MAGIC OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED
MAGIC was formally launched by the Minister of State for Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, at an event in London on Thursday 25 July 2002.
The launch was aimed at the partners involved in the project and was attended by senior representatives from each organisation, as well as project board and team members and representatives of other supporters of MAGIC.
The event celebrated the success of MAGIC in bringing together rural and countryside information in one place for the first time, and paid tribute to the work of the Project Board and Project Team in managing and developing the project.
Members of the MAGIC Project Team with the Minister of State for Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Alun Michael MP.
Left to right: Alan Hooper, Andrea Ryder, David Askew, Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, Bill Froggatt, Ruth Matthews, Phillipa Swanton, Sharon Evans. Susan Ward, Harjit Panesar and Carol Hrynkiewicz were unable to attend the launch.
Alan Hooper, Head of the DEFRA Rural Development Service Technical Advice Unit, hosted the launch. Following the Minister's opening speech a brief demonstration of the interactive map was given by Ruth Matthews (DEFRA). Paul Hill-Tout, the Chief Conservator for England, Forestry Commission and Jeff West, Director of Conservation Management for English Heritage declared their organisations' support for MAGIC. Peter Capell, Chairman of the Intra-governmental Group on Geographic Information), praised the way in which the project demonstrated that information could be gathered from different organisations and presented in a user-friendly format, following standards of information provision being promoted throughout the government.
The official launch of MAGIC marks not the end of the project, but the start of the process of making more information available to more users. The project will continue to develop partnerships and expand the user base and range of data held. The approach demonstrated by MAGIC could potentially support farm audits, while mobile GIS technology will perhaps allow data to be provided to those working literally in the field on their palm top devices. It is important to understand, however, that technology only enables - work must continue on assuring the quality of the information and providing it in a way that is accessible and meaningful.
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Senior representatives of the partner organisations with the Minister of State for Rural Affairs. Left to right: Jeff West, Director of Conservation Management, English Heritage; Paul Hill-Tout, Chief Conservator for England, Forestry Commission; Peter Capell, Chairman of the Intra-governmental Group on Geographic Information; Rt Hon Alun Michael MP; Sarah Sleet, Director of Strategy and Communications, Countryside Agency; Stefan Carlyle, Head of Scientific and Technical Information Services, Environment Agency; Mark Addison, Director General - Operations and Service Delivery, DEFRA; Andrew Brown, Deputy Chief Executive, English Nature. |
Martyn Potton of the Forestry Commission demonstrating MAGIC to Jeff West, Director of Conservation Management for English Heritage. |
