Implementation Of Spatial Data Infrastructure Research Articles

Assessing SDI Implementation Scenarios to Facilitate Emergency Mapping Operations in the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic (DR) is a small island developing state (SIDS) highly exposed to disaster-risk phenomena, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. The Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) enables coordination and sharing of spatial information and services from multiple sources, while emergency mapping operations (EMO) help decision-makers build a common operational picture (COP) of impacted communities. Assessment of future scenarios for SDI implementation to meet emergency mapping goals requires the consideration of a wide range of stakeholders with different objectives. We make use of multi-actor multi-criteria analysis (MAMCA) in the case study of DR to evaluate government, private sector, emergency mapping team (EMT), and academia perspectives of three governance scenarios (Going-Concern, Increasing-Hierarchy, and Increasing-Network) for SDI implementation. Our findings suggest that the ‘Increasing Network’ scenario is the most suitable for SDI implementation. A well-coordinated inter-organizational network through a SDI should empower more stakeholders to participate in EMO. This work highlighted the increase of public-private partnerships as a key criterion to share costs and efforts to effectively support emergency mapping tasks. Findings reported herein could assist decision-makers in designing roadmaps to enhance SDI implementation in the DR. This knowledge will also support future studies/practices in other SIDS, which share similar natural hazards and development issues.

INDONESIA'S SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE (CASE STUDY: BANGKALAN, SAMPANG AND BLITAR REGENCIES)

The paper examines the current state of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) in Indonesia, with a focus on identifying strengths, weaknesses, and organizational structures of the national SDIs. This paper aims to inform the design and implementation of a future regional SDI for the local government especially at the Bangkalan, Sampang and Blitar Regency. The evaluation is conducted using a survey with 46 questions, which assess the factors that affect execution the of SDI in the region. The survey is classified according to the five basic components of an SDI: policy elements, institutional elements, human resources, standard elements, geospatial data and information, and technology elements. The results of the survey are analyzed to identify the current state of SDI implementation in the region and to serve as a reference point for future updates. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for technical and organizational solutions to address present problems in the geospatial data management and interoperability in order to fully exploit the potential of geospatial information in decision making.

Cooperation Between Public Organizations in the Implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI)s

Questions concerning cooperation are particularly relevant in complex projects where people from many organizations are involved and work together. There is a need to study and evaluate how better knowledge about cooperation can improve and make future projects more efficient. This case study is part of a research project aiming at evaluating the importance of abilities related to cooperation in the implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) projects. The problem at hand is that, many complex projects engage key personnel on different levels with limited experience on how to deal with questions of cooperation – both in planning and practical work. The aim of the study is to evaluate problems in cooperation using established theories and knowledge on cooperation, as well as to analyse whether problems of cooperation related to implementation specifically were a bottleneck in the studied project. Data capture is mainly based on open ended interviews. The study utilizes a framework including theories of cooperation and a model “talk – decision – action” (Brunsson, 2006). The results pointed towards problems in especially the action category. There was a lack of reciprocity between the cooperating parties, a lack of awareness about the need of daily cooperative behaviour in implementation activities and a potential risk of a free-rider problem. The most important lesson from the study is that, cooperation is a crucial component in a project of this kind, and that needed cooperation in practical implementation activities should be paid a lot of attention also in early planning activities.

Investigating an agent based modelling approach for SDI planning: A case study of Tanzania NSDI development

Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) provides a platform for spatial data sharing and is a key for sustainable development. Developing countries, including Tanzania, are at different stages of implementing SDIs. The importance and advantage of implementation lie in the fact that considerable funds can be saved by avoiding duplication of data, and improving quality of decisions making as well as public services. However, SDI is very complex in nature, including many influencing factors and different stakeholders. This paper investigates the possibilities of using Agent-Based Modelling (ABM) for simulating an SDI development process in Tanzania, for better understanding and making better planning. The roles and actions of organizations were identified through interviews, and the results were analysed. The behaviour of individual organizations (stakeholders) while interacting with the system were observed and analysed. The growth results in terms of data availability, standards, and data sharing for each organization were plotted and priority tables were generated. The model was evaluated for consistency and the results were judged to be within a reasonable range. The ABM simulation depicted the main attributes of agents, their roles and their interactions while pursuing SDI development in Tanzania. The results will help SDI planners and stakeholders to understand the roles of partners and prioritize activities and actions for successful SDI implementation.

Open Community-Based Crowdsourcing Geoportal for Earth Observation Products: A Model Design and Prototype Implementation

Over the past few decades, geoportals have been considered as the key technological solutions for easy access to Earth observation (EO) products, and the implementation of spatial data infrastructure (SDI). However, less attention has been paid to developing an efficient model for crowdsourcing EO products through geoportals. To this end, a new model called the “Open Community-Based Crowdsourcing Geoportal for Earth Observation Products” (OCCGEOP) was proposed in this study. The model was developed based on the concepts of volunteered geographic information (VGI) and community-based geoportals using the latest open technological solutions. The key contribution lies in the conceptualization of the frameworks for automated publishing of standard map services such as the Web Map Service (WMS) and the Web Coverage Service (WCS) from heterogeneous EO products prepared by volunteers as well as the communication portion to request voluntary publication of the map services and giving feedback for quality assessment and assurance. To evaluate the feasibility and performance of the proposed model, a prototype implementation was carried out by conducting a pilot study in Iran. The results showed that the OCCGEOP is compatible with the priorities of the new generations of geoportals, having some unique features and promising performance.

Evaluación de las Políticas Nacionales de Información Geoespacial de Ecuador vinculadas con la implementación de IDE institucionales

En la actualidad, la gestión del territorio de un país, se encuentra estrechamente relacionada con la Información Geográfica (IG) disponible y con su accesibilidad. Estos serían los principios fundamentales de una Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales (IDE) amparada en un marco legal consolidado que la respalde. En Ecuador, este marco legal son las Políticas Nacionales de Información Geoespacial, establecidas en el año 2010 por el Consejo Nacional de Geoinformática (CONAGE), que todas las instituciones deben acatar en la generación, actualización, uso, difusión, entrega, intercambio y venta de la geoinformación del país. Con este antecedente, se plantean dos interrogantes, ¿cuál ha sido el grado de implementación de dicha normativa en las instituciones del Estado? y ¿cómo ha influido en la implementación de las IDE institucionales? Este artículo pretende dar respuesta a estas inquietudes mediante una metodología de análisis cuali- cuantitativo, establecida a partir de los resultados de una encuesta de diagnóstico. La misma fue aplicada a 20 instituciones públicas responsables de la generación oficial de IG. Los resultados obtenidos, muestran el grado de cumplimiento de dichas políticas y los principales problemas o deficiencias encontrados en el proceso de su aplicación en los últimos seis años (2010-2016).

Геоинформатика в инфраструктурном обеспечении цифровой экономики

Geoinformatics as one of the information technologies that ensures the circulation of spatial data has long been ready for the further migration of its products and services to the digital environment. A detailed analysis of the Action Plan for the Information Infrastructure Program of the Digital Economy of the Russian Federation Program in the part related to section 04.03.016 “To create domestic digital platforms for the capturing, processing and dissemination of spatial data and remote sensing satellite data that meet the needs of citizens, business and government”, the de facto spatial data infrastructure (SDI), is given. The Plan of Activities also provides for the creation of the Common (Unified) Electronic Base Map (ersatz of fundamental spatial datasets), the federal spatial data portal (geoportal in international terminology), and the implementation of the “Digital Earth” from space project. The scientific GIS community, including the academic, will not remain aloof from the solution of the set tasks, in turn expecting from full-scale implementation of SDI of the Russian Federation better digital spatial data and simplification of access to them.

Implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructure in Cianjur District for Disaster Risk Management Purposes

According to the Indonesia Disaster Risk Index, one of the most prone districts to disaster in Indonesia is Cianjur District. The district is exposed to floods, landslides, droughts and geological hazards, such as tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Using the existing data that the district currently has, this study aims to explore more deeply about disaster risk management in Cianjur District, and to know whether Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) can be implemented to make disaster risk management better. Commonly used definition of SDI, it is said that SDI is data infrastructure implementing a framework of geographic data, metadata, users and tools that are interactively connected in order to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way, that is "the technology, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities necessary to acquire, process, distribute, use, maintain, and preserve spatial data. Therefore, this study aims to assess to what extent such framework has been used and can be improved given the characteristics of Cianjur District. This study selects flood data in Cianjur as the case study. The methods used are identifying flood vulnerable area in Cianjur by processing data from Development and Planning Agency of West Java Province, then comparing the results with current data of flood vulnerable area owned by BPBD Cianjur, disaster occurrences in the past and the business model of BPBD as well as coordination with other stakeholders, such as Social Agency and Health Agency.

Design of a Corporate SDI in Power Sector Using a Formal Model

Geospatial data are essential for the decision-making process. However, obtaining and keeping such data up to date usually require much time and many financial resources. In order to minimize the production costs and incentivize sharing these data, countries are promoting the implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) at the different public administration levels. The International Cartographic Association (ICA) proposes a formal model that describes the main concepts of an SDI based on three of the five viewpoints of the Reference Model for Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP). Afterwards, researchers extended ICA’s model to describe, more properly, the actors, hierarchical relationship and interactions related to the policies that drive an SDI. However, the proposed extensions are semantically inconsistent with the original proposal. Moreover, the use of ICA’s formal model and its extensions has not been assessed yet to specify a corporate-level SDI. This study describes the merger of actors and policies proposed by the ICA and its extensions in order to eliminate differences in the semantics or terminology among them. This unified model was applied to specify a corporate SDI for a large Brazilian corporation, the Minas Gerais Power Company (Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (Cemig)), which is comprised of about 200 companies in the power sector. The case study presents part of the specification of the five RM-ODP viewpoints, i.e., the three viewpoints featured in ICA’s formal model (Enterprise, Information, and Computation) and the other two viewpoints that make up the RM-ODP (Engineering and Technology). The adapted ICA’s model proved adequate to describe SDI-Cemig. In addition, the case study may serve as an example of the specification and implementation of new SDIs, not only corporate ones, but also of public agencies at any hierarchical level.

Challenges in Coastal Spatial Data Infrastructure implementation: A review

The ability to cope with the complexity surrounding the coastal zone requires an integrated approach for sustainable socio-economic development and environmental management. The concept of integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) was advanced in response to this. In line with the success story of spatial data infrastructure (SDI), initiatives are currently emerging to develop SDI for marine and coastal environment. The aim of this paper is to review emerging initiatives so as to identify the problems faced with implementation and discuss the way forward. The result may support stakeholders, policy makers, academia, and the government to leverage on the experience of others for a robust and sustainable policy and action plans on coastal management.

A Strategy for the Management, Preservation, and Reutilization of Geographical Information Based on the Lifecycle of Geospatial Data: An Assessment and a Proposal Based on Experiences from Spain and Europe

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the fact that the proper management of information has to include concern for its preservation and future re-use. This ambition is particularly significant for geospatial data. The primary aim of this article is to define the European and Spanish frameworks for the preservation and reutilization of geographical information, with the ultimate goal of proposing an articulated, lifecycle-based data management model. With this, the intent is to shed some light on a complex, difficult and ever-evolving subject.The article is divided into two main parts. The first part begins with a conceptual justification for geospatial data management and continues by synthesizing the current normative and technological framework for the preservation and reutilization of geographical information. Within this context, the implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) in Spain is evaluated. The second part begins with a case study from Spain that aims to identify different agents and flows that influence the lifecycle of geographical data, as well as the strengths and weaknesses found in each stage of the process under examination. Finally, the foregoing ideas are used in order to propose a SDI-related system for the management of geographical information.

SDI planning using the system dynamics technique within a community of practice: lessons learnt from Tanzania

There exist major challenges in accelerating the spatial data infrastructure (SDI) planning process in the developing countries as well as advocating for politicians to support the development of SDI, due to the high complexity of SDI, lack of knowledge and experience, and limited insight in the benefits. To address these challenges, a methodology for SDI planning in Tanzania, based on the system dynamics technique and the communities of practice concept, was adopted and applied within a community consisting of experts from stakeholder organizations. The groups gathered to develop an SDI plan, while they shared their knowledge and discussed their ideas that helped their understanding of SDI. By running the system dynamics model, the development of SDI over time could be simulated that gave the planning community an insight about the future effects of today’s plans and decisions. Finally, an optimum model could be developed by refinements and improvements done with the consensus of the SDI stakeholders. This model included the components and policies that are essential for a successful SDI implementation in Tanzania and can be used as a basis for SDI planning and help to gain political support. Lessons learnt from this research were promising regarding the usability of the methodology for SDI planning in comparable countries.

Spatial Data Infrastructures in Africa: A Gap Analysis

The need for spatially explicit thematic data is currently increasing in parallel to the development of observing, storing and processing capabilities. This requires an integrated data management structure in which human and institutional aspects play a key role as part of a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). We focus in this study on the African continent to evaluate the status of its SDI implementation. Because assessing SDI at a continental scale in a traditional way (i.e. following methods developed for national assessments) requires financial resources and mechanisms only affordable to developed countries (e.g. European Union), alternative ways have been explored based on fourteen key SDI indicators that were validated by SDI experts in a previous study. Data was collected for each African country through the African leading SDI institution (UN Economic Commission for Africa) and through Internet searches. We found relatively weak scores of the fourteen SDI indicators for African countries compared to the rest of the World, but with notable differences within Africa. We discuss the implication of the lack of information available on the Internet to assess SDI status in Africa. We conclude that it is necessary to improve statistical information in most African countries. This requires an agreed-on geospatial data structure and organization between concerned institutions that is only achievable through a shared global vision on geospatial data governance. To this end, we suggest a few quick wins and several new mechanisms that would enhance the flow of SDI statistical information and improve data management structure in Africa.

Filling the gap between Earth observation and policy making in the Black Sea catchment with enviroGRIDS

The environmental status of the Black Sea is obviously closely related to its catchment. Being a closed sea, this large water body drains an area of more than 2 million km2, encompassing 23 countries inhabited by more than 180 million people. The main environ- mental issues faced by the Black Sea catchment are the same as elsewhere in Europe. These problems are exacerbated by global changes with drastic changes predicted in temperature and precipitation by the end of the century, as well as land use and demographic changes. These environmental problems are taking place in a complex geopolitical situation. In this particular context, data sharing is essential to inform managers and policy-makers about the state of the environment, which will ultimately influence the state of the Black Sea itself. The enviroGRIDS project was set up in order to promote international data sharing initia- tives such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems and the European INSPIRE directive. The enviroGRIDS project was successful in reaching the following objectives: (a) performing a gap analysis on existing Earth observations systems in the region; (b) devel- oping regional capacities at institutional, infrastructure and human resource levels; (c) creating regional scenarios to set the scene for plausible climatic, demographic and land use futures; (d) building the first hydrological model for the entire Black Sea catchment; (e) developing the Black Sea Catchment Observation System based on interoperability stan- dards and Grid computing technologies; (f) showcasing data sharing in several case studies, addressing important environmental issues while building a network of people with improved capacity on data sharing principles. These relative successes should not, however, hide the difficulties in making the necessary Earth observation data available to scientists, decision makers and the public, as the mind-sets at all levels are changing slowly. Controlling the access to data is still perceived by many as a necessity to guarantee the power of the state on society and as a way to preserve its security. The need to develop national spatial data infrastructures (SDI) is very important to convince all ministries and data owner that publically funded data should be made publically available. The progress in the implementation of SDI seems more limited by political agendas than by technology. It is clear, however, that implementation of the INSPIRE directive in Europe is a prerequisite for the success of many other environmental policies (e.g. Water Framework Directive; Marine Strategy Framework Directive; Biodiversity strategy 2020).

Building a semantic based public transportation geoportal compliant with the INSPIRE transport network data theme

Interoperability is becoming essential for the today’s geographic information systems. Geographic information is usually available as datasets stored in databases and accessible via GIS. However, these information sources are increasingly heterogeneous and show differences in data formats, database schema and object concepts. To satisfy the increased demand for the use and sharing of geographic data in common applications, considering the heterogeneity and the methods to support interoperability are required by the GIS community. The implementation of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) such as the European INSPIRE (Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community) enables accessibility and the sharing of geographic data and interoperability among the systems. In addition to this, traditional GIS systems perform spatial queries using a keyword-based method. However, this approach remains incapable of fully expressing the users' needs due to a lack of geographic concepts (semantics) in the dataset. Different terms may refer to similar concepts, while the same terms may refer to different concepts. This causes semantic heterogeneity in the dataset. In this context, the most promising approach is the implementation of geospatial semantics by means of ontology in the geospatial dataset to overcome this kind of ambiguity. The aim of this research is to investigate the implementation of INSPIRE as a SDI standard and the use of Semantic Technology to empower the traditional GIS approach. In this regard, a public transportation geoportal has been developed for the experimental investigation which uses a revised sample transportation data complaint with the INSPIRE Transport Network Data Theme and a developed Transportation Ontology Domain, including concepts, relationships and individuals to provide a semantic spatial search.

Implementation of a web services-based SDI to control and manage private ownership rights on coastal areas

It is stated in the legislation related to the management of coastal areas, particularly in the Coastal Law, that private ownership shall not be allowed in coastal areas in Turkey. However, due to deficiencies in the legislation, insufficiencies in control and enforcement, and, most importantly, lack of interoperability among institutions, it is evident that private ownership exists in coastal areas. According to the Coastal Law and the Regulation for Application of the Coastal Law, Shore Border Line (SBL) infringing sections of a real estate that remain on the coast should be annulled from the title and they should be allocated for public use. In practice, owing to the fact that institutions, which perform title annulment procedures, collect the required spatial data from the related institutions via traditional methods, it is seen that procedures are carried out quite slowly, and the process of title annulment lasts for months. Effective cooperation among many different institutions is needed in the management of coastal areas. The mechanism that will ensure this cooperation is “Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).” The SDIs are interoperability infrastructures that allow sharing of the data and services among the related institutions or parties. Service Oriented Architecture and its most common implementation method, web services, are the latest software architecture that is recommended for realizing interoperability. In this study, the legislation related to management of coastal areas in Turkey is examined and institutions, which appear in the process of title annulment of real estates, which remain on the coast by infringing the SBL, and the procedures carried out are explained. Next, a series of web services were designed and developed for an SDI implementation, and it is demonstrated that procedures which are in practice implemented quite slowly by traditional methods can be implemented in a fast and proper manner in a web services-based SDI environment.

A case study on local SDI implementation in Germany

This paper presents a case study which highlights some aspects of local spatial data infrastructure (SDI) implementation in Germany. The study outlines the concrete situation as given in the South Western German State of Rheinland-Pfalz by discussing it in the context of the evolution at higher SDI levels represented by the INSPIRE initiative at the European level and by the GDI-DE initiative at the German national level. Special emphasis is given to the integration of communal SDIs within the local SDI level. Benefits of SDI application of land tools like urban planning, land-use regulation and property registration are shown. Integration of the communal SDI into the states’ SDI is illustrated.

Methodology for conformance testing of spatial data infrastructure components including an example of its implementation in Slovakia

Methodology for conformance testing of spatial data infrastructure components including an example of its implementation in SlovakiaBefore any spatial data infrastructure (SDI) is implemented as fully operational, many relevant testing procedures should take place. Such procedures should evaluate the compliancy level of particular SDI components against the relevant standards and implementing rules. Hence, they should ensure a high interoperability level. Many testing activities have already been performed within the implementation of the European SDI (INSPIRE - Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community). Nevertheless, a common and versatile testing methodology, which is possible to use at any level of SDI realization is still lacking. This paper proposes a conformance testing methodology for selected SDI components applicable via network services for the discovery, view and downloading of data. An example of such an implementation has taken place within an environmental SDI developed by the Slovak Environmental Agency. A testing report template summarizing the results of the tests is proposed to be considered as a common template on a national level to be used within the implementation of a National Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the Slovak Republic.

Spatial data management priorities for assessment of Europe’s coasts and seas

Systemic understanding of marine and coastal environment needs data integration following a respective concept e.g. multi-dimensional and functional mapping. A number of new activities will improve data supply for coasts and seas. This data needs to be integrated and combined with socio-economic drivers and resulting pressures. Resulting knowledge base should be able to inform effectively ecosystem-based management actions, such as integrated coastal zone management, maritime spatial planning, extension of Natura 2000 areas or climate change adaptation in coastal regions and maritime sectors. Assessment that aims to inform such processes will require rethinking of priorities for spatial data collection and analysis, in particular building on data sharing and standardization, improved spatial data integration, promoting interoperability of relevant information systems and possibility of assimilating different data types in to models. Different aspects of spatial data should be addressed in coherent implementation of spatial data infrastructure.

A Review of the Status of Spatial Data Infrastructure Implementation in Africa

Spatial data is a key resource for the development of a nation. There is a lot of economic potential that is locked away in spatial data collections and this potential is realised by making the data widely available. Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) provide a platform for spatial data users, producers and those that manage it, to distribute the data more efficiently. Governments all over the world are realising the value of National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI), and therefore making major investments to establish them. However, in Africa, implementation of formal NSDI is being done at a seemingly slow pace. This paper presents an assessment of the status of NSDI activity in Africa. 29 countries were used in the survey and an assessment was made per region (South, West, East, North and Central Africa). The results show that generally, formal NSDI activity in most African countries is still in its infancy. The paper also gives recommendations of possible measures that can be taken to foster SDI implementation on the continent. In addition, it highlights potential areas for further SDI research.