Strategy 2008

Each year, AGI produces a strategy for the year ahead. This is driven by the Chair of the organisation. Because the Chair only serves for one year, there is a danger that strategy can lack continuity. But recently the strategy has deliberately built on that of the previous year. And the strategy for 2008 is very much an evolution from what we strived to achieve in 2007.

This year we have 5 objectives -

Objective 1 – Membership
To strengthen and grow the membership base, by focusing on GI issues of
interest and relevance to members.

Objective 2 - Events
To run a programme of events that is relevant to the membership and breaks
into new areas of interest.

Objective 3 – Outreach
To work with outside bodies and seek partnerships with three other relevant
professional organisations to promote the AGI’s mission and the use of
Geographic Information (GI) in other communities, both regionally and
nationally.

Objective 4 - AGI Council and policy making
To identify and discuss the major issues relating to GI or affecting the GI
community, to determine policy through the elected Council, with input from
members, and to provide appropriate responses either as expert views to
government or information to members.

Objective 5 - Finance
To ensure the long-term financial stability of the AGI and seek to replenish
the financial reserves.

That seems to me to be a pretty good list. Now we need to head off and try to achieve them.

Geospatial Metadata

For a number of years, the AGI has been running a geospatial metadata service called GiGateway. This has been funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Recently, this funding beyond March 2008 has been in doubt. We were keen to continue to run the service beyond this date, both beacuse it is useful for the AGI and because we believe in the UK having access to up-to-date relevant metadata. Also, under the INSPIRE directive, the UK must prodide a metatdata service from 2009. So stopping the service on 2008 only to find that it meeds to be resurrected in 2009 did not seem to be sensible.

We have engaged constructively with the Department for Communities and Local Govermnment over this. We did this logically and unemotionally. I am pleased to say that this engagement has had a positive result and our responsibility for running GiGateway has been extended to March 2009, albeit on a care and maintenance basis.

For this we are grateful to the Department. We intend to use this time not only to ensure that GiGateway is maintained, but also that some improvements are made to the public interface and that the awareness of the service for users is also improved. If in 2009 it is to handed over to another department or organisation, then we will ensure that it is fit for purpose.