Since the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, there has been a growing concern, commonly shared by the people in the world, for the global environment. Contrary to this people’s concern, little improvement has been made on the global environment. The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) recognized that the increasingly serious environmental and developmental problems facing the world require global solutions, and that solutions to these problems require cooperation between nations and between all sectors of society. One of the outcomes of UNCED was Agenda 21 which specifies an action plan for all countries to achieve sustainable development. Eight chapters of Agenda 21, especially Chapter 40 on "Information for Decision Making" describe the need of geographic information for sustainable development.

However, currently available geographic information of science quality is still insufficient to provide adequate understanding of actual state of the global environment (Estes and Mooneyhan, 1994). Because of the availability of road maps, colorful pictures of world maps with topographic information and other cartographic products, people tend to think that important, accurate geographic information must be developed by somebody else and such information must be available somewhere and easily accessible.

Thanks to advances in technologies like satellite remote sensing, geographic information systems, and global positioning systems including computers for large data processing and storage in recent years, development of consistent global geospatial information has become realistic. Actually, some organizations, in cooperation with other countries, have been successful in developing global geospatial information in a relatively short period of time (GSI, 1996, ISCGM, 1996b). Yet only a limited number of countries and organizations are involved in these activities, and there is still no mechanism to ensure the development and maintenance of consistent, accurate, global geospatial information, and to make such information available and accessible to the public. Without such a mechanism, monitoring the global environment and detecting global change as well as encouraging economic growth within the context of sustainable development would not be attainable.

In order to realize the mechanism, the concept of Global Mapping was developed in 1992 by the Ministry of Construction (MOC) and the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) of Japan (Murakami, 1993). This paper summarizes the concept of Global Mapping and the related activities conducted by GSI.

The International Steering Committee for Global Mapping (ISCGM) defined Global Map as a group of global geographic data sets of known and verified quality, with consistent specifications which will be open to the public, considered a common asset of mankind and distributed worldwide at marginal cost (ISCGM, 1996a). This definition clarifies three basic and important ideas about Global Map: i) global coverage; ii) consistent specifications; and iii) open to the public and distributed worldwide at marginal cost.

1. Global coverage
2. Most countries have national mapping organizations for national mapping programs to ensure base map coverage of their countries. Likewise, it is necessary to have global coverage of geospatial information to provide a baseline data sets of our planet.
3. Consistent specifications
4. Better understanding of the earth sometimes requires direct comparison between different parts of the world. However, if the geodetic datum, mapping accuracy, classification criteria, etc. are not consistent worldwide, accurate understanding of the state of the earth may not be realized. For example, total area of forest or desert would be different, if the classification criteria are not consistent between countries or regions. To detect changes of the earth, frequent update of the data is also important.
5. Although the contents have not been finalized, the proposed spatial resolution of Global Map is one km on the ground.
6. Open to the public and distributed worldwide at marginal cost.
7. Even though global geospatial information is developed with consistent specifications, it would be almost useless unless it is made widely available to the international community and used among different sectors of the society. There exist quite a few data sets whose distribution is prohibited or limited to a specific community due to national security, political sensitivities and other reasons. Similar to the idea of national digital geospatial data framework (FGDC, 1995), Global Map should be open to the public and distributed at marginal cost. The spatial resolution of one km on the ground would cause little concern for national security, as we are anticipating sub-meter pixel resolution imagery from commercial high resolution satellites.

The idea of Global Mapping, including the establishment of an international body for Global Mapping, was first conceived by MOC and GSI in 1992 as one of the measures of the Ministry for global issues (Murakami, 1993, Kline, et al., 1996). Since cooperation between all countries and related international organizations in the world are needed for the Global Map development, MOC and GSI have been promoting this Global Map concept at the following academic and UN conferences:

1992 - the Thirteenth Asian Conference on Remote Sensing.

1993 - the Fifth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for the Americas.

1994 - the U.S.-Japan Framework for New Economic Partnership.

• the Thirteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific. Promotion of geographical information exchange was resolved.

1997 - the Fourteenth Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific. Development of the Global Map was resolved.

In addition, GSI organized the First International Workshop on Global Mapping in Izumo, Japan (Izumo Workshop) in November 1994. At this workshop, delegates from mapping organizations from fourteen countries and one international organization reached a number of resolutions regarding ways to promote international cooperation in the development Global Mapping. Delegates agreed that:

• Action should be taken to achieve the development of Global Mapping by the year 2000;
• Ways must be found to encourage scientific and technological development needed to use data more efficiently;
• A need exists for and ways must be found by national mapping organizations to provide technical and economic support to developing countries; and,
• There is a need to establish an international steering committee to coordinate the Global Map development preparatory activities and the development and encouragement work.

To advance and implement the resolutions of the Izumo Workshop, the Second International Workshop on Global Mapping was held in Tsukuba in February 1996. During the Second Workshop, ISCGM, which consists of heads and experts of National Mapping Organizations and related international organizations, was established. The primary purpose of ISCGM is to examine measures that concerned national, regional and international organizations can take to foster the development of Global Mapping in order to facilitate the implementation of global agreements and conventions for environmental protection as well as the mitigation of natural disasters and to encourage economic growth within the context of sustainable development (ISCGM, 1996). GSI was designated as the Secretariat of ISCGM.

Based on the resolution of the Izumo Workshop regarding the Global Map development by the year 2000, an idea of phased approach was introduced at the First ISCGM meeting held during the Second Workshop (GSI, 1996). The first phase of the data development focuses on employing existing global or regional geographic information through mutual information exchange between international agencies and organizations in different countries, and by voluntary efforts of filling in blank areas to complete the Global Map by 2000. In this case, the three basic principles of the Global Map, (i) total global coverage, (ii) consistent specifications, and (iii) open availability (no restrictions, marginal cost) may not be realized, but this approach is considered most realistic. Subsequent phases of the Global Map development will include revisions to detect/highlight environmental changes.

To further advance the idea of Global Mapping, "Interregional Seminar on Global Mapping for the Implementation of Multinational Environmental Agreements" was held in Santa Barbara, California in November 1996 under the joint auspices of the United Nations, the University of California at Santa Barbara and GSI. The Seminar adopted "Santa Barbara Statement on Global Mapping for Implementation of Agenda 21" (Santa Barbara Statement) with nine recommendations including the following items (ISCGM, 1996c):

1. A Global Mapping Forum must be created bringing data users and providers together to facilitate creation of Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI);
2. Agencies implementing Agenda 21 accords should precisely define their spatial data and information requirements for implementation, compliance, and monitoring with the assistance of expert groups (e.g., ISCGM). These requirements should be included as priorities of the GSDI;
3. Overall Global Map development should be fostered under the umbrella of the United Nations and should recognize initiatives being taken at national, regional and global levels; and
4. These recommendations should be embodied in a report to be presented to the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the Implementation of Agenda 21 in 1997.

Regarding the last item, the executive summary of this Seminar, including the Santa Barbara Statement, was actually submitted jointly by the United States and Japan to the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on the Implementation of Agenda 21.

As an attempt to implement the recommendations of the Santa Barbara Statement, the Global Mapping Forum is scheduled to be held in November, 1997 in Japan by the United Nations Centre for Regional Development and GSI. It is expected that this Forum will further the development of the Global Map by the year 2000 by gathering both data users and providers.

One of the important subjects discussed during the Forum will be a draft Action Program developed by the Secretariat of ISCGM. This draft Program focuses on the first phase development of the Global Map. The data themes, estimated cost, and required activities for the implementation of the development are specified in the draft Program. Data themes currently considered as the core data sets of the Global Map are elevation, vegetation, land use, drainage system, transportation, administrative boundaries and shorelines. The draft technical specifications are also being developed by the Secretariat of ISCGM and will be presented at the Forum.

National Mapping Organizations (NMOs) in the world are expected to play an important role during the first phase in which existing geospatial data sets are the major source for the Global Map development. In addition to the voluntary participation of NMOs, resources for the development are pursued for other related organizations like space agencies and international aid organizations. Contributions from the private sector and academia will also be an important resource. It is expected that there will be voluntary NMOs for each continent or region that take the leadership for the data development in the respective areas.

ISCGM has been working on the organization of the Global Mapping Forum and the implementation of the Action Program. Further information is provided in the Global Mapping Homepage at http://www1.gsi-mc.go.jp/iscgm-sec/index.html. Quarterly Newsletter of ISCGM is another information source on Global Mapping.