Building a NGII : balancing between infrastructure and innovation
Koerten, Henk & Marcel Veenswijk
A multitude of studies has been published on how National Geo Information Infrastructures (NGII), also known as Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI), should be designed, set up and monitored. Scientific research on day-to-day experiences, on what is really happening in NGIIprojects is hard to find. We propose a narrative approach to elicit sensemaking processes in order to get a better understanding of NGII projects. An in-depth description and analysis on the development of the Dutch Geoportal project is given, which was funded by the Space for Geoinformation Program (SGI), meant to be part of the Dutch NGII. Intensive research was carried out through observing project meetings and conferences, and interviewing key persons, both within and outside the project environment. Out of the research data we identified different kinds of narratives, representing thinking patterns among project participants. Our ethnographic research elicits day-to-day struggles with project goals, technology, and infrastructure. We found that project participants find it hard to distinguish between requirements for infrastructure and innovation. While infrastructures need stable environments with harsh standardization that will last, innovation challenges that with new developments, reaching for something new, the uncontested terrain. We believe that this discrepancy is a cause for serious redefinitions of SDI project goals, assessment rules and results.
Event: GSDI 11 Spatial Data Infrastructure Convergence : Building SDI Bridges to address Global Challenges
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