“When we think about spatial data infrastructure (SDI) we often think about governments. Most SDI originate within government related organisations and are often stimulated by the introduction of funding structures that enable them. It stands to reason that some SDI could exist without government association, operating indpendently and for their own purposes. Afterall, not all private companies operate with governments as clients, but instead operate solely on a business-to-business orientation.”
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When we think about spatial data infrastructure (SDI) we often think about governments. Most SDI originate within government related organisations and are often stimulated by the introduction of funding structures that enable them, specifically. It stands to reason that some SDI could exist without government association, operating indpendently and for their own purposes. Afterall, not all private companies operate with governments as clients, but instead operate solely on a business-to-business orientation. In practice a functional, healthy and well developed SDI knows no bounds when it comes to integrating spatial information within its framework – it ought to have openness and a high level of interoperability. That is what enables it for use and effectiveness. But it is unrealistic to expect that everyone wants to share all data and information with everyone else. One reason that government information often leads to the development of SDI is because the information is public and people demand that it be accessible, available and useable. This includes all sources of spatial information, and can be seen to originate from a multitude of agencies across all levels of government. Of course there are various models in practice today for ensuring this, depending upon the region, government and country. To begin to think about a non-government SDI one would probably have to start by asking, “why create a SDI separate from government.” Answer: Ask all those companies now seeking to repay Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as quickly as they can. Now I am aware that a good deal of spatially related goods and services are connected to governments and for good reason and that a few eyebrows would raise as I even mention a non-government SDI. But we need not close our eyes to the reality that government only SDI can similarly exist. Can you think of an example where a business-to-business SDI flourishes? Imagine a business that participates in several SDI. It has interests in a government-to-business framework dominated by large interactions between private and public entities. It also operates, for all intents and purposes, its own global SDI, connecting it’s business functions and operations to different geographical regions around the world. At the same time, it participates in a third SDI, exchanging data of particular types and other information with a myriad of businesses it operates with on a project basis or simply in day-to-day business. Where does a project end and a SDI begin? This depends upon the size, scope, participants and complexity of a project. But it also realtes to information sharing needs. Assuming that spatial data can be managed, transferred and consumed by anyone, anywhere – providing the correct authentification is ensured, then multiple SDI participations can occur within any agency or business. Thus the nature, structure, purpose and goals of individual SDI can assume unique characters. They can also include, exclude, use and reuse different relationships on an as-needed basis. My concern is that we think about SDI solely as government related efforts when they don’t have to be. Although many, and probably the largest SDI will be government connected to a high degree, there can and will be cases where SDI can evolve solely without government connections, or at least at very minimal levels. And, there are reasons for this to occur. Fire up Bing.com, Google, Ask or any other search engine and type in SDI and you will quickly find that SDI has come to mean government spatial data frameworks. It is that dominance that we need to reconsider. Openness and interopability alone do not make SDI. While they are integral aspects of SDI, the purpose people connect, what they connect together for and the kinds of information they are connecting about fall into government only, government-industry and industry-industry categories of SDI. These categories are not necessarily static and non-changing. Just as governments and businesses change, so too could SDI. ————————————————————— Jeff Thurston is editor – EMEA – V1 Magazine and V1 Energy Magazine. This column rotates weekly. Additional reading: Research and Theory in Advancing Spatial Data Infrastructure Concepts Finnish National Spatial Data Infrastructure Does Business Have a Role in Spatial Data Infrastructure, and what is it? |
