May 1, 2024 - The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Dr. Saleh Al-Kharabsheh, and the Director General of the Royal Jordanian Geographic Center, Brigadier General Engineer Muammar Kamel Haddadin, signed today, Wednesday, a memorandum of technical cooperation to keep pace with developments in the use of modern technology and provide geospatial information easily, accurately, and at a lower cost.

Minister Kharabsheh said in a press statement following the signing that the memorandum aims to combine the efforts of the two sides by providing technical support in implementing the geoid model project for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and projects of common interest, and exchanging data, geospatial information, and special information in the field of work of the two teams.

Al-Kharabsheh stressed that the ministry’s cadres are making efforts to follow up on the implementation of mining projects, based on the vision of economic modernization that defined the sector as having a high economic value.

For his part, Haddadin stressed the cooperation of the Royal Geographical Center with all sectors in the Kingdom, especially with those whose work intersects with the Center, such as the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, praising the efforts made by the latter in completing important projects that are in the interest of the country and supporting the national economy.

Haddadin expressed his readiness to harness the center's energies, in accordance with the memorandum of cooperation, to accomplish the tasks performed by the ministry in geophysical work and preparing maps of all kinds, in addition to training in the fields of surveying sciences.

  In the same context, Director of the Natural Resources Projects Directorate in the Ministry, Geologist Bahjat Al-Adwan, said that the memorandum of understanding signed today includes cooperation between the two teams in the field of remote sensing, training in geographical and geospatial information systems, surveying work, exchange of experiences, information and training in related fields, and participation in related projects. Common interest and any other projects agreed upon by both sides.

Al-Adwan explained that the Ministry, in accordance with the memorandum, will commit to provide  the Center with available data and information to update its maps and data, share the gravity survey data available to implement the geoid model project for the Kingdom, and determine the Ministry’s needs for data, products, and courses from the Center.

He added that the Royal Geographical Center will commit to provide the Ministry with its needs of aerial and satellite images, digital maps, digital data, and the outputs of the Continuous Monitoring Stations (CORS) project, and to involve the Ministry in the geoid model project for the Kingdom, and to train the Ministry’s cadres in areas and topics of interest.

The memorandum meets the general objectives of the energy sector, the most important of which are achieving security of energy supply and optimal exploitation of natural resources through developing and implementing appropriate policies, legislation and programs, especially in the field of research and investigation operations and conducting geological and geophysical studies and surveys, in light of the ministry’s technical cadres with scientific expertise. And practical in various fields of earth sciences, including geophysical studies.