Report available from JRC

This report presents the findings of the workshop on Advanced Regional Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDIs) organised by the European Commission Joint Research Centre in May 2008. The objectives of the workshop were to review the state of progress, analyse the different organisational models established with local and national stakeholders, and assess the social and economic impacts of the regional SDIs.

Eleven regional/sub-national SDIs in Europe are presented in the report: Lombardy, and Piedmont (Italy), Catalonia and Navarra (Spain), Wallonia and Flanders (Belgium), North-Rhine Westfalia and Bavaria (Germany), Northern Ireland (UK), Brittany (France), and Vysocina (Czech Republic). These experiences are set in the context of the broader European framework provided by the INSPIRE Directive, the national State of Play studies, and international experiences in the USA and Australia.

One of the main findings: The technology is cheap, data is expensive, but social relations are invaluable.

Details can be found in the report edited by M. Craglia and M. Campagna, European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability.