FIFTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON GLOBAL GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT NEW YORK, USA, 5 - 7 AUGUST 2015

IHB File No. S1/5051 - TA-005-3 CIRCULAR LETTER 44/2015 19 June 2015 FIFTH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON GLOBAL GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT NEW YORK, USA, 5 - 7 AUGUST 2015 References: A. IHO CL 56/2014 dated 12 August - Report on the 4th Session of the UN Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management B. IHO CL 04/2015 dated 13 January - Shared Guiding Principles for Geospatial Information Management Dear Hydrographer, 1. The Circular Letter in Reference A informed Member States that the fifth session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM 5) was planned to take place in August 2015. 2. UN-GGIM 5 will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 5 to 7 August 2015. The session will be complemented by several side-events, particularly on 3 and 4 August, and by a map/poster exhibition showcasing the theme “Geospatial Information Underpinning Sustainable Development”. The Secretariat of the Committee has invited national mapping/geospatial organizations of UN Member States to contribute to the exhibition. 3. The documentation for the session and the side events is gradually being made available on the UN-GGIM website at http://ggim.un.org/ggim_committee.html. Relevant documents will include the provisional agenda, the organization of work of the session, report summaries, and the full detailed reports and associated background documents. 4. The provisional agenda is attached for information. Most of the agenda items are of interest to the IHO and its Member States. One of the expected outcomes of the meeting is the endorsement of a statement of shared guiding principles for geospatial information management (see Reference B), with a view to its being referred to the Economic and Social Council for adoption. The guide and companion document to the implementation of standards that was compiled through collaboration between the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the IHO, with the assistance of its Marine Spatial Data Infrastructures Working Group (MSDIWG), is expected to be adopted as a reference document by UN-GGIM 5. Meanwhile, the Secretariat of the Committee has asked the three authoring organizations to continue their work by providing a further supplement to the guide and companion document that identifies real-world examples and value statements illustrating the benefits of adopting and using international geo-data standards. 5. President Robert WARD will represent the IHO at UN-GGIM 5 and will ensure that the concerns of the IHO are well understood and reflected in the conclusions of the session. He will represent the IHO at the side meeting of the International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM) and participate as a speaker at one of the UN-GGIM 5 side events providing information on standards. 6. Member States are encouraged to ensure that their respective delegations at UN-GGIM 5 are briefed on IHO and Hydrographic Offices’ perspectives for the various agenda items. On behalf of the Directing Committee Yours sincerely, Gilles BESSERO Director Copies: - Chair, GEBCO Guiding Committee - Chair, MSDIWG Enclosure: Provisional Agenda of the fifth session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.