Vietnam, Japan cooperate in cartography

Hanoi, March 13 (VNA)- The Vietnam Department of Survey and Mapping (VDSM) and the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on March 11 in Hanoi to commit to collaborative efforts. Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc highlighted the long history of cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in various fields, including natural resources and environmental issues. Pledging to create conducive conditions, Ngoc expressed his hope that it will pave the way for beneficial experience exchange in cartography as well as tighter partnerships between the two nations. The VDSM and GSI have worked closely and produced positive outcomes in recent years, said VDSM Director Phan Duc Hieu. Since 2010, the GSI has been supporting the VDSM in professional training for personnel, enabling Vietnam to take part in the finalisation of Global Map Version 1 and 2 by the United Nations Cartographic Section, he added. For his part, GSI Deputy Director-General Masaki Murakami stressed Japan’s willingness to share experience and information with Vietnam and expressed his confidence in the bright future of their bilateral cooperation. Both sides agreed to focus on establishing a legal framework for cartography and a geospatial database, developing fundamental infrastructures for surveying services and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), building the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and using geospatial information to reduce the impact of natural disasters.-VNA