How to avoid national spatial data infrastructure (NSDI) cul-de-sacs
McLaren, Robin
If the benefits of the wider usage of geo-spatial information within countries are to be realised then good quality and current geo-spatial information must be widely available to all stakeholders, easily accessible and interoperable with business information, applications and services. The National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDIs) currently being implemented are not achieving all these objectives due to inhibitors such as incompatible business models adopted across government and difficulties in forming partnerships across stakeholder communities. If the vision of pervasive geo-spatial information is to be achieved then countries need to remove inhibitors and enable the much wider exploitation of geo-spatial information across the public, private and voluntary sectors. The challenge is to formulate NSDI strategies that: are supportive of the existing local Geographic Information initiatives; provide the wider information requirements of the Regional SDI; are compatible with public and private sector cultures; are enthusiastically supported by the wide range of stakeholders; create a model for voluntary participation and cooperation in a federated political situation; can be implemented; are driven by the application of data and not just the creation of data itself; and enable significant economic, social and environmental benefits in the short as well as the longer term. The paper provides guidance on how to eliminate current NSDI inhibitors and create a new generation of NSDIs that will realise the expected benefits across all stakeholder communities.
Event: XXIII International FIG Congress : Shaping the change
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