- over 1,000 international delegates from 28 countries expected in August
- location-based solutions for land planning, climate change, disaster management, transportation, e-city and utilities

1 The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and GIS Development, a regional Geographic Information System (GIS) consortium, have teamed up to organize one of Asia’s largest geospatial conferences, the 8th “Map Asia 2009”. The conference and exhibition will be held from 18 – 20 August at Singapore’s Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Centre. This is the first time Singapore is holding a geospatial conference and an expected attendance of about 1,000 geospatial professionals and users from 28 countries, including U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle-East are expected here next month. The organizers are delighted that the conference cum exhibition in its 8th year, have chosen Singapore as its venue. The Guest-Of-Honour, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Minister for Law and Home Affairs, will deliver the keynote speech. Ed Parsons, geospatial technologist from Google is one of the invited speakers.

2 The conference cum exhibition is supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) under the “Business Events in Singapore” (BEIS) incentive scheme. The BEIS scheme was enhanced in February this year as one of the key initiatives of STB’s S$90 million BOOST (Building On Opportunities to Strengthen Tourism) package aimed at helping the tourism sector ride through the current economic challenges. The enhanced BEIS scheme will see STB defraying a higher proportion of events’ project costs and providing a greater scope of funding supports.

3 The theme of the conference is “Connecting Geospatial Communities- Creating New Dimensions.” This theme was chosen to highlight the new dimensions that geospatial tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have created, or can create, for business opportunities and government operations. The three geospatial technologies which include GIS, GPS and Satellite Remote Sensing are the key to many applications today. Amongst the industries which tap heavily on geospatial capabilities, including geospatial information and technologies are the government, utilities, telecommunications, transportation, surveying and mapping, which are the largest consumers of geospatial solutions. The conference agenda will therefore comprise relevant and timely discussions on topical issues such as urban planning, climate change, disaster management, e-city and location-based services. There are about 50 international exhibitors occupying some 2,000 square metres of exhibition space.

4 Mr Vincent Hoong, Chief Executive of SLA Chief Executive of SLA, who is also co-chairing SG-SPACE’s Steering Committee¹ with Infocomm Development Authority, said, “SLA is delighted that Singapore has been chosen to host this year’s edition of the Map Asia Conference. This gathering of leading geospatial experts and professionals is timely as Singapore steps up its geospatial drive. The Conference will provide a useful platform for best sharing of knowledge and experience, as well as updates on the various initiatives taking place across the region and the rest of the world. The business community and the ordinary man in the street will also gain an insight into the geospatial industry and how it is transforming businesses and society in general.” Because the uses of geospatial technology are so widespread and diverse, the global geospatial market is growing at an annual rate of almost 35%, with the commercial sector of this market expanding at the rate of 100% each year. The industry growth rates have been in the order of 25-35% per annum, despite the economic crisis.

5 Sanjay Kumar, CEO, GIS Development said: “With this collaboration with SLA, we are sure to provide the companies with a unique opportunity to reach out to a global audience with their company message. Both the companies have made tremendous contribution to the development of geospatial technologies in the Asian market. We are confident that Map Asia 2009 will prove as an apt platform for companies to market their services to the target audience and for delegates to develop a broader perspective on the application and usage of geospatial technologies.”

6 With platinum sponsors, ESRI (USA) and DigitalGlobe, and the knowledge partners including the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University pledging their support and participation, the organisers are confident that Map Asia 2009 will attract delegates ranging from business users to academics to students. The official website is www.mapasia.org/2009.

¹Started in 2008, the million-dollar SG-SPACE (Singapore Geospatial Collaborative Environment) aims to expand on this capability and provide a consistent reference framework in which public agencies can collaborate and share data more easily. It will present an infrastructure, mechanism and policies to allow convenient access to quality geospatial information in usable form.

-End-

Issued by:
The Singapore Land Authority
22 July 2009

For media-related queries, contact:
a) SLA:
Susan Koh
Tel: +65 6478 3884
Mobile: +65 98291906
Email: Susan_Koh@sla.gov.sg

b) GIS Development:
Vaishali Dixit
Tel: +91-120-4612500
Fax: +91-120-4612555,4612666
Mobile: +91-9891844884
Email: vaishali.dixit@gisdevelopment.net

About Singapore Land Authority

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Law. Its mission is to optimise land resources for the economic and social development of Singapore. SLA is responsible for the administration and management of State land and properties. It is also the national land registration and land boundary survey authority. In the area of spatial information, SLA is responsible for the management of a land data repository and data exchange among public agencies, and is a key agency in a whole-of-government effort to establish a national spatial data infrastructure. SLA also licenses land data for both online and printed street maps at http://www.map.gov.sg/ for the general public. SLA Streetmap 2008 depicts the modern technique of creating maps using Geographic Information System (GIS). SLA's streetmap today contains over 8 million details. This technique is recognised internationally and has won the ESRI Special Global Achievement in GIS in 2007.

SLA manages a land data repository and spatial data exchange among public agencies through its Land Data Hub and Land Information Network (LandNet) system. LandNet won the URISA Exemplary Systems in Government – Distinguished Systems Award and the Government Technology Awards’ GIS Award in 2008. Over 100 government departments and agencies are currently using SLA’s digitised land information and maps to assist in improving public services. SLA licenses land data for the development of corporate and consumer products. SLA’s vector maps are updated weekly to capture the approximately 300 changes to roads, buildings names and addresses a month.

For more corporate information, visit www.sla.gov.sg.

About GIS Development

GIS Development promotes and propagates the usage of Geographic Information Science, Technology and Applications in various areas of development, worldwide and Asia in particular. It assists community and government in developing their productivity, policies and management capabilities by facilitating knowledge transfer in the domain of geographic information. It fosters the growing network of those interested in geo-informatics and encourages the exchange of scientific know-how through its key platforms: Magazines, Portal, Conferences and Training.