To achieve the ambitious targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, bold and urgent action is needed. As the world is facing the grim impacts from the COVID-19 crisis, it has further underscored the challenges that prevent countries from taking the extraordinary steps needed to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Geospatial information exists in many forms and mediums and provides the ‘glue’ that enables the integration of all digital data with a location dimension. It can be as simple as a name on a map or as complicated as a dashboard that allows the modelling of COVID-19 hotspots which enables decision-making and allocation of resources by countries and sectors.

At the heart of decision making on geospatial information is the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM). In light of the continued and ongoing impact of COVID-19, the Tenth session of UN-GGIM will be held in a scaled-down virtual format, consisting of three two-hour meetings, on 26-27 August and on 4 September 2020.

Although with a revised format, the tenth session will address several emerging and critical issues and future trends related to the role and contribution of integrated geospatial information management within national, regional and global settings, considering several geospatial frameworks, principles and guides including:

  • Implementation Guide of the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework, which translates high-level strategic geospatial information concepts into practical implementation guidance for action by countries;
  • Future Trends in Geospatial Information Management, which illustrates how geospatial information and technology underpin national governments, documenting the increasing role that geospatial information will play as part of the 2030 Agenda; and
  • Framework for Effective Land Administration, which translates globally agreed methods and approaches for practical implementation by governments to determine, record and disseminate information about the relationship between people and land for sustainable development.