“The biggest challenge that we face is the need for more income and lack of awareness among stakeholders regarding the benefits of geospatial information in our country”, says Rocsanda Pahola Mendéz Mata, Director –National Geographic Institute of Guatemala.
What is the vision of your organization?
We aim to be the rector and provider of updated products and services, which prepares and guarantees reliable geographic and cartographic information for research, planning, and monitoring, of the country’s development at the public and private levels.
What do you envision the future geospatial ecosystem to be like?
The changes in the geospatial ecosystem have been significantly marked by the implementation of new tools and technology, and this will improve with the advances made in this sector. But beyond a technological and futuristic change, the change of a geospatial ecosystem is based on uniting nations to improve our geospatial information and thus have access to real-time information, monitor, and know it.
This can help us face different world events that in the past have harmed us in the absence of a controlled ecosystem. Technology advancements, not only in tools but also in communication, allows us to work together, improvise, and achieve our goals.
Is the role of National Geospatial Agencies evolving, if yes, how?
Yes, it has changed. We are seeking to improve with all the tools that we have in our hands.
Even with our little income in Guatemala, we sought to participate and be part of initiatives the Second UNWGIC to learn how we can grow, improve and thus reach a world-class level, even if it takes us longer to get there.
What factors have led to this evolution of roles and mandates of your agency?
We have evolved by being an active member of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History, which trains us and teach us specialized knowledge in the areas of cartography and geography, to keep us updated and with the support of the SDG Data Alliance.
What are the major challenges associated with the evolution of roles and mandates of your agency? How are these challenges being addressed currently?
The biggest challenge that we face is the need for more income and the lack of awareness among stakeholders regarding the benefits of geospatial information for Guatemala.
As a Director, my goal is to present and communicate to the other government areas the importance of being up to date on any geospatial issue.
With the increasing adoption of geospatial technology and data across sectors, how does your agency keep track of the evolving demand and requirements of users?
In Guatemala, we know the geospatial information needs of the government as well as the private sector. Although, technology continues to advance, we need more income to opt for it.
Currently, we have an antenna CORS that transmits information for our use and other users’ use. In case, we require more information, we seek information from NOAA or SIRGAS.
Within the National Geographic Institute, we have different pieces of training to which users could apply and take these courses. However, we know that our personnel needs proper training to manage geospatial and advanced data.
How does your agency deal with the increasing demand for digital transformation?
We are working on digitizing and making the processes and access to information faster and digital to the point that we can afford it. The biggest challenge is realizing that the technology we believe to be advanced in programs and systems, is fundamental to any geospatial agency.
Guatemala has many bureaucratic processes that, impede digitizing all the information. It is something that the current government is working to change.
