Potential of Public Private Partnership for NSDI Implementation in Pakistan Asmat Ali March, 2008 Potential of Public Private Partnership for NSDI Implementation in Pakistan by Asmat Ali Thesis submitted to the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, Specialisation: (Geo-Information Management). Thesis Assessment Board: Chairman: Prof. Dr. M. Hale External Examiner: Prof. Dr. Ir. A.K. Bregt Supervisor: Dr. Ing. P.Y. Georgiadou Second supervisor: Dr. A.M. Tuladhar INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR GEO-INFORMATION SCIENCE AND EARTH OBSERVATION ENSCHEDE, THE NETHERLANDS Disclaimer This document describes work undertaken as part of a programme of study at the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation. All views and opinions expressed therein remain the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of the institute. Dedicated to those Who prefer Learning to Earning Abstract Special characteristic of spatial information is that it can be shared and used for many other purposes than the one, for which, it was originally produced. To facilitate its efficient sharing and reuse, it needs to be properly managed. This is one of the reasons that many countries are developing National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). But the challenge of developing a successful NSDI depends largely on its implementation which is so significant that none of the two key stakeholder groups i.e. public or private sectors can address it at their own. However, Public-Private Partnership (PPP) seems to be a means of addressing this most fundamental challenge as many physical infrastructures such as transportation networks, health facilities, education, wired and wireless communication networks are being implemented through PPP approach in countries like Pakistan. Yet the scenario poses the question, what is the potential of PPP for NSDI implementation in Pakistan. This research is about determining the potential of PPP for NSDI implementation in Pakistan with an objective to share practical experiences learnt during field operation in Pakistan as a segment of research work and to give recommendations for PPP-based NSDI implementation strategy in the country. The focus is on the organizations dealing with spatial or Geographic Information (GI), as these organizations have fundamental role to play being the primary drivers in the implementation of NSDI. As the GI sector of Pakistan operates in a region characterized by privacy conscious environment, it is therefore, necessary to determine that to what extent Pakistan’s socio-administrative culture and the state of GI private sectors are conducive to PPP before giving any recommendations. The research is not limited to PPP for NSDI implementation in Pakistan but also presents lessons learnt in the context of PPP and NSDI development from other countries such as India. The research also provides evidence not only of the viability of PPP (i.e. can it work?) but also the evidence that PPP approach can deliver substantially better outcomes for all partners and can add more to the traditional approaches for NSDI implementation. Keywords: NSDI, Spatial data infrastructure, Geoinformation, Public Private Partnership, E- government, Private Sector, Public Sector, Policy framework, Institutional arrangements, Technology, Pakistan, India. i Acknowledgements The successful completion of this research would have not been possible without the help and cooperation from many individuals, all of whom I would like to thank. I express my gratitude to Survey of Pakistan and ITC for giving me an opportunity to reinforce, update and enhance my spatial knowledge and skills. Indeed things have changed a lot since 1998 when I did masters in geoinformatics from ITC which is an era of fast transition of spatial knowledge over the globe. My overwhelming thanks are to Major General Jamil-Ur-Rahman Afridi, the Ex-Surveyor General of Pakistan who accorded approval and ever encouraged me to continue my studies for MSc course in Geoinformation Management. My sincere thanks to Mr. John Horn, my teacher with a dynamic personality, Dr. Kees de Bie, and Kees Bronsveld, Programme Director who helped me during the course of studies, especially providing me an opportunity to attend the international seminar on “Public-Private Partnerships for Spatial Data Infrastructure in the Context of E-Government” held in the 1st week of December, 2007 at Rome, Italy. I am really grateful to my supervisors, Dr. Ing. P.Y. Georgiadou for keeping me on fast track to generate new knowledge and skill that is not only innovative being an emerging technology but practical also, and Dr. A.M. Tuladhar who helped me sincerely in arranging my raw ideas into a do- able research and never showed hurries during discussions about my work that gave me strength and encouragement to improve my work. Special thanks go to Professor Paul van der Molen for his critical questions, observations and suggestions during the mid-term presentation. I am indebted to Dr. Erik de Man, Mr. Christiaan Lemmen, Mr. Walter de Vries and Dr. Javier Morales with whom I discussed a lot but they always showed a great patience. I can never forget Mr. Sjef van der Steen for his advices during difficult times. Further my sincerest thanks to Dr. Joep Crompvoets (Netherlands), Mr. Don Grant (Australia), Major(Retd) S. H. Mehdi Jamal Deputy Surveyor General (Pakistan), Mr. Nasratullah Director Map Publication, Major(Retd) Muhammad Ilyas Ch Director Survey Training Institute, Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Deputy Director Survey of Pakistan, who always helped me and inspired me with their best abilities and dedication. Special thanks to Mr. Muhammad Nawaz, Deputy Director who assisted me to rise in my professional career. Mr. Mubushar Hussain (IGIS-Pakistan), Faisal Mueen (WWF-Pakistan), Mr. Khalid Pervaz Deputy Director, Mr. Muhammad Rafique Assistant Director and Mr. Adeel Ahmed, Survey of Pakistan, Mr. Bal Krishna, (India), Dr. Gopal Singh (IIRS-India), Mr. Prem Kumar J.S Ministry of Defence (India), Dr. Alan R. Stevens, (FGDC-USA), Mr. Bruce Cahan (USA), Xiaoyun Zhao (China), Farha Sattar and Muhammad Nawaz (Presently at Australia), Dr. Rakhshan Roohi (PARC), Ali Rahman (IPDF Pakistan), Zahir Ali (SUPARCO) and Hafiz Imtenan Ellahi (GSP) for their valuable ideas and helping a lot in dissemination of relevant information. ii Finally, I would like to thank to my family, friends and GIM course mates for their continued support and encouragement throughout my studies. Of course special thanks go to my wife and kids for their sacrifices in supporting my studies and my absence from home when I was supposed to support them but they have been supporting me. iii Table of contents Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………… ………....i Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………....ii Table of contents……………………………………………………………………………………....iv List of Figures………………………………………………………………………………………....vi List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………….....vii List of Acronyms……………………………………………………………………………………..viii 1. INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. BACKGROUND ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. RESEARCH PROBLEM .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................................... 2 1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................................... 3 1.5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................... 4 1.5.1. Justification for field work............................................................................................................. 5 1.6. RESEARCH DELIVERABLES ...................................................................................................................... 6 1.7. STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS .................................................................................................................... 6 2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND............................................................................................................. 9 2.1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2. PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (PPP)..................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1. Purpose and nature of PPP........................................................................................................... 9 2.3. PPP VERSUS TRADITIONAL FORMS OF COLLABORATION ....................................................................... 12 2.4. ELEMENTS OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ...................................................................................... 15 2.5. NATIONAL SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE (NSDI) ........................................................................... 15 2.5.1. Rationale for PPP as part of NSDI