An important geospatial data event that commenced yesterday in Abu Dhabi is the Eye on Earth Abu Dhabi 2011 Summit and Exhibition, a joint initiative of the Government of Abu Dhabi and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), opened today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. The Summit has convened leaders from the worldwide geospatial data movement to outline a roadmap for the better integration of the world’s flood of environmental and societal data for the benefit of all, and especially of developing economies.

The patron for this event is His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates. The Eye on Earth Abu Dhabi 2011 Summit & Exhibition is hosted by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), facilitated by Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) and held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

At its opening Monday 12 December, H. E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, the Secretary-General of Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, said: “The reason we are all here today (is) safeguarding our environment for our future generations…This Summit is held in recognition that environmental and societal data should be collected in a concerted manner, at its source, made accessible and affordable and should be used to underpin reporting and support decision making in order to achieve sustainable development.”

The Eye on Earth Summit attracts those in global leadership of the environmental information movement, a group dedicated to maximizing and exposing the benefits of geospatial information to decision-makers worldwide.