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.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Saturday, 16 February 2008
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.
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.
Friday, 4 January 2008
2008 - what's ahead?
So what is there to look forward to in 2008?
Well generally in GI, I guess there will be more advances in technology. These will bring GI to the masses even if they would not recognise it as being GI. Google and Microsoft will produce better and more detailed maps. Commercial mapping companies will be concentrating on the added value they can provide for their specific clientele. The Location Strategy will be published and we hope that Government will see this as the beginning of a process and not the end of a process. The implementation of the INSPIRE Directive will be debated and hopefully decisions will be made to facilitate the implementation in the UK by hte 2009 deadline.
At the Association for Geographic Information, we must remain relevant and continually assess our relevance to all sectors within our membership. We will run a series of events which I hope will be useful and well attended. We will run a fantastic annual conference in September in Stratford upon Avon. We will deliver good value to our members for their membership fee and hopefully increase our membership base. And we will continue to be financially viable.
As for me personally, I intend to learn more about the world of GI, continue to represent the AGI to the best of my ability and do my best to keep the organisation profitable. And, by keeping work and life in balance, I hope to reduce my golf handicap!
Well generally in GI, I guess there will be more advances in technology. These will bring GI to the masses even if they would not recognise it as being GI. Google and Microsoft will produce better and more detailed maps. Commercial mapping companies will be concentrating on the added value they can provide for their specific clientele. The Location Strategy will be published and we hope that Government will see this as the beginning of a process and not the end of a process. The implementation of the INSPIRE Directive will be debated and hopefully decisions will be made to facilitate the implementation in the UK by hte 2009 deadline.
At the Association for Geographic Information, we must remain relevant and continually assess our relevance to all sectors within our membership. We will run a series of events which I hope will be useful and well attended. We will run a fantastic annual conference in September in Stratford upon Avon. We will deliver good value to our members for their membership fee and hopefully increase our membership base. And we will continue to be financially viable.
As for me personally, I intend to learn more about the world of GI, continue to represent the AGI to the best of my ability and do my best to keep the organisation profitable. And, by keeping work and life in balance, I hope to reduce my golf handicap!
Monday, 31 December 2007
2007 - an AGI retrospective
The previous post was my personal take on the year just gone. This is more of a review from our business perspective.
More of this is contained in our activities and achivements report. And these achievements in 2007 have been considerable.
We have moved forward the debate in a host of areas, not least the implementation process for the INSPIRE directive. We have formed new Special Interest Groups. We had a hugely successful annual conference. Membership income has risen. The AGI team have performed magnificently. And we have made a significant financial surplus. Not a bad list of achievements.
All in all, an excellent year and one upon which we can build in 2008 in order to achieve bigger and better things.
If anyone actually reads this blog, then please have a look at the AGI website. And if you are not a member, well why not consider joining? There are many interesting things coming up. I hope to report on them here as they arise.
More of this is contained in our activities and achivements report. And these achievements in 2007 have been considerable.
We have moved forward the debate in a host of areas, not least the implementation process for the INSPIRE directive. We have formed new Special Interest Groups. We had a hugely successful annual conference. Membership income has risen. The AGI team have performed magnificently. And we have made a significant financial surplus. Not a bad list of achievements.
All in all, an excellent year and one upon which we can build in 2008 in order to achieve bigger and better things.
If anyone actually reads this blog, then please have a look at the AGI website. And if you are not a member, well why not consider joining? There are many interesting things coming up. I hope to report on them here as they arise.
2007 - a personal retrospective
For me it has been a strange year. Indeed a strange, and exciting, three years.
There I was three years ago in my 19th year of employment at the Royal Festival Hall, managing the finances and overseeing budgets on performing and visual arts. I was dealing with orchestras, dance troupes, foyer musicians. I was oblivious to the world of GIS and geospatial issues.
Then the RFH closed for renovation. I was offered redundancy. I was keen to go, and took it as a means to look for a more interesting challenge. I found that challenge, by accident, when I saw a job vacancy at the AGI.
At the start of 2007, I was the Finance guy at the AGI. So although I was interested in finding our more about GIS, hence the setting-up of this blog, my function was primarily in improving the financial situation. Knowledge of GIS was not key to this.
Then in March, our Chief Operating Office moved on to pastures new. With my Finance hat on, I had been banging on about the need to save costs on overheads, and salary costs were our biggest overhead. So I tentatively suggested that she should not be directly replaced, but that her work could be shared among the existing team. As a direct result, my role expanded. I took on the title of Chief Operating Officer and suddently I was going to meetings where participants were not interested in my financial background but instead expected me to at least make sensible comments about issues in the world of GIS. At first it was scary, but then it became quite interesting, almost exciting.
And so over the past 9 months, I have attended meetings of (apologies for the acronyms) JISC-GWG, SpLinT, IGGI, UK Geoforum and well as Scottish and Welsh regional AGI groups. I've been to meetings in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leicester, Cardiff and Llandrindod Wells. And it has been fun.
I hope I have represented AGI well at these meetings. I feel I have made a generally positive contibution and where I haven't understood the nuances of an argument, I have been able to consult someone who has.
I am certainly now aware of the exciting developments in the world of GI. I am aware of the increasingly important role technology is playing. I am aware of the hugely dispirate group within this world, from corporate suppliers to local and central government including health authorities, police forces, insurance companies etc.
I have had a great year. And I am looking forward to learning more, and hopefully contributing more, in 2008.
There I was three years ago in my 19th year of employment at the Royal Festival Hall, managing the finances and overseeing budgets on performing and visual arts. I was dealing with orchestras, dance troupes, foyer musicians. I was oblivious to the world of GIS and geospatial issues.
Then the RFH closed for renovation. I was offered redundancy. I was keen to go, and took it as a means to look for a more interesting challenge. I found that challenge, by accident, when I saw a job vacancy at the AGI.
At the start of 2007, I was the Finance guy at the AGI. So although I was interested in finding our more about GIS, hence the setting-up of this blog, my function was primarily in improving the financial situation. Knowledge of GIS was not key to this.
Then in March, our Chief Operating Office moved on to pastures new. With my Finance hat on, I had been banging on about the need to save costs on overheads, and salary costs were our biggest overhead. So I tentatively suggested that she should not be directly replaced, but that her work could be shared among the existing team. As a direct result, my role expanded. I took on the title of Chief Operating Officer and suddently I was going to meetings where participants were not interested in my financial background but instead expected me to at least make sensible comments about issues in the world of GIS. At first it was scary, but then it became quite interesting, almost exciting.
And so over the past 9 months, I have attended meetings of (apologies for the acronyms) JISC-GWG, SpLinT, IGGI, UK Geoforum and well as Scottish and Welsh regional AGI groups. I've been to meetings in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leicester, Cardiff and Llandrindod Wells. And it has been fun.
I hope I have represented AGI well at these meetings. I feel I have made a generally positive contibution and where I haven't understood the nuances of an argument, I have been able to consult someone who has.
I am certainly now aware of the exciting developments in the world of GI. I am aware of the increasingly important role technology is playing. I am aware of the hugely dispirate group within this world, from corporate suppliers to local and central government including health authorities, police forces, insurance companies etc.
I have had a great year. And I am looking forward to learning more, and hopefully contributing more, in 2008.
Thursday, 20 December 2007
Tsunami
The blogs have dried up recently, partly because I have been too busy to find the time. And now here I am away from work in Patong Beach in Thailand.
And sitting at a beach bar having breakfast and watching the world go by, I cannot help but think of the people who were going about their daily lives, whether locals or tourist, when the tsunami struck three years ago. The bay currently looks so peaceful. The destroyed buildings have been rebuilt. And I dare say lives have also been at least partically rebuilt.
But geography has a part to play in both forecasting disasters and in helping the relief teams after disasters. And with flooding becoming the norm in the UK and global warming leading to more severe weather conditions worldwide, we must put the GI response to disasters up the agenda. I hope that we will do this in 2008.
In the meantime, I shall return to enjoying the marine facilities of this area.
And sitting at a beach bar having breakfast and watching the world go by, I cannot help but think of the people who were going about their daily lives, whether locals or tourist, when the tsunami struck three years ago. The bay currently looks so peaceful. The destroyed buildings have been rebuilt. And I dare say lives have also been at least partically rebuilt.
But geography has a part to play in both forecasting disasters and in helping the relief teams after disasters. And with flooding becoming the norm in the UK and global warming leading to more severe weather conditions worldwide, we must put the GI response to disasters up the agenda. I hope that we will do this in 2008.
In the meantime, I shall return to enjoying the marine facilities of this area.
Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Strategy
This weekend I head for deepest Hampshire to take part in the annual AGI debate about future strategy. After the weekend, next year's Chair will produce a strategy document for approval by the AGI Council and then enactment throughout the next 12 months.
In my opinion, this year the strategy debate is even more important than usual. We are building on real successes in 2007, notably the conference, events programme and a membership increase, but the funding we receive for our running of the GiGateway metadata service is about to come to an end. We therefore will proceed with confidence but with caution. Twenty years after the Chorley Report, we need to refocus on who we are and what makes us relevant to our members.
And the end product from the weekend should not just be a written strategy document for the next twelve months, but a realistic and positive strategy to take us forward for at least the next five years.
It will be an interesting debate. It will, I believe, prove to our members that we have the energy and the ideas to meet the future challenges in the world of GI.
In my opinion, this year the strategy debate is even more important than usual. We are building on real successes in 2007, notably the conference, events programme and a membership increase, but the funding we receive for our running of the GiGateway metadata service is about to come to an end. We therefore will proceed with confidence but with caution. Twenty years after the Chorley Report, we need to refocus on who we are and what makes us relevant to our members.
And the end product from the weekend should not just be a written strategy document for the next twelve months, but a realistic and positive strategy to take us forward for at least the next five years.
It will be an interesting debate. It will, I believe, prove to our members that we have the energy and the ideas to meet the future challenges in the world of GI.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
