The first Joint Development Plan for Global Geodesy has been published, setting out the steps that need to be taken to strengthen the geodetic supply chain and ecosystem.

The Plan has been prepared by the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE), headed up by Australian geodesist, Nick Brown, after extensive consultation with 500 stakeholders from 110 countries.

According to the UN-GGCE, the purpose of the Plan is to “translate the geodetic needs of Member States and partners into strategic objectives and activities, which, when achieved, will strengthen the global geodesy supply chain”.

Member states such as Australia are being encouraged to develop a country level working group with representatives from defence, science, policy, academia and industry, and work through the Plan’s the recommendations, which are grouped into three phases:

1. Avoid further degradation of the global geodesy supply chain;
2. Ensure a robust global geodesy supply chain by enhancing the reliability and integrity of geodetic products; and
3. Build a next-generation global geodesy supply chain that provides the improved accuracy of geodetic products needed to address scientific and societal challenges.

The UN-GGCE intends to coordinate activities of the community as well as undertake actions of its own, with the latter including five Geodesy Capacity Development workshops to be conducted this year, the publication of three new policy briefs and the implementation of a multilateral memorandum of understanding.

Publication of the plan comes 10 years after the adoption of UN General Assembly resolution 69/266, which:

• Encouraged member states and international organisations to enhance global cooperation in providing technical geodesy assistance, especially for developing countries, to advance the global geodetic reference frame;
• Urged the implementation of open sharing of geodetic data, standards and conventions, on a voluntary basis, to contribute to the global reference frame;
• Encouraged member states to commit to improving and maintaining appropriate national geodetic infrastructure; and
• Encouraged multilateral cooperation to address infrastructure gaps and duplication of effort.