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    Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures
    Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures
    Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures
    Ebook173 pages5 hours

    Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures

    By Ian Masser and Joep Crompvoets

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    About this ebook

    SDI expert Ian Masser provides a practical introduction to the tasks involved in building a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) and makes clear how Europeans are taking advantage of geographic information technologies to help their citizens have quick access to location-based information. He also illuminates the critical collaboration that is necessary between public and private agencies to develop the ""infrastructure for spatial information in Europe"" (INSPIRE) the as well as the partnerships built between public and private sectors than enable sharing information and better decision-making. Europeans are building spatial data infrastructures (SDI) to create a multinational system of sharing information throughout the European Union and this book shows how.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEsri Press
    Release dateJan 9, 2015
    ISBN9781589484061
    Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures
    Author

    Ian Masser

    Educated in geography and town planning at Liverpool University, Professor Ian Masser has been involved with the INSPIRE Directive since its beginning. He was founder chairman of the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE) and president of both the European Umbrella Organisation for Geographic Information (EUROGI) and the Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Association (GSDI). His publications include 18 books and more than 300 published papers and conference presentations. He authored the first and second editions of Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures (Esri Press 2007, 2010).

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      Book preview

      Building European Spatial Data Infrastructures - Ian Masser

      The Many Uses of GIS

      In April 2006, Esri president Jack Dangermond gave a presentation on the INSPIRE Directive at the European Union (EU) Interparliamentary Conference, held in Gävle, Sweden. His presentation was titled, ‘How Will We Use Spatial Information in the Future, and How Can a Common EU Infrastructure for Such Information Contribute to Development?’ It described a spectrum of geographic information system (GIS) applications across many sectors of society and illustrated the extent to which GIS is an application-driven technology continuously finding new realms that can benefit from the power of spatial information. This provided the starting point for the first edition of this book.

      GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

      Central and local government agencies are the largest users of GIS. A wide range of central government bodies, such as cadastral agencies, environmental bodies, and planning and transport agencies, make extensive use of GIS for decision making and policy monitoring. Most local government services have a spatial dimension—urban and regional planning, transportation, parks and recreation services, housing, local economic development, and property tax collection (box 1.1). GIS applications have been developed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of local government services in all but the tiniest local authorities. Planners of education and health facilities make extensive use of the technology to identify areas of need and to locate facilities, and the police rely on it for crime mapping and emergency management.

      GOVERNMENTS

      •Urban planning

      •Services provision

      •Recreation facilities

      •Local economic development

      •Property tax collection

      UTILITIES

      •Electricity networks

      •Gas supplies

      •Water distribution

      •Telecommunications

      Box 1.1

      Using GIS to manage government and utilities.

      Figure 1.1

      GIS is used to reroute utility cables and sewer pipes in major street works projects throughout Europe (Rotterdam, the Netherlands). Photo courtesy of Frank Holsmuller.

      UTILITIES

      Because of their enormous investment in fixed infrastructure networks, the electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications companies were pioneers in the development of large-scale automated mapping and facility management (AM/FM) GIS applications (box 1.1 and figure 1.1). As their interests are primarily commercial, utility companies track and maximise returns on existing assets and strive to achieve high service standards. They also seek out new business opportunities to generate revenue for shareholders. These objectives create an ever-increasing demand for accurate, up-to-date information on the state of the utility’s infrastructure, the types and frequency of service problems, and the changing tastes of customers. Utility companies also use GIS to link their databases with other geographical features, such as road networks, census information, and topographic data.

      TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS

      The planning and management of road, rail, sea, and air transportation networks require a substantial investment in geographic information technologies. The objectives include improving traffic flows, decreasing operational costs, saving energy, and ensuring safety. GIS is indispensable for tracking vehicles over complex networks, and a wide range of geographic information tools are used for in-vehicle satellite navigation, fleet management systems, logistic scheduling and routing, and intelligent vehicle highway systems (box 1.2).

      BUSINESS

      In a constantly changing marketplace, successful businesses must strive to reduce costs, improve profit margins, and maintain their competitive edge to retain customers. Location-based services and business applications of GIS can be found in financial services, insurance, manufacturing, and distribution (box 1.2). The real estate industry has a strong interest in geographic information on individual properties and the general land market in terms of financial investment and property development. Retail companies also need geographic information to complement their customer databases and help them find the best locations for new stores and offices.

      TRANSPORT

      •Road networks

      •Railway systems

      •Sea lanes

      •Air routing

      BUSINESS

      •Finance and insurance

      •Manufacturing goods

      •Real estate services

      •Property investment

      •Retail site selection

      NATURAL RESOURCES

      •Water quality

      •Coastal zone management

      •Mapping desertification

      •Combatting environmental degradation

      Box 1.2

      Using GIS to manage transport, business, and natural resources.

      NATURAL RESOURCES

      One of the greatest challenges facing the world is the need for more effective management of natural resources, with the goals of maintaining the health of the environment, conserving biodiversity, and facilitating sustainable and equitable development (box 1.2 and figure 1.2). Playing a major role in meeting this challenge, GIS is used in applications dealing with salinity, declining water quality, coastal zone erosion, desertification, and environmental degradation. Logging, oil, and gas companies were also among the first private-sector businesses to experiment with GIS for managing inventories.

      ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

      GIS is a valuable tool in raising public awareness and improving understanding of environmental hazards such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and tsunamis, as well as broad issues such as global warming and climate change (box 1.3). Playing an important role in minimising environmental risks, GIS helps save lives and reduce property damage. GIS applications have also been developed for monitoring river water quality, environmental pollution, acid rain deposition, and thermal discharge from power stations.

      Figure 1.2

      The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland in April 2010 caused enormous disruption to air travel throughout northern and western Europe for six days. This figure shows the sulphur dioxide trajectory of the volcanic plume 14–16 April. © 2014 EUMETSAT. Used by permission.

      Figure 1.3

      During an outbreak of cholera in London in 1854, Dr. John Snow mapped the deaths from the disease and found a large cluster within a short distance of a water pump on Broad Street. This showed that contaminated drinking water was the probable cause of the outbreak. Map by John Snow, M.D., from On the Mode of Communication of Cholera, second edition, 1855; reproduced courtesy of College of Physicians of Philadelphia.

      SECURITY

      GIS applications are helping to create a safer society by modelling risks, identifying vulnerable areas, and creating buffer zones to protect citizens from terrorist attacks and industrial waste hazards (box 1.3 and figure 1.3). They also provide the critical infrastructure required for effective emergency management and for modelling the spread of diseases such as avian influenza in birds, foot-and-mouth disease in farm animals, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in humans.

      ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS

      •Assessing natural environmental hazards

      •Monitoring global warming

      •Monitoring climate change

      •Facilitating emergency management

      •Environmental monitoring

      SECURITY

      •Modelling risks

      •Tracking diseases

      •Vulnerability analysis

      •Buffer zone protection

      EDUCATION

      •Promoting spatial literacy

      •Raising geographic awareness

      •Increasing understanding

      Box 1.3

      Using GIS to minimise environmental risks, manage security, and support education.

      EDUCATION

      In the last two decades, the number of GIS users throughout the world has increased from thousands to millions. In the process, the GIS community has grown from the original core of surveying and mapping specialists to include a wide variety of professionals and amateurs who are working with spatial information on a wide range of applications from the global to the local level. This rapid expansion has created a need for educational programmes that explain basic geographic concepts and encourage new users to think spatially and increase their awareness and understanding of geography (box 1.3).

      CONCLUSIONS

      GIS applications span a very broad range, as can be seen in the preceding examples, and new applications are emerging all the time. However, it must be recognised that the full potential of GIS can be realised only if the necessary SDIs are in place at the local, national, and transnational levels. The relationships between GIS and SDIs are discussed in chapter 2.

      How GIS Technology Works and Why We Need SDIs

      Figure 2.1

      The Tabula Peutingeriana describes the road network of the Roman Empire. It is made up of 11 parchment scrolls from the Middle Ages and is named after the German humanist and antiquarian Konrad Peutinger (1465–1547). Accessed 15 July 2014.

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