Wider Use for Global Map

What is Global Map

AGENDA 21, calling for an action program for addressing global environment challenges to support sustainable economic development, was resolved at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992. The "AGENDA 21" clearly announced that geographically specific spatial information is critical for understanding current status of global environment and monitoring changes. To this end, in 1992, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport began to advocate the Global Mapping concept. The fundamental basis of this concept is to develop global scale geographic information through international cooperation.

Global map thematic data sets will provide coverage of the whole land area on earth at 1 km resolution in a consistent manner. Each thematic data set is released to the public in a digital format for easy handling by computer and its content is equivalent to conventional maps at scales of 1 : 1,000,000.

These geographic data sets are composed of the following thematic layers elevation, vegetation, land-cover, land-use, transportation drainage systems, boundaries and population centers. Current plans are that the data will be updated at approximately five-year intervals to facilitate the monitoring of changes occurring in the global environment.

By November 2000, global data sets produced by converting existing geographic information to meet Global Map Specifications (Global Map version 0) and country specific data sets(Global Map version 1) for nine countries (Japan, Thailand, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Colombia, Australia and Bangladesh ) developed by respective NMOs have been completed. The Global Map data sets completed have been distributed to the public through the lnternet since November 28, 2000.