Abstract

AGEDI Phase II: An Institutional Capacity Building Program for Environmental Issues in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Track: Environmental Management
Author(s): Aditya Agrawal, Mark Sorensen

Environmental Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) in the United Arab Emirates is engaged in the second phase of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI), which was developed to bridge the ever widening environmental data/information gap between developed and developing countries. It will improve the provision of high quality and comprehensive environmental data for analysis, planning and decision making at the local, regional and global levels. The second phase will build on the accomplishments of the first and concentrate on building the institutional capacity of EAD using GIS and methodology as one of several enabling tools.

The objective of the current program is to develop a series of spatially enabled products that demonstrate the best available knowledge regarding environmental issues at the sub-national scale, while aligning other programs with national, regional or international significance with EAD's objectives. Rather than concentrating on only producing the end product, the capacity building program will be measured according to intended outcomes to be achieved as part of the process for developing each product. These outcomes include: 1) better current and quality environmental data; 2) identification of data gaps and priorities; 3) stronger coordination and data sharing partnerships; 4) better information methods and tools; 5) better links between strategy and operation; 6) improved human and technical infrastructure; and 7) stronger organization overall.

This talk will present the framework adopted for accomplishing this institutional capacity building program and its implications at the enterprise, sub-national (Abu Dhabi Spatial Data Infrastructure) and regional levels.

Aditya Agrawal
Environmental Agency - Abu Dhabi
380 New York Street
Redlands , California 92373
United States
Phone: 909-793-2853
E-mail: andrea_Garcia@Esri.com

Mark Sorensen
Enironmental Agency - Abu Dhabi
380 New York Street
Redlands , California 92373
United States
Phone: 909-793-2853
E-mail: andrea_garcia@Esri.com