The centre signed a Government licensing agreement (GLA) for Geographic Information System (GIS) programmes with the US-based firm ESRI Global Inc. The agreement was signed by His Excellency Dr. Khalifa bin Abdullah Al Barwani, Chief Executive Officer of the NCSI and Eng. Sohail Elbad, General Manager – WAMEA (West Asia, Middle East & Africa), Esri Global Inc.
The agreement will provide unlimited access of the ESRI Technology to 100+ Government and Semi Government entities with lots of value added services e.g. Trainings, Attendance to Global Conferences, Industry Specific Workshops & Seminars, online learning portal etc. The agreement will help improve the standard of the Sultanate as an advanced government in the area of spatial information and services. The terms of pact include providing new licences and maintenance of the same currently available for GIS programmes of various categories. They include programmes, which run on computer servers, desktop computers, smartphones for all government organisations of the Sultanate.
The agreement also provides a range of services in the area of capacity building, which is aimed at developing employee skills and experts in using such software. It also covers specialized technical advisory services, support projects for small and medium enterprises working in the area of geographic information systems, educational institutions, jobseekers for their direct online training through the ESRI Virtual Campus for the students. It is worth mentioning that the National Geographic Information Strategy focuses on the principle of cooperation and partnership among government organizations to overcome the challenges faced by the geographic information sector in the Sultanate and enhance the return of government investment in this sector.
The National Geographic Information Strategy, in its main objectives, related to governance and regulation, has ensured the establishment of a unified mechanism for the procurement and maintenance of geographic information system programmers in the Sultanate as one of the expected outputs and benefits of the national spatial data infrastructure. In this context, the NCSI, in partnership with other government organizations, particularly the National Survey Authority and the Information Technology Authority; has taken preliminary measures for reaching a unified government agreement for licensing of the GIS software used in the Sultanate with ESRI, the global leader company.
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