The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Infrastructure, and Environment (VROMI) is proud to announce the successful completion of a 11 days-long Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training program, conducted through project CORENA (COastal REsilience NEeds ASsessment). The training was designed to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of VROMI and the Nature Foundation to manage and utilize spatial data for research initiatives and decision-making.

The GIS training programme was led by Mona GeoInformatics Institute (MGI) out of Kingston, Jamaica. Led by MGI Executive Director Mr. Luke Buchanan, who served as Lecturer and Lead GIS Trainer, he was joined by GIS Instructors, Mrs. Shelly-Ann Robinson, Senior GIS Technician at MGI, and Miss Ajani Bissick, GIS Consultant for MGI and PhD student at McGill University, Canada.

Mr. Buchanan reported a successful GIS training programme, with positive feedback from students who were thrilled to learn essential skills in creating maps, collecting and processing GPS data, georeferencing, and digitizing GIS data, among other critical techniques learned. He emphasized that building GIS capacity is particularly valuable for small islands like Sint Maarten, which face unique geographic, economic, and environmental challenges. GIS training provides essential tools that support disaster management and risk assessment, environmental monitoring and conservation, climate change adaptation, urban planning, infrastructure development, and sustainable resource management.

The participants had the opportunity to engage in both theoretical and practical exercises, culminating in the graduation of 15 participants from the Introductory Level and 8 Graduating in the Advanced Level.

“For me, the GIS training has been very helpful in understanding how spatial data can quite easily be visualized and interpreted with maps. I like that mapmaking gives us endless options and possibilities to display our spatial data. You can make a map as simple or comprehensive as you’d like, depending on what you’d like your target group to know or learn. Often, we produce data and don’t always have the skills or right GIS tools to analyze it or properly present it to the public. Through the training, I learned to use GIS tools to better process, analyze and present spatial data, allowing us to create better, evidence-

based policies that support effective decision making,” said Raitza Narain, Head of the Policy Department and one of the Advanced Level Graduated participants.

“I am incredibly proud of the Ministry's active participation in this vital program, which not only enhances our ability to make informed, data-driven decisions but also cultivates a team that is highly skilled, knowledgeable, and prepared to tackle the complex challenges we face in Sint Maarten in regard to Spatial Planning,” said Minister Patrice Gumbs.

The 15 participants, equipped with hands-on knowledge of the following key topics, are now well-prepared to apply GIS technology in their respective roles, contributing to enhanced spatial analysis and data-driven decision-making within the ministry;

· Introduction to GIS & GIS Components

· Cartographic Concepts

· Drone Technologies and GIS

· Open-Source Data Collection with ODK Collect

· Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) Systems

· Georeferencing

· Spatial Data Analysis & Geoprocessing

· Introduction to Open-Source GIS

· GIS Project Design

· Spatial Modelling

· 2D and 3D Modelling

· Remote Sensing

· Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Spatial Modelling

These topics provided participants with a well-rounded understanding of GIS technology, fostering innovation and improving the efficiency of spatial planning processes.

The participants, equipped with hands-on knowledge of these key topics, are now well-prepared to apply GIS technology in their respective roles, contributing to enhanced spatial analysis and data-driven decision-making within the ministry.

The COastal REsilience Needs Assessment (CORENA) project focuses on advancing the sustainable management of Sint Maarten's marine and coastal environment through biodiversity research, educational initiatives, and planning recommendations. The project is a collaboration between the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) and the non-profit Nature Foundation. CORENA is supported by the Resilience, Sustainable Energy, and Marine Biodiversity Programme (RESEMBID) Program, a 47- project programme funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, the development cooperation agency of the Government of France and supports sustainable human development efforts in 12 Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) for more information visit resembid.org.​