The Cook Islands will action all nine of the UN-IGIF’s strategic pathways.
The Cook Islands has agreed on national priorities and next steps to strengthen geospatial information management and support better decision-making on infrastructure, climate resilience and ocean governance.
The National Geospatial Workshop and Technical Training session, held in Rarotonga from 14 to 18 September, brought together representatives from government, state-owned enterprises, the private sector, academia and Pa Enua (‘beyond Rarotonga’) communities, including women and youth.
Participants agreed to develop actions across all nine strategic pathways of the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF).
“The UN-IGIF is a strategic framework developed to help countries strengthen their national geospatial information management arrangements,” said Meizyanne Hicks of Fiji’s Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, who provided UN-IGIF resource support.
“Its purpose is to help governments use geospatial information more effectively to support policies, public services, economic development, environmental management and national development priorities.”
Reflecting national priorities
The Cook Islands identified five areas for immediate attention: governance and institutions, policy and legal frameworks, financial sustainability, data, and communication and engagement.
These five priorities will help clarify responsibilities, improve data sharing and guide investment in trusted location-based information.
The remaining pathways will be advanced through linked actions and technical capacity development.
“This is our plan, a Cook Islands plan,” said Vaipo Mataora of Infrastructure Cook Islands, Chair of the Pacific Geospatial and Surveying Council (PGSC).
“It must reflect our national priorities, our institutional arrangements, our technical capabilities and the needs of both Rarotonga and our Pa Enua.”
Cook Islands collaboration and a shared vision
The workshop also included a three-day, hands-on technical training component. Participants strengthened their skills in satellite positioning, reference station technology, the online GPS processing service (AUSPOS) processing, QGIS mapping and LiDAR-derived data.
They applied these skills through the national Geoportal, Maritime Boundaries Dashboard and Ocean Portal, linking technical training to practical tools for land, coastal and ocean management.
“Effective geospatial information management relies on technology, partnerships, collaboration and a shared vision,” said Andrick Lal of the Pacific Community (SPC), speaking on behalf of the Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac) and of the UNEP-implemented project, Enhancing Climate Information and Knowledge Services for Resilience in Five Island Countries of the Pacific Ocean (CIS-Pac5).
As a next step, participants will finalise a resourced National Geospatial Action Plan, setting out defined actions, timeframes and responsible agencies for the five priority areas.
The plan will provide a practical basis for coordinating implementation and guiding future investment in geospatial information.
SPC delivered the workshop through PGSC, with support from COSPPac, funded by the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and from the Green Climate Fund-supported, CIS-Pac5.
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