A new body of professionals concerned with geographical information systems (GIS), dubbed the Society for conservation GIS (SCGIS)- Zambia Chapter, is in the offing. SCGIS was originally conceived by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) of the United States of America (USA), in 1995, and has a current total membership running in thousands.
The SCGIS-Zambia Chapter initiative came into being in August, 2009, when scientists and other users of GIS from the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) came together and proposed the formation of a body of professionals affiliated to SCGIS.
The objectives of the organisation are to promote and create awareness among various stakeholders and users of geographical information systems, and share latest information, pertaining to the use of the GIS.
Though membership is currently drawn from ZARI and ZAWA, other users and would-be users of GIS from all sectors of the economy, including students from elementary schools, colleges and universities are encouraged to join. Corporate membership is especially encouraged.
So far, the Zambia Chapter has instituted an executive, with a Mr. Sesele B. Sokotela, a soil survey scientist from ZARI, as its interim President, Mr Chaka of ZAWA, as Secretary General, and a Ms.Grace of The Surveyor General's Office, as its Treasurer. The organisation also boasts of an executive board, with the ZAWA directorate as its current patron.
Since its inception in August, 2009 the SCGIS - Zambia Chapter has conducted a series of awareness meetings countrywide, and recently managed to send a representative to the Annual ESRI Congress in the USA and Canada.
DED, a Germany-based company currently promoting the use of GIS in Zambia is one of the first organisations to partner with the SCGIS-Zambia Chapter. DED is currently preparing to launch the ArchGIS Version 10.
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