A vast amount of geographic data is produced and shared by multiple public organizations and some private actors through open-data initiatives along with data collected by private players in the framework of data-driven business models.
How to navigate into these data-oceans, when available?
The value of data is correlated with its uses and the potential information extracted from this raw material.
A better information contributes to a better understanding in general and spatially speaking to a deeper insight of environmental issues and therefore improves the related decision-making processes.
Spatial Data Infrastructures have largely contributed to structure and open the access to spatial data and information.
SDI basis are (geo) data-exchange standards, services (discover, view, download), and metadata catalogues.
“Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is defined as a framework of policies, institutional arrangements, technologies, data, and people that enables the sharing and effective usage of geographic information by standardizing formats and protocols for access and interoperability.
The goals of SDI are to:
- reduce duplication of efforts among governments,
- lower costs related to geographic information while making geographic data more accessible,
- increase the benefits of using available spatial data, and
- establish key partnerships between states, counties, cities, academia, and the private sector. “[i]
INSPIRE
“Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE) is a European Union (EU) directive that came into force on May 15, 2007, binding EU members to establish a spatial data infrastructure via the Internet that facilitates the sharing of geographic information in a standardized way.
INSPIRE addresses technical and non-technical issues, ranging from standards, organizational and procedural issues, and data policies to the creation and maintenance of electronic services.
INSPIRE is a legal framework for developing SDI throughout the EU in order to facilitate interoperability, that is, the improvement and sharing of information across various levels of government in all EU countries.” [Tonchovska, Rumyana; Stanley, Victoria; De Martino, Samantha. 2012]
The European INSPIRE directive has largely contributed to the definition and implementation of SDIs at the government level, but not only. Large private organizations have implemented SDIs initiatives to address similar issues at the organisational level.
INSPIRE covers different themes structured in 3 annexes[ii] with for each theme the corresponding specifications, data models, implementation guidelines, etc.
SDIs implementations have contributed to the creation of externalities for the players of the whole GIS sector, based on the availability of data as the result of the SDI’s inherent FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability).
The evolution of the technology and the GIS market in the late years and the emergence of “citizen-driven” initiatives such as OSM have contribute to a change of paradigm. New data sources are available. New spatial data are generated by the IoT, crowdsourcing initiatives and remote sensing systems. [Kotsev, Minghini, Tomas, Cetl and Lutz][iii]
“The emergence of new technologies, alternatives data sources and increased user demand has led to the establishment of completely new architectures.” [Kotsev, Minghini, Tomas, Cetl and Lutz]
A schematic view of the main components of these new architectures is reproduced in the figure below.
How will SDIs evolve in this context?
The perspective introduced in the article by Kotsev and al. aims towards a “data space” integrating the new data sources and technological and industrial trends[1].
In Europe, this evolution is profitable for the support of new uses cases at the different thematic and organisational levels, both in the public and the private sector, particularly for those organisations concerned by scope of INSPIRE directive.
These organisations are composed of different services, functions and groups with different needs, resources, expectations, specific data, issues, and IT/IS (GIS) applications.
SDIs could be implemented in each organization at different degrees, depending on its specific contexts and objectives, as a way of sharing heterogeneous data and to contribute in this way to gain in efficiency and productivity reducing the existing barriers between legacy systems and sectorial interests.
The initial FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability) are still pertinent.
How the researchers and the academia in general could contribute to this evolution, if they have a role to play in this process?
One scenario, personally I would like to explore, is the implementation of the proposed new architecture applied to one specific domain in order to go further in the understanding of its components and in the evaluation of its potential results.
A preliminary analysis could be launched in this perspective as the initial stage of the project. (To be continued)
[1] See [1] the Inspire by clouds blog for an analysis of this article.
[i] Tonchovska, Rumyana; Stanley, Victoria; De Martino, Samantha. 2012. Spatial Data Infrastructure and INSPIRE. Europe and Central Asia knowledge brief;issue no. 55. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/17082 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
[ii] INSPIRE data specifications: themes
Annex 1: Addresses, Administrative units, Cadastral parcels, Coordinate Reference Systems, Geographical Grid Systems, Geographical names, Hydrography, Protected sites, Transport networks
Annex 2: Elevation, Geology, Land Cover, Orthoimagery
Annex3: Agricultural and aquaculture facitilities, Area management, Atmospheric conditions, Bio-geographial regions, Buildings, Energy resources, Environmental monitoring facilities, Habitats et biotopes, Human health and safety, Land use, Natural risk zones, Oceanographiv geographical features, Population distribution and demography, Production and industrial facilities, Sea regions, Soil, Species distribution, Statistical units, Utility and governmental services
[iii] Article
From Spatial Data Infrastructures to Data Spaces—A Technological Perspective on the Evolution of European SDIs
Alexander Kotsev †,* , Marco Minghini † , Robert Tomas † and Vlado Cetl † and Michael Lutz †
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy; marco.minghini@ec.europa.eu (M.M.);
robert.tomas@ec.europa.eu (R.T.); vlado.cetl@ec.europa.eu (V.C.); michael.lutz@ec.europa.eu (M.L.)
* Correspondence: alexander.kotsev@ec.europa.eu; Tel.: +39-0332-78-9069
† The views expressed are purely those of the authors and may not in any circumstances be regarded as
stating an official position of the European Commission.
Received: 10 February 2020; Accepted: 13 March 2020; Published: 16 March 2020
[iv] Cetl, V.; Tomas, R.; Kotsev, A.; de Lima, V.N.; Smith, R.S.; Jobst, M. Establishing Common Ground Through
INSPIRE: The Legally-Driven European Spatial Data Infrastructure. In Service-Oriented Mapping; Springer:
Berlin, Germany, 2019; pp. 63–84.