Developing Spatial Data Infrastructures to Facilitate Industrial and Mining Decision-Makings

INTRODUCTION A preliminary step toward achieving decision-making for complex problems has been increasing recognition of the role of spatial information to generate knowledge, provide added value to identify problems, assist in proposing alternatives and defining a course of action, information discovery, access and use (Williamson et al., 2003). The importance of spatial information to support decisionmaking and management of growing national, regional, and global issues, such as deforestation and pollution, was specifically cited in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development and has been made one of the key themes in subsequent meetings of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD, 2001). Since the Rio Declaration’ call to develop strategies to guarantee the existence of all life, not just human life, there has been acknowledgement of the need to integrate environmental and developmental aspirations at all levels of decision-making.