The development, advancement and sustainability of using geospatial data to combat climate change will assist with analysis of natural disasters and economic instability within the region.
During a virtual Executive Forum of the Caribbean Geospatial Development Initiative (CARIGEO) Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, William Duguid, stated: “The existential crisis caused by climate change also requires us to delve deeper into geospatial data analysis.”
He explained that under the Public Sector Modernisation Programme, Government is seeking to modernise its land administration processes and improve the ease of doing business, starting with the creation of a national cadastre called the National Digital Parcel Fabric.
The Minister stated that the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology is currently utilising the data (spatial-temporal) information on Barbados to support a number of initiatives, including digital elevation models to support streamflow modelling and prediction stream flow.
He said it is also used to predict flood risk forecasting; radar imagery for landslide detection; and radar imagery for Sargassum detection and marine pollutants.
The Minister added: “The Government of Barbados is committed to the revitalisation of the economy through digital transformation and the modernisation of the public sector, and a vital component is the use of ICT to improve productivity, enhance business facilitation and be more customer centric.”
He concluded by asking the forum to pool resources and knowledge through CARIGEO to develop the framework and structures to ensure that practical solutions can be forged.