ITHACA

Description

Organisation:

Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action

Acronym:

ITHACA

Details

Mission and Objectives:

ITHACA - Information Technology for Humanitarian Assistance, Cooperation and Action - is a non-profit association, founded in November 2006 by the Politecnico of Torino and the Higher Institute on Innovation Territorial Systems (Si.T.I.). It operates on the Politecnico of Torino campus. With a view to cooperate with the WFP (World Food Programme) - the food aid aim of the United Nations and the world's largest operational humanitarian agency - the Association proposes itself as a center of applied research and for the distribution of products and services related to Information Technology in support of humanitarian activities. ITHACA is devoted to scientific research, delivering methodologies, analytical services and technical tools to improve the capacity of WFP and the broader International community in early warning, early impact assessment and other related areas. This project has been realized with the cooperation of Politecnico di Torino, specifically with DITAG - the Land, Environment and Geo-Engineering Department - and other technology partners such as public and private research centers, societies operating in the aerospace and telecommunications fields and other companies supplying territorial data.

Formal Mandate:

International

Mandate:

During the Sixth United Nations Geographic Information Working Group (UNGIWG) Plenary Meeting held in Addis Ababa in October 2005, endorsement for a UN Spatial Data Infrastructure (UNSDI) to support coordinated efforts in the development and management of geo-spatial information was made. In 2006 the UNGIWG sponsored a number of strategic and technical papers on SDI. In 2007 the UNGIWG Plenary Meeting endorsed the proposal to establish a UNSDI project. Key issues on Geospatial Information management elements of the UNSDI has been identified during the UNSDI Global Partners Meeting held on 1-2 March 2007 in Frascati (Italy). ITHACA is in charge to develop and implement the WFP SDI, according with UNGIWG guidelines.

Activities:

Data model definition. Architecture implementation. Web services and applications.

Membership:

ITHACAi is founded by the Politecnico of Torino and the Higher Institute on Innovation Territorial Systems (Si.T.I.). THACA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of four members, two selected by SiTI and two by Politecnico di Torino. The Board of Directors is assisted by: - a Scientific Committee of international experts, which formulates policies and guidelines on ITHACA's research activities and reviews and evaluates ITHACA projects. - a Steering Committee, composed of representatives from WFP, the Politecnico di Torino and SiTI, which plays an advisory role, monitoring ITHACA's activities and promoting the association at the national and international levels.

URL:

http://www.ithacaweb.org

Typology:

Thematic

PROPOSED ROLE IN INSPIRE DEVELOPMENT

Which role(s) do you foresee for the SDIC in INSPIRE development

submit reference material as input to the Drafting Teams

yes

allocate experts to Drafting Teams

yes

collect and describe user requirements related to Environmental policies

yes

be kept informed

yes

Geographic Domain

International

world (less developed countries)

Societal Sector

research

Specific Expertise

Specific Expertise:

Metadata

Network Services

Data Specifications

Data and Service Sharing

Previous Experience relevant for INSPIRE development

Data model development. SDI infrastructure design and implementation.

Environmental application domains

Climate change, Spatial Planning , Monitoring Urban sprawl, Transport development, Urban development , Rural development, Drought Prevention and Management, Floods & extreme weather Prevention and Management

Primary Business

Emergency services, Public safety , Environmental Management, Remoste Sensing

INSPIRE Data Themes
Coordinator	Transport networks, Environmental monitoring Facilities
Producer	Transport networks, Orthoimagery, Land use, Environmental monitoring Facilities, Population distribution and demography, Natural risk zones
User	Coordinate reference systems, Geographical names, Administrative units, Transport networks, Hydrography, Protected sites, Elevation, Land cover, Orthoimagery, Geology, Statistical units, Buildings, Soil, Land use, Human health and safety, Environmental monitoring Facilities, Production and industrial facilities, Agricultural and aquaculture facilities, Population distribution and demography, Natural risk zones, Meteorological geographical features

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ITHACA