Corporate report

Geospatial Commission: Board of Commissioners meeting 24 October 2019

Published 23 January 2020

Geospatial Commission, Fourth Board of Commissioners

24 October 2019, 11:00 - 15:30

The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG

Commissioners

Sir Andrew Dilnot (Chair)
Nigel Clifford (Deputy Chair)
Thalia Baldwin
Steve Blair
Kru Desai
Edwina Dunn OBE
Steve Unger

Commission unit

Ellen Bentley
Sarah Brown (for item 4)
Joe Cuddeford
Asad Ghani (for item 4) Rosalind Goodfellow
Tim Howard (for items 2 & 3)
Owen Jackson
Abigail Page (for items 2 & 3)

External

Dr Chris Tucker (American Geographical Society, for item 3)

Observers

Roger Halliday (Scottish Government)
David Roberts (Welsh Government)
Jim Lennon (Northern Irish Government)

Apologies

Dame Kate Barker,
Michael Mire

1. Minutes and matters arising

1. Apologies were received from Dame Kate Barker and Michael Mire.
2. The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and approved for publication.
3. Steve Blair provided a report from the Partner Bodies, in his capacity as a Nominated Commissioner.
4. Thalia Baldwin provided a report from the Geospatial Commission Unit, in her capacity as Director.

2. International context and opportunities

1. Rosalind Goodfellow, Tim Howard and Abigail Page presented on the international geospatial landscape.
2. The Board discussed the UK’s international geospatial ambition.
   1. It was noted that the UK is already a valued participant in international geospatial fora; as the environment changes it is important to keep the UK’s position under active review.
   2. There is an opportunity for the UK to lead the conversation about the significance of geospatial data and broader considerations of standards for data quality, access and protection.
   3. There are clear benefits for the UK, Partner Bodies and the Commission to continue to engage internationally around geospatial data; it is crucial that the UK presents a clear and consistent position.
3. The Board also explored the different roles the UK could play internationally, and how the Commission could position its work within that.
   1. It was agreed that the Commission should not look to duplicate work done by the Partner Bodies or other organisations; instead it could build on pre-existing work and fill acknowledged gaps that would coordinate and magnify the UK’s international geospatial efforts.
   2. The Commission should look to collaborate with the UK’s international-facing government departments to ensure consistent consideration of and efficient engagement with geospatial work on the international scale.

3. Discussion with Dr Chris Tucker

1. Andrew introduced Dr Chris Tucker, Chair of the American Geographical Society and member of the Board of the Open Geospatial Consortium.
2. Chris reflected on his experience within American and international, private and public sector geospatial communities, and discussed the opportunities provided by the existence of the Geospatial Commission at the centre of government.
3. Chris concluded that he believed that the availability of technology and the quality of geographic data available today made this a great moment for the geospatial community, and an opportunity for the Geospatial Commission.

4. Shaping our approach towards innovation

1. Sarah Brown, Asad Ghani and Owen Jackson presented the Commission’s exploratory work on geospatial-related innovation and adoption within the UK and potential options for Commission engagement.
2. The Board discussed the following themes:
   1. The reasons for investing in innovation, including promoting collaboration and engagement in geospatial across different organisations and sectors, ensuring investment in skills, and supporting a balanced, monopoly-free market.
   2. The potential merits of innovation hubs and clusters, and the need to anchor these around pre-existing organisations, resources or skilled workforces.
   3. The role the Commission could play in supporting innovation to realise the greatest value.
3. It was agreed that the Board would consider specific innovation project proposals at a later date.

5. Terms of Reference

1. Andrew invited Joe Cuddeford to present the proposed Terms of Reference for the Board of Commissioners. The Board approved the document and agreed it should be brought again for review in 6 months, to ensure it continues to accurately reflect and represent the Commission and the Board’s roles.

6. Conclusions and next steps

1. There was no other business. The next meeting of the Board of Commissioners will take place on Thursday 14 November 2019.