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.

Expert perspectives on SDI theory and practice The spatial data infrastructure (SDI) concept continues to evolve and become an increasingly important element of the infrastructure that supports economic development, environmental management, and social stability. Because of its dynamic and complex nature, however, it remains a fuzzy concept

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. Analyzing the obstacles as well as the processes and mechanisms of integration a

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.

Metadata play a fundamental role in both DLs and SDIs. Commonly defined as "structured data about data" or "data which describe attributes of a resource" or, more simply, "information about data", it is an essential requirement for locating and evaluating available data. Therefore, this book focuses on the study of different metadata aspects, which contribute to a more efficient use of DLs and SDIs. The three main issues addressed are: the management of nested collections of resources, the interoperability between metadata schemas, and the integration of information retrieval techniques to the discovery services of geographic data catalogs (contributing in this way to avoid metadata content heterogeneity).

Science is increasingly driven by data, and spatial data underpin the science directions laid out in the 2007 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Science Strategy. A robust framework of spatial data, metadata, tools, and a user community that is interactively connected to use spatial data in an efficient and flexible way-known as a spatial data infrastructure (SDI)-must be available for scientists and managers to find, use, and share spatial data both within and beyond the USGS. Over the last decade, the USGS has conducted breakthrough research that has overcome some of the challenges associated with implementing a large SDI. Advancing Strategic Science: A Spatial Data Infrastructure Roadmap for the U.S. Geological Survey is intended to ground those efforts by providing a practical roadmap to full implementation of an SDI to enable the USGS to conduct strategic science.

Initiatives, such as INSPIRE and the US DHS Geospatial Data Model, are working to develop a rich set of standards that will create harmonized models and themes for the spatial information infrastructure. However, this is only the first step. Semantically meaningful models must still be developed in order to stimulate interoperability. Creatin