-commercial use of this document is allowed.