Current developments in SDIs an overview

Ian Masser

Presentation

Four parts

– What is a SDI?

– The SDI phenomenon

– A global overview of SDIs

– Emerging trends

Part I What is a SDI?

The GSDI definition

– “The Global Spatial Data Infrastructure supports ready global access to geographic information. This is achieved through the coordinated actions of nations and organisations that promote awareness and implementation of complimentary policies, common standards and effective mechanisms for the development and availability of interoperable digital geographic data and technologies to support decision making at all scales for multiple purposes.”

Four main components

Overriding objective to maximise the use of national geographic information assets

This requires some form of coordinated action on the part of government

It must be user driven ‘to support decision making at all scales for multiple purposes’

This involves a wide range of activities including technical and institutional matters and human resource development

Part 2 The diffusion of SDIs

My paper on the first generation of SDIs compared 11 NSDIs that were operational in 1996

Harlan Onsrud’s survey for the GSDI listed 48 responses from countries that were considering SDIs in 2000

Joep Crompvoets claims that 120 countries are considering SDIs – ie more than half the countries in the world

Onsrud’s survey findings

48 countries reported SDI progress between 1998 and 2000

Geographical spread– Europe - 13– Americas - 21– Asia and the Pacific - 13– Africa - 1

A SDI phenomenon?

These survey findings suggest that a critical mass of SDI users has been built up throughout the world

A product of the last ten years Needs a word of caution

– Considering not necessarily doing– Doing not necessarily everything

But a phenomenon nevertheless

Part 3 A global overview of SDIs

Europe The Americas Asia and the Pacific Africa

Note –sources vary and some players omitted

Europe

Distinction between Western and Eastern European countries in terms of wealth

Proliferation of studies of SDIs linked to European Commission concerns

SDIs classified into– National data producer led

Users involved versus no users involved

– Non national data producer led Formal mandate versus no formal mandate

SDI State of play in Europe in spring 2003

National Data Producer ledUsers involvedOperational Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Sweden Partially operational Austria, Czech Republic, Poland Not operational Greece, Luxembourg Users not involvedOperational Slovenia Partially operational Lithuania Not operational Estonia, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia

Not National Data Producer ledFormal mandateOperational Belgium (Flanders), Germany, Portugal, SwitzerlandPartially operational Ireland, ItalyNot operational NoneNo formal mandateOperational Netherlands, United KingdomPartially operational Belgium (Wallonia)Not operational Spain, France

The Americas

Distinction between Northern and Southern America (and Caribbean) in terms of wealth and resources

SDIs classified according to– Countries with a formal mandate– Countries with no formal mandate

Status of SDI in the Americas in 2000

Countries with Countries withoutformal mandate formal mandate

Argentina BrazilCuba BoliviaGuatemala CanadaMexico ChileDominican Republic ColombiaUSA Costa Rica

EcuadorEl SalvadorHondurasJamaicaNicaraguaPanamaPeruUruguayVenezuela

Asia and the Pacific

The largest and most diverse region of all– In terms of wealth

Rich countries - Australia, Japan and Korea Poor countries - Nepal

– In terms of size Very large countries – China and India Very small countries – island countries in the Indian and

Pacific oceans

Difficult to make generalisations

Mapping agencies in Asia and Pacific countries

Australia Geoscience Australia Hong Kong Survey and Mapping Office, Land

Department Islamic Republic of Iran National Cartographic Centre Japan Geographic Survey Institute Kiribati Land Management Division Laos National Geographic Department Macau Direcao dos servicos da Cartografia e

Cadastre Malaysia Department of Survey and Mapping Maldives Ministry of Construction and Public Works Mongolia State Administration of Geodesy &

CartographyNepal Survey Department New Zealand Land Information New Zealand (LINZ)Republic of Palau Bureau of Lands and SurveysPeoples Republic of China State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping Singapore Survey DepartmentSolomon Islands Survey & Mapping departmentTuvalu Lands and Survey department

Africa

Distinction between north and sub saharan countries

Latter includes some of world’s poorest countries

Strong environmental/regional dimension Problems of political support Reflected in funding – role of international

donor agencies

SDI initiatives in Africa in 2003

Algeria National Council for Geographic InformationBenin Environmental Information and Monitoring System Botswana National GIS Coordination CommitteeBurkina Faso Programme National de Gestion de L'Information sur le Milieu Ethiopia Ethiopian Spatial Data InfrastructureGhana National Framework for Geospatial Information in GhanaIvory Coast National Committee for Remote Sensing and Geog. Inf.Kenya National Spatial Data InfrastructureLesotho Committee on Environmental Data Management Madagascar Association Réseau Système d'Information sur l'Environnement Malawi Malawi Geographical Information Council Mali Le Conseil interministériel d'information géographique Namibia Environmental Monitoring and Indicators Network Nigeria National Geospatial Information InfrastructureSenegal Groupe de Travail Inter-institutionnel South Africa National Spatial Information Framework Tanzania National GIS Interim Steering CommitteeTogo Togo GeodataTunisia Schéma national de géomatique Uganda Uganda Spatial Data Infrastructure Zambia Environmental Information Network and Monitoring System

Common elements

Co-ordination– Given the large number of data sets produced by different

producers at different times for different purposes

Core data sets– Given the need for a common framework of core reference

data sets

Metadata– Given the need to be able to find out what data exists and

what format is used and what is its currency

Similar driving forces

Growing importance of geographic information within an information society

The need for governments to coordinate data acquisition and availability– ‘GI is crucial to promote economic development, improve

our stewardship of resources and to protect the environment’(Clinton Executive Order)

Other factors– Opportunities created by recent technological

developments eg WWW and LBS– Modernising government - eGovernment

Differences in the institutional context

Variations in size and population– US 1000 times the size of Qatar

Differences in wealth– Both developed and less developed countries

Contrasting systems of government – Federal systems with varying degrees of

devolution of responsibilities for GI– Non federal systems where most of GI

responsibilities dealt with centrally

Differences in approach

National data producer led– Degree of user involvement – central

government (USA), public sector (Australia), multi sector (Canada)

Non national data producer led– Need for formal mandate - Chile and the

USA. India and South Africa?– Outgrowth of existing coordination

activities - Australia and the Netherlands

Part 4 Major trends

The second generation of SDIs began around 2000

Two main features– Important shifts in emphasis within SDI

development– The emergence of a global to local

hierarchy of SDIs

Shifts in SDI development

Shift from product to process model– From data producers to data users– From database creation to data sharing– From centralised to decentralised structures

Shift from formulation to implementation– From coordination to governance– From single to multi level participation– From existing to new organisational structures

A hierarchy of SDIs

Global and regional SDIs– Global and regional forums for collaboration and the

exchange of ideas and experiences

National SDIs– Strategic initiatives concerned with the management

of national information assets

Local SDIs– Municipal and provincial initiatives concerned with

the operational needs of day to day decision making

Achievements so far

The creation of a critical mass of users Process of regional and global

institution building complete Growing body of SDI related literature

and research First major intergovernmental initiative

– EU INSPIRE draft Directive published July 2004