Abbas Rajabifard

Developing Spatial Data Infrastructures : From Concept to Reality

PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND SDIS- SETTING THE SCENE Building Spatial Data Infrastructures Challenges Facing SDI Development Conclusion References SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURES: CONCEPT, NATURE AND SDI HIERARCHY The Need for Spatial Data Spatial Data Infrastructure SDI Hierarchy Applying Hierarchy Theory on SDIs Relationships among Different SDIs Conclusion References PART TWO:FROM GLOBAL SDI TO LOCAL SDI GLOBAL INITIATIVES Global SCI-GSDI Global Map References REGIONAL SDIS European Umbrella Organization For Geographic Information (EUROGI) Permanent Committee On GIS Infrastructure For Asia And The Pacific (PCGIAP) Permanent Committee On Spatial Data Infrastructure For The Americas (PCIDEA) Comparative Evaluation References SDI DIFFUSION - A REGIONAL CASE STUDY WITH RELEVANCE TO OTHER LEVELS Asia and the Pacific Region and Regional SDI Activities: A Case Study SDI Diffusion Influencing Factors for Regional SDI Diffusion SDI Development Models New Strategies and Future Directions Conclusion and Recommendations References NATIONAL SDI INITIATIVES National SDI - The Ceoncept and Nature Role and Relationships within SDI Hierarchy Generaltional Development of SDIs Recommendations and Future Directions References STATE SDI INITIATIVES The Nature of Spatial Information at a State Level State SDI - Organizational Issues The Operation of State SDI Partnerships in State SDI Evaluation of State SDI Initiatives Other Issues and Future Directions of State SDI References PART THREE: AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDY FROM NATIONAL TO LOCAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPATIAL DATA INFRASTRUCTURE ANZLIC - The Spatial Information Council ASDI Conceptual Model ASDI Implementation Current Issues And Future Directions References STATE SDI DEVELOPMENT: A VICTORIAN PERSPECTIVE State SDI in Victoria Linages to the National Spatial Information Sector Ke State SDI Initiatives Victorias SDI: Next Steps Conclusion References SDI DEVELOPMENT: ROLES OF LOCAL AND CORPORATE SDIS Local SDI Development at Geelong Corporate SDI in Multi-Level SDI Development- The Case of DNRE Some Patterns of SDI Development Conclusions References SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE PLACE FOR SDIS AND THE CASE FOR E-GOVERNANCE The Effect on Government The Role for SDIs The Case for E-Governance Conclusion PART FOUR: SUPPORTING ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL OBJECTIVES SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE PLACE FOR SDIs AND THE POTENTIAL OF E-GOVERNANCE Sustainable Development SDIs for Sustainable Development The Potential of E-Governance Conclusions References SDIs AND DECISION SUPPORT Decision Support for Sustainable Development Spatial Decision Support and SDIs Supporting the Decision Evironment The Developing Decision Support Status of SDIs Decision Support in the Future of SDIs References FINANCING SPATIAL DATA DEVELOPMENT: EXAMINING ALTERNATIVE FUNDING MODELS The Economic Issues of SDI Implementation The Concept of SDI Funding Models Alternative Funding Models Customizing the Alternative Funding Models for Emerging Nations Discussion Conclusion References DEVELOPING EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR SDIS Land Administration Systems and the Role of SDIs Evaluation And a Framework for Evaluation Evaluation of SDIs Conclusions References PART FIVE: TECHNICAL DIMENSION ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARY DESIGN IN SUPPORT OF SDI OBJECTIVES A Definition of the Spatial Hierarchy Problem Administrative Boundaries within SDI Conclusion References SDI AND LOCATION BASED WIRELESS APPLICATIONS SDI as a Foundation for Location Based Services Augmenting the SDI Model Framework to Facilitate Wireless Applications Case Study Discussion, Recommendations and Future Directions References POSITIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR SDI SDI and Positional Accuracy Opening the lid on Geodesy Spatial Data Referencing Transforming Between Different Reference Frames Measuring and Recording Positional Accuracy Case Studies Conclusions References PART SIX: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FUTURE DIRECTION FOR SDI DEVELOPMENT Covering the SDI Landscape SDI Development Issues Conclusion References

Assessing the worldwide developments of national spatial data clearinghouses

Many countries have spent considerable resources over the past few years debating optimal national spatial data infrastructures. One of the (main) elements of these infrastructures is the national spatial data clearinghouse, which facilitates access to required spatial data and provides complementary services. With this in mind, in April 2000, 2001, 2002 and December 2000, 2001, 2002, a web survey was carried out to assess systematically the developments of these national clearinghouses worldwide. Regarding the development in the number of implementations, it can be considered a worldwide success. However, of concern are the declining trends in use, management and content. One of the main reasons for these negative trends could be the dissatisfaction of the spatial data community with the functional capability of current clearinghouses. The functional capabilities of clearinghouses should likely be changed from a data-oriented to a user and application-oriented focus. This is in accord with the objectives of the second generation of spatial data infrastructures. The main factors, therefore, that will have positive impacts on developments in this field are the inclusion of web services, stability of funding and creation of user-friendly interfaces.

Future directions for SDI development

Understanding the role of spatial data infrastructure (SDI) in the society is important to acceptance of the concept and its alignment with spatial industry objectives. Much has been done to describe and understand the components and operation of different aspects of SDIs and their integration into the spatial data community. However, what is often miss-understood is that the role SDI plays is by necessity greater than the sum of individual components of SDI and stakeholder groups.SDI is fundamentally about facifitation and coordination of the exchange and sharing of spatial data between stakeholders in the spatial data community. To this end, the authors propose that the roles of SDI have been pursued through two different approaches: product- and process-based. Both approaches have value, but contribute to the evolution, uptake and utilization of the SDI concept in different ways. They provide different frameworks for dealing with SDI mandates for the objectives of spatial data access and sharing.This paper reviews the nature and concept of SDI, including the components, which have helped to build the current understanding about the importance of an infrastructure to support the interactions of the spatial data community. Several examples of how SDIs have been described are offered to aid understanding of their complexity. The need for descriptions to represent the discrepancies between the role and deliverables of an SDI, and thus, contribute to a simpler, but dynamic, understanding of the complexity of the SDI concept, are postulated. The transition between the understanding of SDIs from product-based to process-based approaches is investigated, with a review of the positions taken by current SDI initiatives throughout the world. A model of how these approaches provide a framework to meet the mandates of the relevant jurisdictions is proposed, and factors contributing to the success of such positions in the future are discussed.

Using SDI and web-based system to facilitate disaster management

Spatial data and related technologies have proven to be crucial for effective collaborative decision-making in disaster management. However, there are currently substantial problems with availability, access and usage of reliable, up-to-date and accurate data for disaster management. This is a very important aspect to disaster response as timely, up-to-date and accurate spatial data describing the current situation is paramount to successfully responding to an emergency. This includes information about available resources, access to roads and damaged areas, required resources and required disaster response operations that should be available and accessible for use in a short period of time. Any problem or delay in data collection, access, usage and dissemination has negative impacts on the quality of decision-making and hence the quality of disaster response. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize appropriate frameworks and technologies to resolve current spatial data problems for disaster management. This paper aims to address the role of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) as a framework for the development of a web-based system as a tool for facilitating disaster management by resolving current problems with spatial data. It is argued that the design and implementation of an SDI model and consideration of SDI development factors and issues, together with development of a web-based GIS, can assist disaster management agencies to improve the quality of their decision-making and increase efficiency and effectiveness in all levels of disaster management activities. The paper is based on an ongoing research project on the development of an SDI conceptual model and a prototype web-based system which can facilitate sharing, access and usage of spatial data in disaster management, particularly disaster response.

The role of sub‐national government and the private sector in future spatial data infrastructures

A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) facilitates and coordinates the exchange and sharing of spatial data between stakeholders in the spatial data community. With this objective in mind, countries throughout the world are developing SDIs to manage and utilize their spatial data assets more effectively. These countries are developing SDIs to assist in various kinds of decision‐making at different levels of government jurisdictions that have an important impact within their national boundaries. However, current research shows that SDI is understood and described differently by stakeholders from different disciplines and different jurisdictional levels. Therefore, in many cases, SDI initiatives remain very much an innovation, even among practitioners. There are still uncertainties regarding the benefits and identities of SDIs, particularly in connection with how they evolve over time to meet user needs. This paper reviews and assesses the development of SDIs throughout the world over the past 15 years and the leadership role of national governments in SDI creation. This assessment is based on the SDI activities of various jurisdictions including Asia‐Pacific, Australia, North America, and Europe, and research into the worldwide effects of spatial information clearing houses. This assessment includes a discussion on emerging trends in SDI development, with particular reference to the increasingly important role played by sub‐national governments and the private sector within the framework of SDI development. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for future SDI development, including the delivery of a virtual world that has a particular focus on facilitating decision‐making at a community level within a national context.

Spatially enabling governments through SDI implementation

Spatially enabled government requires the development of effective SDIs that will support the vast majority of society, who are not spatially aware, in a transparent manner. This paper addresses three strategic challenges arising out of the need of creating this new environment. The first of these is the challenge for more inclusive models of governance given that SDI formulation and implementation involve a very large number of stakeholders from all levels of government as well as the private sector and academia. The second concerns the promotion of data sharing between different kinds of organization. In some cases, this may require new forms of organization to carry out these tasks. The third challenge relates to the establishment of enabling platforms to facilitate access to spatial data and the delivery of data‐related services.

Are SDIs serving the needs of local planning? Case study of Victoria, Australia and Illinois, USA

National spatial data infrastructures (SDI) have been built throughout the 1990s in both Australia and the USA, conceptualized and initialized by the Australia New Zealand Land Information Council (ANZLIC) and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), respectively. Numerous SDI-related activities at the national, state, and local levels in both countries share similar core objectives to stimulate coordinated collection, dissemination, and use of spatial data by public and private entities. This coordination is to result in digital databases that would be easily accessible and seamless across administrative and organizational boundaries and that would contribute social, environmental, and economic benefits to the involved communities. Improved information resources, at the local level in particular, are expected to aid decision-making process and to enhance cooperation between government and non-government sectors. This paper raises a question about the effectiveness of existing SDI developments and about outcomes of the related interactions between the local, state, and national levels. Case studies of local governments in Victoria, Australia and Illinois, USA are used to evaluate the utility of existing SDIs to local planning activities and to make suggestions for increasing their effectiveness.

An initial formal model for spatial data infrastructures

The Commission on Spatial Data Standards of the International Cartographic Association is working to define formal models and technical characteristics of Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). To date, this work has been restricted to the Enterprise and Information Viewpoints from the ISO Reference Model for Open Distributed Processing standard. The Commission has developed models for these two viewpoints. These models describe how the different parts of an SDI fit together in the viewpoints in question. These models should be seen as a contribution towards the overall model of the SDI and its technical characteristics. During the model development process, the roles of the different Actors in an SDI in the Enterprise and Information Viewpoints have also been identified in Use Case diagrams of an SDI. All the models have been developed using the Unified Modeling Language. ✠ This author passed away in September 2007.

Visualization requirements for 3D cadastral systems

Abstract In Australia, the cadastre stores and represents land ownership information in subdivision plans on paper and in digital documents (PDF). For a building subdivision, ownership boundaries are commonly drawn on floor plans, with cross-sections or isometric diagrams used to represent the 3D property rights. This method has significant shortcomings for representing property interests, especially in complex multi-level developments. The bounded 3D character of these developments requires numerous plans and sections which are difficult to interpret. It is also not possible to interact with such plans, modifications are not easy or efficient, and searching and measurement can only be done manually. In order to efficiently represent and work with land ownership and related information, this paper proposes a set of requirements (features) for interactive 3D cadastral visualization systems. In our methodology, important features, classified into three categories, have been identified by a review of the literature and also through a consultative workshop with industry partners. The first category includes features specific to visualization of the cadastre in 3D such as underground view and cross-section view. Second are those features that pertain to visualization systems generally such as interactivity and visual representation. Third are additional features that define how a 3D visualization system must behave such as usability and interoperability. A number of existing 3D visualization systems were evaluated against the identified features. Following this analysis, a prototype 3D visualization system was designed and implemented. Then, a case study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the developed system and this was presented to industry representatives through a workshop. Not all needs were met; for example, those involved in land registry sought greater support for validation of 3D spatial units. However most agreed that the prototype system is able to facilitate understanding of ownership boundaries. Using this feedback, our proposed features were reviewed according to the tasks and requirements of different users.

Spatial information opportunities for government

Land administration systems (LAS) are now challenged by new technologies and radically different demands for land information for modern governments. Spatial information is good enough to support spatial identification and location enablement applications available in every significant type of software (word processing, spread sheets, professional applications, Web systems, GIS and databases). A place on earth can be defined with precision on the ground and in computers. Digital data can be attached to a location as never before. With appropriate computer facilities and the underpinning interpretative information layers which translate computer language into understandable descriptions of places, governments can potentially identify ‘where’ their policies are happening. A nations ability to reap the benefits of the spatial enablement of information requires the highest level input from its government and private sectors. These challenges are discussed in the context of developing a vision of iLand, a concept of spatially enabled information for modern government. This article sets this vision in the history of land administration, and the growing reliance on a new kind of information about land and its attributes that is relative and aspatial in regulation of activities and taxation.