WGIC and ITU partner to leverage geospatial knowledge for a better connected world

New Delhi | April 12, 2019

 Place: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

 On the eve of Geospatial World Forum, World Geospatial Industry Council [WGIC] and International Telecommunication Union [ITU] announced their partnership to work together for making Information and Communication technologies available to all. It is a great opportunity for two major organizations to bring their respective areas of work together to create a better-connected world for all of its people.

WGIC is a geospatial industry body that represents the entire eco system of geospatial industry. It aims to strengthen its contribution to world economy and the environment. By working with various stakeholders from the geospatial industry, it wants to create a more sustainable, integrated, strongly connected and smarter cities.

ITU, a specialized agency of the United Nations, responsible for information and communication technologies [ICTs] is committed to connecting all of the world's people, across the population spectrum and income levels. Allocation of global radio spectrum & satellite orbits, developing the technical standards required for seamless integration of networks and technologies, and striving to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide are some of the major goals of ITU.

The connecting thread between WGIC and ITU is their core belief that knowledge, when placed in the hands of the people at the right time and in the right manner is a power that can be channelized to build an inter-connected and inspired world. ICT infrastructure aided by geospatial information and technology, through better analytics, can help in intelligent planning & decision making.

The 21st century is the era of cities − big cities. As we work together to help build smart sustainable cities and villages, geospatial technology can help unlock tremendous opportunity for progress,” said Malcolm Johnson, Deputy Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union. ”Very accurate geospatial data are essential for 5G deployment, which would also require denser telecom networks. Advanced spatial analytics are crucial for planning such infrastructure.”  

Sanjay Kumar, Secretary General and CEO of WGIC, said that “Geospatial data and 5G network hold huge relevance in this digital revolution and through this high-level co-operation between ITU and WGIC; both the organization will work towards promoting and fostering knowledge exchange and expertise for best practices in the field of ICT’s and geospatial technologies for a sustainable digital economy.” 

This association between WGIC and ITU will go a long way and will play a critical role in bringing ICT closer to all. Making their lives more connected, more sustainable, and more involving too. Today, both the organizations commit themselves to creating a better world, not just for this generation but for generations to come.