Spatial data infrastructures (SDIs) have come a long way in the last two decades.

In the wake of the so-called information technology revolution, many stakeholders from the public and private sectors (including citizens) have indeed grown accustomed to the promise and usability of spatial data infrastructures (SDI) for data access, use, and sharing. With contributions from international experts, this book presents cutting edge Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) research on information technology, systems, and infrastructures that is theoretically-based and empirically supported. It examines the complexities involved in the establishments of SDIs in the Northern and Southern hemispheres and use of SDIs in a variety of cultural, societal, and institutional contexts. The focus is on urban and regional levels where socio-economic and environmental sustainability is realized.

The Availability of Spatial and Environmental Data in the European Union

Because the original and essential value of spatial data ' data that refer to specific geographical locations or areas ' lies in environmental decision-making, such data mostly originate in the public sector and are made available to people,

This book draws on author’s wealth of knowledge working on numerous projects across many countries. It provides a clear overview of the development of the SDI concept and SDI worldwide implementation and brings a logical chronological approach to the linkage of GIS technology with SDI enabling data. The theory and practice approach help understand that SDI development and implementation is very much a social process of learning by doing. The author masterfully selects main historical developments and updates them with an analytical perspective promoting informed and responsible use of geographic information and geospatial technologies for the benefit of society from local to global scales. Features Subject matter spans thirty years of the development of GIS and SDI. Brings a social science perspective into GIS and SDI debates that have been largely dominated by technical considerations. Based on a world-wide perspective as a result of the author's experience and research in the USA, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Peru, China, India, Korea, Malaysia, and Japan as well as most European countries. Draws upon professional and academic experience relating to pioneering UK and European GIS research initiatives. Includes updated historical material with an analytical perspective explaining what was done right, and what didn't work.

Spatial data identifies the geographic location of natural and constructed features and boundaries on Earth, and has become increasingly important in various administrative practices. In order to facilitate access, use, and sharing of spatial data among organisations, information is brought together in clustered initiatives known as Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs). In Spatial Data Infrastructures at Work, Ezra Dessers introduces spatial enablement as a key concept to describe the realisation of SDI objectives in the context of individual public sector processes. Drawing on four years of research, Dessers argues that it has become essential, even unavoidable, to manage and (re)design inter-organisational process chains in order to further advance the role of SDIs as an enabling platform for a spatially enabled society. Detailed case studies illustrate that the process he describes is the setting in which one can see the SDI at work. This book is must-read material for academics, practitioners, and policymakers dealing with sdi and spatial enablement. By extension, the book will also be of great interest to anyone confronted with societal issues that call for an integrated approach, implying in-depth cooperation between multiple organisations.

In this landmark publication, leading experts detail how remote sensing and related geospatial technologies can be used for coastal ecosystem assessment and management. This book is divided into three major parts. In the first part several conceptual and technical issues of applying remote sensing and geospatial technologies in the coastal environment are examined. The second part showcases some of the latest developments in the use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies when characterizing coastal waters, submerged aquatic vegetation, benthic habitats, shorelines, coastal wetlands and watersheds. Finally, the last part demonstrates a watershed-wide synthetic approach that links upstream stressors with downstream responses for integrated coastal ecosystem assessment and management.