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Also see Circular 1 and in PDF format
Also see Circular 2 and in PDF format
Also see Invitation to Workshop and in PDF format
This document is also available in PDF format

Summary & Recommendations from
International GIS Workshop on Antarctic King George Island
6-7 July 2000, Wuhan, China

Summary

The International GIS Workshop on Antarctic King George Island (KGI), which meet in Wuhan, China from 6-7 July 2000 received 8 presentations which demonstrated current GIS research and development being undertaken on KGI. There were also 2 presentations that examined internet GIS – particularly in relation to the Chinese GIS software GeoSurf and its application to Antarctic data.

A number of countries have prepared detailed GIS databases covering specific areas of interest on the island, for example the Fildes Peninsula. A joint German / Brazilan research project has completed a topographic database, at 1:100 000 scale, of the whole island. This project has researched 7 different data sources and tried to follow WG-GGI recommendations / practice when compiling their DEM and map product.

The other project of note is PhD thesis research (being undertaken by Steffen Vogt at the University of Freiburg, Germany) on building a Spatial Decision Support System to provide easy access, use and management of a spatial database on KGI.

Participants of the workshop recognised that in some cases there has been a duplication of effort by different research teams and that there is benefit in consolidation of these efforts by having a KGIS project. Moreover there was also a recognition that what is holding back progress in some research is the lack of a standardised data model.

Proceedings of and papers presented at the workshop have been published by China - [ISSN 1009-5020/CN 42-1610/P], "Geo-spatial Information Science Quarterly", Vol. 4, No. 2, June 2001 - Email enquiries can be directed to journal@wtusm.edu.cn

Recommendations

Recognising the contribution of work towards a GIS for KGI – particularly Chile, China, Brazil and Germany – the workshop recommends:

1. That the KGIS project (within the Geographic Information Program of WG-GGI) be continued and becomes a cooperative venture between all countries with an interest in KGI.
2. (a) That the project deliverables (for presentation at XXVII SCAR) be defined as providing a base structure for a KGI GIS including:
3. (b) a standardised data model; cookbook / manual; data standards, data quality standards and a data library. This work will be conducted by Germany (Uni of Freiburg), Chile and Australia.
4. When the standardised data model has been endorsed by the WG-GGI, WG members make KGI data available to China for inclusion in the Antarctic GIS.
5. That SCAR WG-GGI members holding any geodetic and geographic information of KGI endeavour to make it available to the KGIS project.