CGIARConsortium on Spatial Information

Status, Issues, Opportunities

“Mapping Our Future”

Shaping a CSI/AGCommons Vision & Agenda

CGIAR Consortium on Spatial Information (CSI)

Annual Meeting, ILRI, Nairobi, 31st March – 4th April 2009

Stanley WoodIFPRI/HarvestChoice

Putting things in their place

• Meeting objectives

• The Agenda

• A timeline of CSI Year: 2008-2009

• Newsline: 2008-2009

• CSI – AGCommons

• CSI Issues– Working Groups

• Outputs (General and Specific)

Meeting Objectives• Inform CSI members and geospatial community partners about AGCommonsand the existing and potential complementarities and symmetries between the two

• Scientific exchange on CSI member (and partner) research and implementation activities

• Identify and reach consensus on CSI priority areas of action for 2009-2010 (program, outreach, governance) and ensure procedures for agility and transparency in responding to changing environment and opportunities

• Develop specific recommendations on strategic AGCommons Phase II investment opportunities for the AGCommons management and implementation teams

• Identify concrete engagement points between Phase II proposals and CSI member competencies

The Agenda

Pre-History

• August 2007: Data harmonization concerns: concerns

about spatial data compatibility and accessibility lead to initiative to

(i) scope technical/platform issues, and (ii) assess geospatial needs for ag. development

(CH2M Hill under contract to HarvestChoice)

• Oct 2007: Data harmonization meeting (Rome), FAO, WFP, CGIAR, HarvestChoice, Gates, CH2M Hill

• Dec 2007: Request additional HarvestChoice funding for 2008 CSI meeting

2008- 2009 Timeline• Apr 2008: CSI Meeting, ICRAF, Nairobi

• Apr 2008: Gates Invited Proposals for Geospatial Technology Program for Agricultural dev. in Africa

• Jul 2008: Evaluation of proposals and selection of lead implementation team

• Jul-Oct 2008: Development of implementation and governance model

• Nov 2008: AGCommons launch

• Apr 2009: CSI Meeting (45% HC, 45% AGC)

Newsline

• As a consequence of voter lethargy SRW elected Coordinator in April 2008 for 2 years

• Services of Sadir Mohideen secured (IWMI) for website technical support

• Version 4 of SRTM loaded and new mirror site added• Claudia Pereira updated Geonetwork version• Moving on: Prasad Thenkabail to USDA, Dave Hodson to

FAO, Robert Hijmans Davis (June 2009)• New reps; Mir Martin (IWMI), • Google Pro licenses donated• ESRI-CGIAR agreement renewal end of 2009• Glenn got married!

CSI & AGCommons:Complements not Substitutes

CSI: A community of practice,

primarily serving the geospatial interests of the CGIAR and its partners

AGCommons: An investment

program for expanding and accelerating the development & use of geospatialtechnologies for ag. development in SSA

• SSA

• Production agriculture & associated resource use/impacts

• Value chains & market and service access and delivery

• Technologies & institutions

• “Last 10 km”

• Asia, LAC, MENA

• Forest, fisheries

• Policies

• District, national, regional, global

• New technologies & partners : esp. private

sector

CSI Issues

New CSI is not the old CSI, but how best do we evolve;– Scientific exchange vs Strategic role of geospatial “sector” in

agricultural development?

– “Data & tools” vs “Products & Services”

– Outreach strategy, mechanisms and commitment

– Clarity on our constituency (CSI membership?)

– Inward (internal constituency) vs Outward (user/ funder dialogue)

– Developing agility to respond to changing environment and opportunities

– Governance (transparency, consultation, equity)

– Maintaining relevance of priority and collective agenda

Issues -> Working Groups

1. Delivery Platforms for Partners (Chris Legg)

2. Revitalizing Outreach & Engagement (Peter Okoth)

3. Core data & tool priorities (Andy Jarvis)

4. Atlas Products (Kai/Meshak?)

5. Plug & P(l)ay Geospatial Services for CG MPs(Glenn?)

6. Enhancing the Contribution of the Geospatial “Sector” (Stan)

1. Delivery Platforms for PartnersIssue: CGIAR geospatial scientist have good access to powerful GIS software

(often at concessionary rates). Very often our partners do not have this luxury. How do we deliver spatial data and analytical tools to in ways that make them accessible and usable at very low|no cost (and in ways that do not rely on internet access)?

Possible questions to be addressed:1. What are the options at our disposal?:

– Opened up proprietary source code; e.g., Diva, ILWIS, – “True” open source design communities; e.g., UDIG? – Proprietary; e.g. ARC Explorer/Reader

2. How to develop capacity in using such tools?3. Should CSI develop guidelines or adopt/recommend “best” tools and

practices?4. What needs and actions could we express to AGCommons to help address

this issue?

2. Revitalizing Outreach & EngagementIssue: CSI can point to great success in terms of relevance and

influence of its work. But more and needs to be done to reach out and engage with our partners and clients. And needs to be done urgently. How do we set about this? What are the next steps?

Possible questions to be addressed:1. Are we clear on who our stakeholders are, and if not, what

should we do to bring greater clarity?2. What are our options in terms of conveying often complex

information about the availability and utility of geodspatial data and technologies?

3. Might different strategies be employed for different users?4. What are “geospatial” entry points for improved engagement

with CAADP, AGRA, Regional agencies (e.g. ASARECA, ECOWAS), and national programs?

5. What is our action plan for resuscitating the CSI website?

3. Core Data & Tool Priorities

Issue: CSI members periodically assess core data and tool needs in terms of highest utility to all members. At the outset of this meeting it is useful to take stock of latest views on these priorities, especially in the light of developments over the past year.

Questions:1. Are we still lacking good spatial data on land cover, roads, climate, soil, price,

poverty, etc? Latest status on each of these.2. Globcover is very disappointing for assessing cropland. What can the

CGIAR/CSI and UN community do to help resolve such woeful outcomes in short-term and long-term, e.g., ground truthing partnerships, advocacy

3. What cool data and tools have been developed/released over the past year that change the landscape with regard to future priorities and next steps?

4. What is the current consensus and core data/tool priorities (e.g. spatial downscaling climate time series, spatial price modeling, crop specific land cover monitoring?

4. Atlas ProductsIssue: The AGCommons QuickWin process threw up a number of proposals around the

notion of an “African Agricultural Development Atlas”. These ideas might be worth resolving and building upon. But clarity on the scope and purpose of these products is required. Can we provide a framework to promote national-scale activities nested in (sub-)regional products.

Questions:1 Is this a value-adding activity or something to do with data when you don’t know what

to do with data?2. Purposes? Awareness, advocacy, education, planning, techincal? (and illustration of CSI

capacity to respond)3. Printed version (e.g. for schools), versus CD, versus on-line pdf, vs on-line GIS data?4. Commercial prospects for sale? IP issues? Refresh frequency/policy? Download GIS

files?4. Hierarchical, to allow clustering of and space for national efforts as well as sub-regional

products (nested scales and issues)?

5. CG MP Geospatial “Plug & P(l)ay” Services

Issue: The scope and range of CGIAR Megaprojects is unknown, except there will not be a Geospatial MP. But we should be taking action now to identify what specific goods and services the CGIAR geospatial community can package up ready to market as service modules to any/all MPs.

Possible questions to be addressed:1. What are the specific services the geospatial community can provide

that are of potential relevance to MPs (define)?2. What do we need to do to start the process of describing, marketing

and ensuring we can deliver such services?3. Can we line up CSI members against specific services?4. Do we help develop generic materials that individual CSI members can

use to market their own services?

6. Enhancing the Contribution of the Geospatial Sector to Ag. Development

Issue: CSI has focused on scientist-to-scientist data and knowledge exchange. For a range of strategic and professional reasons we could be doing more as advocates and activists in enhancing the the contribution of the Geospatial Sector (research, development, application, support, outreach, capacity building) to accelerating hunger and poverty reduction.

Possible questions to be addressed:

1. What could be done more or differently to promote this meta-objective?

2. Could we use CSI work to help develop an outreach/advocacy platform?

3. What fora & decision making entities would we most target

4. Should we foster partnerships (e.g. with professional societies) and encourage events and publications around this theme?

5. Try to develop programs for internships around this topic?

Expected Outputs - General

•4-5 Potential AGCommons Phase II Project Concept Outlines

•Established process for follow-up and engagement between CSI members and AGCommons implementation teams for further development of these proposals

•Action Plan for the CSI Coordinator* and members for the 2009-2010 period

•An updated, focused and enthused CSI membership

Expected Outputs - Specific

• CSI Website Resuscitation Team Action Plan

• Move from Coordinator to Coordination Team responsibility for the CSI Action Plan

• Process for agility & transparency in responding to emerging opportunities and changing environements in ways that best engage CSI members

• Initial thinking on future meetings• “African Agriculture Geospatial Week” West Africa 2010• Biennial ex-SSA CSI Thematic meeting (e.g. Improving Input Use Efficiency, hosted in Asia)

1. CSI WebsiteIssue: The CSI website is a great success for access to SRTM and CRU data,

but otherwise not active in terms of content and development. It sends a strong signal of a defunct community. Action is needed in 2009.

Questions:1. What re-design is required to take account of improved technologies

(e.g., Drupl/Solr) or functionality (e.g., blog, wiki, RSS, updated links)?2. What process (& incentives) to manage & maintain content?3. Who is willing to contribute what to the Website Resuscitation effort?4. What next concrete steps need to be taken? And by whom?

Suggestion: Do not deal with the hosting/access issue explicitly, on the assumption this might be a topic for AGCommons (Thursday)

Day 1: World Café Working Groups(11:15-12:15, 13:15-14:15)

(6 tables, 4 * 30 min sessions per table)

1. Delivery Platforms for Partners (Chris Legg)2. Outreach & Engagement (Peter)3. 2008 Priority review (Andy F.?)4. Core data (development & advocacy needs) (Andy J.)5. Atlas Products (Meshak/Kai?)6. New CG: Plug & P(l)ay Geospatial Services for MegaProjects

(Glenn?)

4. Membership & GovernanceIssues: The CSI environment is changing rapidly; growing,

becoming more complex and more dynamic. The CSI likely needs to evolve to survive and thrive.

Questions:

1. Need for a different core membership rationale; strictly CGIAR?, CGIAR+ICIMOD? (+ AVRDC?, +ICIPE? etc)

2. Need for coordination team? (Coordinator, + say 2 other centre reps, +CGIAR/CIO?). (e.g. planning annual meeting, fund raising, tracking CG change)

3. Need for improved level and transparency of information flow between CSI Coordinator and CSI members?