Did you know?... In the mid-90’s, the global community began to see the benefit of common standards and interoperability for data, processes and systems. Decision-makers from both industry and governments realized that earthquakes, floods, landslides, hurricanes, famine, disease, poverty and environmental impact do not start and stop at political boundaries.

Consequently, more and more countries began to share their successes and failures in an effort to reduce costs and duplication of effort in collecting, processing, archiving and sharing geospatial data. Thus emerged the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI), a non-profit global organization comprised of members from more than 50 countries, including emerging and developed nationals, public and private organizations, and individuals. The Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure is a member of this global initiative.

In the words of the GSDI, “By sharing geography, we share the Earth”.

For more information about the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure, please see http://www.gsdi.org.