On 20 May, the Technology committee hosted a special lunch featuring guest speaker Jeremy Shen, Director of the Information Center at the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) to introduce the Taiwan Geospatial One Stop platform (TGOS) Cloud, one of 10 government clouds launched to enhance the quality of life for citizens.

Shen began his presentation by introducing with the concept of TGOS.

The objectives of TGOS Cloud (in 2012-2013) are to integrate spatial data from various organisations, to provide query and access functions and to facilitate data sharing. He explained that the government's geospatial data are developed and owned by different agencies. The Institute of Transportation under the Ministry of Transportation and Communication is responsible for the development of road maps and the Aerial Survey Office. The Forestry Bureau is responsible for aerial photography while the National Space Organisation offers FORMOSAT-2 satellite images and the National Land Surveying and Mapping Center under the MoI is responsible for cadastral maps and administrative boundaries.

In order to enhance the quality of life for citizens, Shen emphasised that the government plans to upgrade its original TGOS to cloud services, to collect the National Geographical Information System (NGIS) map data and establish management procedures and to develop a TGOS Map Application Programming Interface (API) for the application of land use planning and other value-added systems. The advantages of Cloud Computing-based TGOS are expected to enhance flexibility, increase operational benefits, provide a more convenient environment for users and enable the timely updates of services.

As for TGOS Cloud applications, Shen gave insights into four main areas for development: TGOS Map API, disaster prevention and recue, land use planning/monitoring and enhancing the quality of life. Taking disaster prevention as an example, Shen explained that by using TGOS CLOUD Map, engineers would be able to draw disaster evacuation maps quickly and precisely. The information on maps would, for example, assist the Central Emergency Operation Center in making strategic decisions during disasters.

Shen remarked that the government's priorities are to set up partnerships between Government to Consumers (G2C) and Government and Business/Industry (G2B), to implement Geographical Information System/Spatial Data Infrastructure (GIS/SDI) standards and to enable the development of value-added GIS applications. Shen added that the implementation of TGOS CLOUD is underway and that services will start in 2014. At the end of the presentation, Shen stressed that the government is devoted to maintaining up-to-date data and will continue to interact with the industry for more feedback on the services.