INSTITUTIONALIZING RULE OF LAW, PARTICIPATION, AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN DEVELOPING FUNDAMENTAL SPATIAL DATASETS FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND MANAGEMENT

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INSTITUTIONALIZING RULE OF LAW, PARTICIPATION,
AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN DEVELOPING FUNDAMENTAL
SPATIAL DATASETS FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
Randolf S. Vicente, DLUP, MSRS

• RSV Geo-Consulting and Management Services
  (Philippines) rsvgeomatics_at_gmail.com

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Outline of Presentation

• Background
• Relevance of Fundamental Spatial Datasets (FSD)
  in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM)
• Importance of Good Governance in Developing FSDs
• Underlying Good Governance Issues
• Role of Geodetic Engineers in DRRM
• The Advocacy for Institutionalization
• Summary

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Background

• The Asia-Pacific Region (UN Population Report,
  2002 )
• The region shares 53 of the worlds population
• About 20 of land area experiences loss of life
  and impact to socio-economic processes and
• Nearly 70 of all lives are lost due to natural
  disasters.

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Background
Natural Disasters in Southeast Asia
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Background
Natural Disasters in Southeast Asia
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What is Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)?

• The conceptual framework of elements considered
  with the possibilities to minimize
  vulnerabilities and disaster risks throughout a
  society, to avoid (prevention) or to limit
  (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts
  of hazards, within the broad context of
  sustainable development.

Baas et. al. (2008)
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Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM)

• A response system which includes the following
  activities
• Vulnerability and risk assessment
• Risk reduction and mitigation
• Pre-disaster preparation
• Emergency assistance and management
• Recovery and transition and
• Reconstruction and post-construction.

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Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM)

• Focuses on the physical, social, economic and
  environmental conditions, and the processes that
  influence the susceptibility of localities to
  natural hazards impacts.

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Paradigm Shift in DRRM

• From traditional relief to
• Preparedness and mitigation
• Integration of risk and vulnerability assessment
  and reduction in development planning
• Scaling up of community-based response and
  support systems and
• Expanding partnerships with private development
  stakeholders.

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Functions of SDI in DRRM
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The Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) Concept

• Technical and methodical enhancements of managing
  geographic information for a specific purpose
• Assembles geographic information descriptive of
  the arrangement and attributes of features and
  phenomena on the Earth

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The Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) Concept

• Encompasses different building blocks such as
• Standards and interoperability
• Metadata
• Clearinghouse
• Institutional framework
• Fundamental (Core) spatial datasets
• Capacity building

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The Functions of FSD in Relation to SDI
Development

• Serves as the foundation for the integration of
  secondary or tertiary geographic data/information
  in SDI development.
• Guarantees spatial consistency, precision, and
  reliability of geographic datasets.

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Composition of FSD (Country-specific)

• Geodetic Reference Frame
• Basic Topography
• Administrative Boundaries
• Parcels or Cadastre
• Elevation Models
• Orthoimages
• Road Networks
• River Systems
• Geographic Names
• Others

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The Importance of Good Governance in Building FSDs

• Definition of Good Govenance
• It refers to the process of decision making and
  the procedure by which decisions are implemented
  or not implemented.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
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Preconditions to Developing FSD viz Good
Governance

• Need for fair legal framework that are enforced
  impartially to fully protect human rights
  legal-political regime restrains asserted by
  governments to promote social stability, order,
  and legal certainty of liberties.
• - Rule of law

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Preconditions to Developing FSD viz Good
Governance

• Setting up of certain reasonable criteria in
  identifying and selecting stakeholders whether
  through direct involvement or representation of
  membership-based groups and associations.
• -Participation

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Preconditions to Developing FSD viz Good
Governance

• Need for a mechanism to ensure that decisions and
  actions are made and taken, respectively, by
  individuals or officials who are in the best
  position to do so (e.g., appropriate job
  descriptions, duties and responsibilities)
  towards realizing set of objectives and needs of
  recipients.
• -Accountability

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Preconditions to Developing FSD viz Good
Governance

• Appropriate system to ensure that processes and
  institutions, including the employees and
  officials, produce outputs or outcomes at their
  disposal while making the best use of allocated
  resources and made compliant with specified
  standards.
• -Effectiveness and Efficiency

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Relevance of Good Governance in Building FSDs
Other Spatial Datasets
Fundamental Spatial Datasets
Effectiveness and Efficiency
Accountability
Participation
Rule of Law
Good Governance
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Governance-related Issues in FSD Build-up  

• Rule of Law - Lack of recognition and enforcement
  of professional regulatory laws e.g., Republic
  Act No. 8560, as amended, otherwise known as the
  Philippine Geodetic Engineering Law of 1998.
• Participation - Limited involvement of Geodetic
  Engineers in FSD buildup.

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Governance-related Issues in FSD Build-up  

•  Accountability - No one is held accountable for
  unsound discretions, inactions, and errors
  committed by institutions and individual
  professionals mandated/tasked to build FSDs.
• Effectiveness and Efficiency - The issues
  surrounding the first three (3) elements have
  compromised the timeliness of delivery and
  quality of outputs.

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Geodetic Engineer Definition and Scope of
Practice

• A natural person who has been issued a
  Certificate of Registration by the Board of
  Geodetic Engineering and has taken Oath of
  Profession of Geodetic Engineers.
• The law also provides that The practice of
  geodetic engineering is a professional and
  organized act of gathering physical data on the
  surface of the earth with the use of precision
  instruments utilizing scientific and methodical
  procession of these data and presenting them on
  graphs, plans, maps, charts, or documents.

Philippines Republic Act No. 8560, as amended.
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Statement of the International Federation of
Surveyors (FIG)

• The Contribution of the Surveying Profession to
  Disaster Risk Management.
• Ensuring good governance
• Undertaking capacity building activities

Publication No. 38 (FIG Working Group 8.4, 2006)
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Building FSDs for DRRM Facts

• Developing SDI is an interdisciplinary and
  multi-entity in nature
• Incorporates the active involvement of
  professionals in the field
• Mere training cannot substitute educational
  preparation
• Geodetic Engineers are governed by certain
  professional regulatory law and Code of Ethical
  Conduct and
• Violation of the Code results to the cancellation
  and revocation of license to practice profession.

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The Advocacy Framework for Institutionalization
Educational Background
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The Advocacy

• Develop the Project Institutionalizing Good
  Governance in Developing FSDs for DRRM A
  Project Study for Capacity Enhancement.
• Aims to contribute to realizing an improved DRRM
  by way of
• Recognizing professional regulatory laws
• Rationalizing participation
• Adherence to accountability measures and
• Ensure effectiveness and efficiency.

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The Advocacy

• We intend to
• Cooperate in developing and implementing measures
  to reduce disaster losses, among others, pursuant
  to the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and
  Emergency Response (AADMER)
• Contribute to the enhancement of cooperation on
  DRRM (18th ASEAN Summit, Indonesia, 07 May 2011)
  and
• Support the implementation of Hyogo Declaration
  and the Hyogo Framework for Action.

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The ASEAN Charter

• Article I
• (Purposes and Principles of the ASEAN)
• To strengthen democracy, enhance good governance
  and the rule of law, and to promote and protect
  human rights and fundamental freedoms, with due
  regard to the rights and responsibilities of the
  member States of the ASEAN.

- Signed in 20 November 2007 enforced in 15
December 2008
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Summary

• For an SDI to be reliable and dynamic, it must be
  referred to an FSD that is
• Dependable
• Up-to-date
• Consistent
• Among other things, the above condition can be
  better achieved through
• Recognition and strict enforcement of
  professional regulatory laws
• Appropriate participation mechanism
• Implementing accountability measures
• Ensuring effective and efficient work environment

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