1) The omission of the Spatial Data Infrastructure Act (Act 54 of 2003) in the Annual Performance Plan (APP), was due to an administrative oversight and will be rectified in the revision of the APP of the Department for 2022/23. Although the SDI Act is omitted in the APP, its implementation is underway with the Committee for Spatial Information appointed and the Electronic Metadata Catalogue developed in the current financial year.
2) The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has appointed the Committee for Spatial Information (CSI) on 8 August 2021.
3) Yes. The Minister has appointed the CSI and she is well informed about the importance of the CSI including the functions performed by the CSI in relation to the processing of applications for spatial data.
4) Funding allocated for 2021-2022 for the implementation of the SDI Act is R7million. The CSI will hold a strategic planning session to determine the activities and the cost of operationalising the CSI. The Department will then fund the priorities as outlined on the strategic plan of the CSI.
5) The Department is in the process of developing a service delivery model to support the full implementation of the SDI Act, which includes support to data custodians. The CSI strategic planning session will guide the Department terms of establishing a functional national spatial data Infrastructure which will contribute positively to spatial transformation.