Towards Data Warehouses for Natural Hazards

Almost all human activities take place on land. In fact, human existence is almost impossible without this resource (Ramlal, 2001). As the effects of global climate change are becoming more destructive in small-island states in the Caribbean, Governments are becoming aware of the need to effectively manage this finite resource and its accompanying attribute data. The effective management of land and its resources requires geospatial data that are current, timely, reliable and relevant. The systems currently in place are not responsive to the needs of the timely intervention required for informed policy decisions (Ramlal, 2001). What is needed is a framework to facilitate the coordinated exchange of geospatial information on natural resources, environment, land ownership, land use, transport, communication, demography and socio-economic indicators amongst geospatial data stakeholders within the CARICOM community. A regional coordinating approach to effectively manage information provides viable alternatives to address this problem, not just locally but regionally. This paper discusses a justification for the development of such a regional framework in CARICOM. Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure – June/09