The minister conveyed this in a press statement issued on Saturday, August 22, 2020. El-Said said that “the centre aims to establish an integrated national planning system, directing state investments and development efforts to areas with real needs”.

“The centre would also improve how government finance is spent, whilst preserving the state’s rights to monitor building violations and encroachment on land and agricultural areas. It also aims to facilitate the execution of government projects and investments, by facilitating the sharing and exchange of information and geographical data for government agencies.”

Explaining why the centre was instituted, El-Said noted that the centre is the outcome of the “Integration of the spatial data infrastructure of the Egyptian planning system project”. It is currently being implemented by the Ministry of Defence, represented by the Military Survey Department of the Engineering Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.

The minister added that the centre was going to standardise the specifications used in creating and disseminating spatial data and protect its own rights and privileges. The centre relies on building and making available an integrated spatial information infrastructure for the Egyptian government, using the latest satellite photography technologies.