Several weeks ago Geospatial Information Agency (BIG) announced the online map of Indonesia which can be access by the public as well as being used by developers to develop applications. During the “Ina-Geoportal: One Map One Solution” talkshow held by the agency in Bandung Institute of Technology on Saturday, it was revealed that this online map was developed and maintained by an American company called Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI).

This online map can be accessed through these two addresses. According to BIG head Asep Karsidi, ESRI was selected as the developer for the map because the agency wanted a team that is experienced in geographical information system (GIS). BIG wants to ensure that the portal can be relied upon, including from the security aspect.

ESRI was the organization that developed the geographical information system application called ArcGIS which is said to be used by up to 80% of the world’s GIS.

Ina-Geoportal will also collaborate with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for the security and protection of strategic information. NGA is a United States federal agency with a primary mission to collect, analyze, and distribute geospatial intelligence information in supporting national security.

The role of BIG in Ina-Geoportal is to develop other parts of the portal as well as content. Content development is also being handled by other institutions including the Ministry of Public Works, Ministri of Forestry, and the National Defense Agency.

Ina-Geoportal is developed to deliver accountable, free, and easy to access Indonesian geospatial information. BIG hopes that map developers will use its data from Ina-Geoportal for various purposes.

While this is a widely accessible portal, BIG explains that this is essentially a closed system. The interfacing ability is what allows spatial data from the portal to be openly accessible and used to develop relevant applications.