The Spatial Data Management Division has the responsibility for coordinating, implementing and managing national GIS programmes and projects. A part of its mandate is to establish a national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI) to improve access sharing and use of place-based data. A fundamental component of the NSDI is a mechanism that provides an electronic facility to search, view, transfer, order, advertise, disseminate and preserve geospatial data from numerous sources (government, the private and non- profit sectors and academia) through the internet. The efficient operation of the recently established geospatial and metadata portals are therefore important to the sustainability of the NSDI.
