About the Land Information Council of Jamaica.

The Land Information Council Of Jamaica (LICJ) – “looking at land through windows of technology”.

A subcommittee of Cabinet approved the establishment of the LICJ in January 1991, however its creation was approved in November 1992. The LICJ was established to to coordinate the development of a network of government agencies and other stakeholders, as well as to serve as the policy and technical focal point for Geographical Information systems (GIS) development and to organize and manage a national computerized network of geographic information systems.

The Council comprises of over 50 government, quasi-government and private sector organizations, who create and/or use spatial data and GIS technology in a number of areas to manage their operations and facilitate decision making. These areas include; emergency management, national security, environmental science, land administration and management, health monitoring and insurance.

The Council is charged with the responsibility for coordinating and ensuring the implementation of the national land information policy and strategy and the national GIS network. The Council has begun to establish a frame-work to promote data sharing and to ensure compatibility among existing and proposed land information systems, in order to deliver better and more timely information to decision makers and users.

In July 1996 the “National Land Policy “ was laid in Parliament. The Policy addresses a wide range of land and land related issues including, land management and administration. Chapter 2 of the Policy detailed the importance of Geographic Data Management Systems to national development; the issues that precipitated the need for the policy; the National GIS policies and the strategies and the programmes and projects to achieve the policy objectives.

The Council is currently conducting a review of its activities to advise the Cabinet and the public on its achievements since the presentation of the National Land Policy.

The National Spatial Data Management Division (NSDMD)

The NSDMD is the secretariat for the LICJ. Our mission is to coordinate the development, implementation, maintenance and management of a national spatial data infrastructure for Jamaica and to promote the sharing and use of geospatial data, so citizens, communities and government can access and use place-based data to make better decisions.

We offer GIS training in areas such as:

• Introduction to GIS,
• Executive GIS,
• Introduction to ARCVIEW and Extensions,
• Introduction of image Processing and Management,
• Database design and development,
• Data Automation,
• Data Analysis,
• Developing and Managing a GIS.

We also offer programmes such as:

• The Establishment of a Geospatial Portal,
• Geographic Information Systems Schools Education Programme (GISSEP),
• An active Geodetic Network for the Island – “gFIX.net”,
• Capacity Building through GIS Training and Education.